Bush demands Mid-East democracy | |||||||
President George W Bush has deplored the "freedom deficit" in the Middle East and said the United States must remain focused on the region "for decades". "Our commitment to democracy is being tested in the Middle East," he said in a televised Washington speech in defence of US democracy. Mr Bush said dictators in Iraq and Syria had "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin". Turning to Iran, he warned that "the regime in Tehran must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people, or lose its last claim to legitimacy". But some governments in the region were "beginning to see the need for change", he said, citing Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen. He also stressed that "Islam is consistent with democratic rule" in his speech to the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington. He said that to say Islam and democracy were incompatible was "cultural condescension". The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says the speech may come to be seen as a defining moment in the Bush presidency. Mr Bush compared his drive for global democracy with the legacy of his Republican predecessor Ronald Reagan, whose tough stance against communism helped democracy to take root in Eastern Europe in the 1980s. Creating a free Iraq The lack of freedom in many Middle Eastern countries today had terrible consequences for the peoples of those countries, he said, blaming it for poverty and the oppression of women. "The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution." He warned that it would be reckless to accept the status quo, so the US had adopted a new "forward" strategy in the Middle East. "The good and capable people of the Middle East all deserve responsible leadership," he said. "For too long, many people in that region have been victims and subjects. They deserve to be active citizens." Democratic first steps? Mr Bush warned that if freedom remained stifled in the Middle East the region would remain "a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export". He praised efforts by some governments in the region, but singled out others for words of warning or encouragement.
Outside the Middle East, he also said the American commitment to democracy was being tested "in countries like Cuba, Burma, North Korea and Zimbabwe". And he said China now had just "a sliver, a fragment of liberty". |  | WATCH AND LISTEN The BBC's Ian Pannell"Bush had two messages: that the US will stay the course in Iraq and the Middle East must change"   SEE ALSO:  RELATED INTERNET LINKS: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  News feeds | |||||
Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe 
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Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan predicted on Sunday that America faces imminent uprisings that mirror those in the Middle East.
“What you are looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt … Libya, in Bahrain … what you see happening there … you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door,” Farrakhan said in a booming voice, thousands of followers cheering in his wake.
Farrakhan also called on President Barack Obama to allow protesters to march, urging the president not to attack innocent people when they do.
The controversial minster spoke to a packed house at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont as part of the 81st annual celebration of Saviours' Day, which marks the birth of the faith’s founder, W. Fard Muhammad.
The keynote address, titled “God will send saviours,” capped a weekend of workshops focused on health, preparing for natural disasters and unidentified flying objects. The Nation of Islam believes in a UFO called “the wheel” or “the Mother Plane.”
Farrakhan has described a 1985 religious experience in which he ascended into a flying saucer and heard the voice of Elijah Muhammad predicting historical events that came to pass.
For about four hours, Farrakhan spoke and jumped from topic to topic, citing religious texts.
He praised Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Farrakhan extolled the virtues of Scientology and its auditing process, which is considered spiritual counseling by its members.
“L. Ron Hubbard is so exceedingly valuable to every Caucasian person on this earth,” Farrakhan said.
“… L. Ron Hubbard himself was and is trying to civilize white people and make them better human beings and take away from them their reactive minds … Mr. Hubbard recognized that his people have to be civilized,” Farrakhan said to a cheering crowd.