This isn’t about Islamism, it’s about regional alliances. Whether it’s the Muslim Brothers or the Communist Party or the Green Party of Egypt who takes over after Mubarak, we can be certain that the new regime will be less of a puppet and less part of the American, Saudi and Israeli alliance in the Middle East than was Mubarak.
In Egypt there is no relevant Islamic extremist movement. It would be a stretch to even call the toothless Muslim Brotherhood’s party Islamic. It’s a collection of opposition voices that united under the organization’s banner. If a real pluralistic democracy were to be formed in Egypt it is most likely that their coalition would fall apart.
Egyptians, Tunisians and other Arabs have proved they are more democratic than the west, that they understand the power of collective action. Can you imagine Americans organizing against injustice the way the Egyptians and Tunisians have? Meanwhile, it sounds silly when Americans worry about religious extremists elsewhere, given that the US is the most religious extremist nation in the West.