A question that begs an answer
Nahida Izzat
Exiled Palestinian
"When given the freedom to vote, why do people in the Middle East end up voting for the so called "Islamists"?"
The toppled X-president Ben Ali of Tunisia -like his counterpart Husni Mubarak of Egypt, and the rest of tyrants of the Arab world- was a Secular, Liberal and Westernized DICTATOR. This corrupt puppet was supported and admired by the Western governments, his anti-Islam policies were glorified and his “moderate version" of Islam was puffed up and endorsed.
Ben Ali has oppressed and terrorized his people for decades, he imprisoned them, starved them, closed down mosques, made it illegal for women to wear hijab, and for men to gather in mosques or to even grow beards.
This was one of Ben Ali palaces, after liberation, please watch to the end, even though it’s in Arabic:
Jewelry, Money and Treasure in one of Ben Ali's palaces
In contrast, this is the "Palace" of the so called "Islamists", the Palestinian Prime-minister Ismail Haneyeh, who has won a fair election in occupied Palestine in 2006: