Not to make the connection to closely, but note that the greatness of
Egypt was prior to its Islamization. Note the same thing with
Constantinople: it was the worlds leader in art, theology and
science--before Islam. One might point out other cities (Carthage?), or
the reverse direction: Israel has become a leader in technology,
education and economics, but only after it was partially de-Islamized
and rule was given to the British Mandate and the ultimately it achieved
sovereignty. In Egypt's case (as in all the cases above actually) note
that the successes were achieved not only by non-Muslims but by entirely
different ethnic groups. It was the Copts who built the pyramids, not
the Arabs. Again, don't make too much out of all this, each example is
fairly complex, but it is worth noting.
This pattern will be
replicated as Europe continues to be Islamized: decline in all areas:
economics, rule of law, education, art, science, and so on.
[...]The
pyramids are proof of Egypt's endurance and what distinguishes it from
modern confections, like Saudi Arabia, a nation founded 76 years ago,
named after a family and built on oil wealth. But these monuments to
Egypt's early ingenuity are also an ever-present symbol of faded glory.
It is hard to escape comparisons between an Egypt that once led the
world in almost everything and modern Egypt, where about 40 percent of
the population lives on $2 a day.
"Can you believe our government
can do nothing for us, and this thing that was built thousands of years
ago is still helping me feed my family?" Ahmed Sayed Baghali, 49, said
as he sat in a plastic chair selling postcards to tourists outside the
Egyptian Museum here, which displays millenniums of antiquities. "Who
would buy my things if they were not about the pharaohs? People come
here from very far to see the pyramids, not to see Cairo."[...]
From IHT (an old article...)
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