To my regret however, George makes no mention about sharia still in large approval by the majority of Egyptian society, including by the general leading the military coup. There can be no real (small d) democracy in Egypt, or in any society that’s fixated on sharia, because by default, it means that tolerance, a crucial backbone of the civil society is lacking.
h/t: Dennis Mitzner
Abraham Lincoln rejected the argument of his rival Stephen Douglas, who favored “popular sovereignty in the territories.” Douglas thought slavery should expand wherever a majority favored it. Lincoln understood that unless majority rule is circumscribed by the superior claims of natural rights, majority rule is merely the doctrine of “might makes right” adapted to the age of mass participation in politics. The idea that the strong have a right to unfettered rule if their strength is numerical is just the barbarism of “might makes right” prettified by initial adherence to democratic forms. Egypt’s military despotism may be less dangerous than Morsi’s because it lacks what Morsi’s had, a democratic coloration, however superficial and evanescent.
