Madagascar's Exposure Is, the Problem Needs to Essay

Madagascar's exposure is, the problem needs to be understood. The problem is phrased as "The rise of Islamic regimes in Egypt." This phrasing makes no sense. The military is in charge of Egypt, following the takeover from the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. This is in the background material. A better phrasing is found in the text: "The rise of Islamic regimes in the post-Revolution Arab world." For some reason the writer of the document latched onto the qualifier "particularly in Egypt" and despite the fact that Egypt no longer has an Islamic regime has concocted the misleading topic. At any rate, Madagascar has a low level of exposure to this issue. Madagascar is only 7% Muslim (CIA World Factbook, 2014), and was not subject to the revolutionary politics of North Africa during the Arab Spring. Madagascar's Muslims are not Arab, but came to the country as laborers and slaves from Indonesia several centuries ago, or are recent arrivals from Zanzibar, Yemen or the Comoros (Islamic Focus, 2014). Madagascar's exposure comes from its position on the farthest fringes of the Muslim world. The nearest Muslim country is the Comoros, which was not subject to revolution and is a very minor player in the Muslim world. Egypt is the nearest Arab country, though most states in between have at least a Muslim minority. Madagascar is not a member of the African Union, so has limited political participation on the continent.Madagascar is in a state of upheaval, but the political violence is not related to religious strife, and Muslims are not a large enough part of the population to be a strong, defined player in the political violence (Strategy Page, 2014). As such, Madagascar has not devoted much energy to commentary and study of the Arab Spring, but the government did make a statement at the United Nations in September, 2013 about those events. The Arab Spring was described by President Andry Rajoelina as "an illustration of legitimate aspirations of the people seeking better lives…and it is important that the world understands them as such." This statement closely mirrors the views of the current regime of its own rise to power. The disputed election at the end of 2013, and the new government that appears to be forming (Haufiku, 2014), may change the country's policy statement. Madagascar is therefore in a state of flux and not in a position to have an opinion about the Arab Spring or the rise of Islamic parties in North Africa.

Part II. Women's rights in Islamic countries is a longstanding issue. This issue is complicated by a multitude of factors. First, there is the fiction of universal human rights -- such rights are always granted by other humans as part of the broader social contract. This makes defining a….....