The wind of change doesn’t always bring the changes we want.

A good example is the Arab Spring. When Tunisia, Cairo and Tripoli marched on the streets and demanded democracy and self-rule, most only yearned for a voice and wanted to be heard.

For a wide multiparty representation to happen, Middle East commentators and political observers knew the transition from decades of autocratic rule to a democratic régime was going to take time. However, that was not what the Facebook and Twitter generation wanted – they wanted change and wanted it now!

As someone who lived in and has firsthand knowledge of the region, I know that whenever the area talks about democracy, only one party stands out – the Muslim Brotherhood. Not for any reason other than being the oldest, most organised and best financed. And since Islam is the dominant religion in the region, there is a sense of automatic approval by many, that “Muslim Brothers” cannot be “Bad Brothers”……. That’s why there is a blind acceptance by most and a reluctant accession by the secular and moderates.

For instance, take Sudan’s Bashir; he was helped into power in 1989 by the Muslim Brotherhood of Sudan! Now the same group is maneuvering to oust him for a less provocative leader. After the recent geographical split of the country into South Sudan and Sudan, the almost 100% Muslim nation of Sudan is now enjoying an influx of financial support by way of trade and investment from the Gulf States. The same is starting to happen in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. It’s the way things are in the region today, with the West openly and unconditionally supporting Israel, this is the way Muslims feels they need to protect themselves.

There are two types of Islamic rule today; the one practiced in Iran and its stricter version in Saudi Arabia or that practiced in Turkey and until recently in Egypt, Tunisia and even Libya, where religion and the state exist side by side, cooperate but remain separate.

The burning question is – can the West affect which Islamic rule the new Middle East will adopt?