Well, that's interesting:
The United States and other Western governments must accept the new reality that Islamists have emerged to fill the power vacuum in the Arab world after a wave of popular uprisings, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report Sunday.
The New York-based group also urged Islamist parties, which have emerged as the biggest winners in recent elections in Tunisia and Egypt and are expected to fare well in Libya, to respect the rights of women and religious minorities, saying they cannot "pick and choose" when it comes to human rights.
Islamist parties are "genuinely popular" in the Arab world, said HRW's executive director, Kenneth Roth, warning that "ignoring that popularity would violate democratic principles."
"Being a political Islamic government should not be a reason to turn a government into a pariah," Roth told reporters in Cairo, where the group released its annual report.
Just in case Human Rights Watch didn't get the memo, the Muslim Brotherhood--which holds the power in Egypt's government--is an enemy of the United States. Libya is flying al Qaeda's flag and reportedly moving towards Sharia law (which does anything but respect women).
Whose human rights exactly is this group watching?I understand that they're equivocating popularity/majority=right under democracy. But right and wrong don't change depending on the form of government you're under. Since when did popularity give you free reign to commit atrocities/human rights violations without losing respect? These countries certainly don't think some of our TV shows or cultural stars are doing the right thing just because the majority of Americans watch them. In fact, they hold it against us.