Pending official results from Egypt's first post-Mubarak presidential elections, it appears the party of the Muslim Brotherhood has won.  Congratulations.

In the West, suspicions run deep about the role of religion in politics, and even more deeply about the role of Islam, a frequently misunderstood religion of peace.

Pundits in the western press have tried to pit the Egyptian military against the Muslim Brotherhood.  This effort has failed.

The Egyptian military has acted to preserve the gains of the Arab Spring.

Democracy is a work in progress, demanding constant vigilance and humility.  There will be occasional setbacks in the way forward.  These should be expected and tolerated as the price for democracy.

Egypt should unite under its new leadership and render praise to God for His providence.  The Brotherhood should articulate standard democratic freedoms suited to the best features of Islamic religious principles, principles that are eternal and need renewed as cultural circumstances and times warrant.  Islam should never be used to oppress men, women, or children in the exercise of their God-given freedoms.

Seek charity over vengeance.  Love one another.

May this new dawn in Egypt be blessed by God Almighty.

Congratulations to the people of Egypt.