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CAIRO — “He sounds just like one of our despots,” said a friend after we watched Donald J. Trump speak at his inauguration. It was an address worthy of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, our general turned president.
It was stunning to watch Mr. Trump try to mold the United States in the shape of Egypt, where the military has ruled us, in one form or another, for over six decades.
No wonder Mr. Trump called Mr. Sisi “a fantastic guy” when they met in New York last year.
No wonder Mr. Sisi was the first foreign leader to call Mr. Trump to congratulate him on his election victory.
No wonder the first bill that Mr. Trump signed after his inauguration was a waiver to allow a former general, James N. Mattis, to become defense secretary without the elapse of seven years required by law before ex-service members can run the Pentagon.
No wonder Mr. Trump has nominated more generals to his cabinet than any predecessor.
In Egypt, we’d like to reduce the military’s influence in Egyptian politics. In America, Mr. Trump wants to increase it.
It was also stunning to watch Mr. Trump demolish whatever remained of what was billed at the time as a fence-mending speech that President Obama gave in Cairo soon after his inauguration in 2009. Mr. Obama said, “America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam,” but that it would “relentlessly confront violent extremists.” Mr. Trump cut to the chase, pledging to “unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.”
Despite his “hand of friendship” to Muslims, Mr. Obama leaves office with the United States militarily involved in at least five Muslim countries. I shudder to think how many more Mr. Trump will add to that list.
Mona Eltahawy is the author of “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution,” and a contributing opinion writer.