How “Secular” Arab Governments Play The Islamists

Secular Arab governments habitually hijack Islamist causes to maintain their grip on power. But how this happens exactly is still a mystery. One wikileaks cable from 2006 sheds a bit of light on that process. It shows how the Syrian government prepared the conditions for the violent Damascus protests against the Danish prophet cartoons, which resulted in the storming and destruction of several emabssies:

An influential Sunni sheikh provided details February 6 that seem to confirm SARG (Syrian Arab Republic Government) involvement in escalating the situation that led to the violent rioting in Damascus two days earlier, including communications between the PMs office and the Grand Mufti. He also noted that SARG authorities now seem intent on identifying a few scapegoats to be blamed for the incidents. The Danish Ambassador confirmed to us separately that the Minster of the Awqaaf had inflamed the situation the day before the rioting, with his remarks at Friday prayers in a mosque.

The Syrian government also deployed thousands of riot police on the scene. This way they get it both ways: The western embassies feel that the only thing that stands between them and the Islamists are the brave secular forces of the regime, while the Islamists feel that the government supports their actions. (Thx Shiwahad)