Mohamed ElBaradei: A wolf in sheep's clothing

At least according to Joel Rosenberg:

Who is Mohamed ElBaradei? A wolf in sheep's clothing

However, the closer one looks at ElBaradei’s career and public statements, the more troubling the image becomes. Indeed, three clues tell us the answer is “no,” ElBaradei is not someone we can trust, and certainly not someone we want running Egypt. To the contrary, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and we must not let him gain power.

Mr Rosenberg gives us the "data" to support these views:

First, Mohamed ElBaradei is an apologist for Iran.

As head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, from 1997 to 2009, the Iranians repeatedly lied to ElBaradei’s face, and he either let them or didn’t know the difference. The Iranians dramatically accelerated their nuclear enrichment program in violation of U.N. resolutions and international law during those 12 years. But ElBaradei never seemed bothered. Iran built three secret nuclear facilities during this time, yet ElBaredei never seemed to notice (until other intelligence agencies called his attention to them).

The link to this main article, as provided above, contains additional links to articles supporting these facts.

Those who watched it saw him say yet again that he opposes economic sanctions on Iran and even opposes the last case scenario of a preemptive strike against Iran, saying he things “building trust” and more “negotiations” will actually stop Iran from getting the Bomb.

ElBaradei has opposed economic sanctions on Iran for quite some time. What’s more, he actually thinks the whole notion of the Iranian nucleaer “threat” is hyped and is neither particularly severe nor urgent.

Now we see the second point:

Second, ElBaredei has demonstrated he is anti-Israel.

During his tenure at the IAEA, Iranian leaders publicly and consistently called for the “annihilation” of Israel, denied the Holocaust of six million Jews during World War II, said that the Jewish State was doomed to destruction, that the fall of Israel was “imminent,” as was the coming of the Twelfth Imam which would coincide with the destruction of not just Israel but also the U.S.

At the same time, the Iranians feverishly developed their capacities to accomplish the destruction of Israel and our regional allies, including building and deploying ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel and Europe. Yet in 2009, ElBaradei actually declared that Israel was the greatest threat to the peace and security of the Middle East, not Iran.

And last we see the most important point:

Third, ElBaradei is an apologist for the Muslim Brotherhood.

For starters, in recent days the Brotherhood has begun opening supporting ElBaradei and saying that they want to form a “unity” government with him, and he is welcoming their support. What’s more, in an interview on CNN on January 30, 2011, ElBaradei flatly denied that the Muslim Brotherhood is a fundamentalist Islamic organization, claiming that this was “a myth that was sold by the Mubarak regime.”

He went on to deny that if the Brotherhood gained control of the Egyptian government they wouldn’t create a Radical Islamic regime that would be similar to what happened in Iran in 1979.

So what is the truth regarding the Muslim Brotherhood?

Is he kidding? The Muslim Brotherhood has been one of the most anti-Western, virulently jihadist organizations in the Middle East for decades. They have believed and taught that Islam is the answer, and violent jihad is the way.

This was true of its founder Hassan al-Banna. This was true of its intellectual leader Sayyid Qutb in the 1950s and 1960s. This is true of its most famous and deadly disciples, including Osama bin Laden (who was recruited into the Brotherhood by a Syrian high school teacher), and his deputy, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian national who was also part of the Brotherhood until he joined bin Laden to build al Qaeda as an even more violent and radical Islamist group.

It remains true with the Hamas terror movement in Gaza, which is an offshoot of the Egyptian Brotherhood. I document all this in my 2009 non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution.

Closing thoughts from Mr Rosenberg:

The question is whether the Brotherhood is latching onto ElBaradei’s suddenly stardom, or whether their relationship goes back longer than most realize. Are they using each other for tactical purposes right now, or did ElBaradei choose some time ago to become the kinder, gentler face of a movement that would bring great oppression to the Egyptian people, destroy the U.S.-Egyptian alliance, abrogate the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, and seek to make Egypt part of some new Islamic caliphate.

There is no one visible in Egypt at the moment who can convincingly take Hosni Mubarak’s place, build on the country’s pro-Western recent heritage, maintain peaceful ties with Israel and robustly oppose the mullahs in Iran and their bloodthirsty quest for an Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Bomb.

Mohammed ElBaradei is definitely not the guy. He is a false prophet in bed with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. We must keep looking for a true Reformer. In the meantime, we must do everything in our power to prevent the Radicals from seizing Cairo, and the rest of the Sunni world with it.

Unfortunately, it appears that ElBaradei is in place to assume the leadership role in Egypt and if so, we can cound on a radical Islamic agenda - one which will most certainly align with Iran, Turkey, Syria and now, Lebanon in the epic struggle against Israel.

But whatever happens - we have to remember God is ultimately in complete control and everything we see in these last days serves to complete God's bigger plan. In His infinite love and mercy He has given us the necessary information which should bring us a sense of peace and encouragement in these troubling days. He knew we would be watching the world's demise and He knew we would need comfort in these days.

And as usual, God provided for this comfort that He knew we would be seeking. I suggest 1 Thessalonians 4-5. 2 Peter 1-3. And if you are really in the mood - take a peek at your eternal home - a place that is being prepared especially for you: Revelation 21-22. Its waiting for us. We'll be there soon.