Islamists and Dictatorship in Africa

Islamists are dictators. In all the African countries where Islamists have been influential, there has been increased dictatorial tendencies. This can be seen in the Sudan, Egypt, and Tunisia. In an Africa that seems to be recovering from widespread dictatorship, the dictatorship of the Islamists is distressing. It was the dictatorial tendencies of El Bashir of Sudan that led South Sudan to fight for its independence. Egypt under Muhammad Mursi was heading so fast towards dictatorship that the army had to intervene. In Tunisia, Islamists had been killing those who disagree with them. This is not to say that secular regimes are better than Islamists. In fact, we have far more dictatorial secular regimes in Africa - think of Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Paul Biya of Cameroon, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. The point here is not that secular governments are not dictatorial. Rather, the point is that in an Africa that seems to be recovering from dictatorship, the rise of Islamist dictatorship is bad for the continent. Just like we need good constitutions to stave dictatorial tendencies everywhere, we need good constitutions to check the dictatorial tendencies of Islamists in Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, etc. The dictatorship of the Islamists seems more dangerous because they do not only not tolerate other views, they also seek the conversion of non-Muslims and sometimes this conversion may be procured under duress. See what Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria! Africans need to guard against Islamist dictatorship.