Cairo, February 06: If the popular revolts that have rocked Tunisia and Egypt gain momentum and spread across the Middle East, they could strike a catastrophic blow to Al-Qaeda’s violent ideology, experts say.
While some in the West fear pro-democracy protests in the Arab world could see authoritarian secular regimes overthrown by equally hardline Islamists, other observers say the movements pose a far greater threat to jihadi militants.
Groups like Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda have long preached that peaceful protest is useless in the face of autocracy.
They condemn electoral politics and urge Muslims to use violence to combat injustice and oppression.
–Agencies