Still Awaiting Islam's Reformation

The headline in the New York Times refers to "hints of pluralism" among Muslims in Egypt. But the article is disappointing. It acknowledges that one courageous commentator, Gamal al-Banna, the brother of the founder of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, has been preaching a liberal line for years. All that's changed, in Egypt as elsewhere, is the reach of new media:

It is not that a majority agrees with him; it is not that the tide is shifting to a more moderate interpretative view of religion; it is just that the rise of relatively independent media — like privately owned newspapers, satellite television channels and the Internet — has given him access to a broader audience.