(SWC)
By:-Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper
From his historic Cairo Speech President Obama sought to empower moderate Muslims, including the ‘moderate’ Muslim Brotherhood. The election of Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamad Morsi was hailed as a slam-dunk for democracy and earned Washington’s backing.
But a year later, 22 million Egyptians saw things differently, returning to Tahrir Square and prompting the military to give Morsi and company the boot.
Secretary of State Kerry is to be commended for declaring that the Egyptian military was "restoring democracy" by deposing Morsi. Now the U.S. should drop its flawed Muslim Brotherhood policy. Never a force for moderation, it should be recognized for what it is: An enemy of freedom and tolerance—a hate group with a long enemies list.
There should be no more grants and no more White House visits for bigots.
Let’s rejoin the original Tahrir Square campaigners and never again confuse the Brotherhood's successful leveraging of democratic process with their contempt for democratic values espoused by their Supreme Spiritual Leader Mustapha Mashour in 1981:
“Democracy contradicts and wages war on Islam. Whoever calls for democracy means they are raising banner’s contradicting God’s plan and fighting Islam.”
The world may have acquiesced to President Morsi’s escalating authoritarianism— but Egyptians did not. Morsi reneged on appointing a Christian woman as vice president, blocked a constitutional amendment limiting presidential power, and precipitated a walkout from Egypt’s Constituent Assembly by barring the Supreme Court from “interfering” while authorizing himself to take any measures “to protect the revolution.”
While in power, the Brotherhood proved clueless about running an economy, yet retained boundless hate for its enemies. It’s 80- year vendetta against Jews inside and outside the Holy Land ranges from its WWII alliance with Hitler to creating genocidal Hamas.
Brotherhood spiritual guides Mohamed Badi and Sheikh Qaradawi relentlessly stoke the hatred: “[We will] continue to raise the banner of jihad against the Jews, [our] first and foremost enemies . . .” declared Badi, adding, “resistance is the only solution against the Zion-American arrogance and tyranny.”
Qaradawi, an al Jazeera favorite spouted, “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler…There is no dialogue between us [Muslims and Jews] except by the sword and rifle . . .. [We pray Allah] to take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people . . . kill them down to the very last one.”
At a mosque to deliver his first “Unity” speech, President Morsi answered “Amen” to a Sheikh’s fervent prayer: “Deal with the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, disperse them, rend them asunder. Oh Allah, demonstrate Your might and greatness upon them. Show us Your omnipotence, oh Lord.”
On Morsi’s watch, Cairo’s only synagogue lost its designation as a Jewish House of Worship.
But Jews aren't Egypt’s “canary in the coal mine”, millions of Christian Copts are.
Gatestone Institute, echoed in Christianity Today, reports that: “right at the beginning of the June 30 revolution, anonymous letters addressed to the Copts threatened them not to join the protests, otherwise their ‘businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches’ might catch fire. . . .”
Analyst Raymond Abraham wrote about violent post-Morsi attacks targeting Christians: “On July 3rd, in a village in al-Minya in Upper Egypt, the services building of St. George Church was looted and torched. Likewise, the evangelical Saleh Church in Delga was attacked and caught fire. . . According to the pastor . . . 'supporters of former President Morsi are engaged in continuous and unprecedented harassment of Copts. He said that a number of those people broke into the homes of Christians at gunpoint, terrorizing women, children and seizing gold jewelry and furniture’.”
Elsewhere, Christians—particularly children—are kidnapped and held for ransom.
The Washington Post reported on Islamist websites threatening action against anyone opposing implementation of Sharia law.
A Coptic Christian woman lamented, “This is just the beginning. They won’t be happy until they steal everything we own and kill us all. How can anyone be full of so much hate?”
It’s true millions of Egyptians continue supporting the Brotherhood, just as millions once supported Stalin and Hitler, but is that how we should gauge when America should remain silent? That was the disastrous mistake Winston Churchill saw repeated in England during the 1930’s -- the more powerful the Nazis became, the more accommodating Chamberlain tried to be. America cannot signal the world it is only willing to take on small-time bigots and terrorists.
No one knows what Egypt will look like next month, let alone next year. But if millions of moderate Muslims, Christians and secularists have the courage to stand up to the hateful Muslim Brotherhood, dare we remain shamefully silent?
Hier is the dean and founder, and Cooper is associate dean, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
By:-Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper
From his historic Cairo Speech President Obama sought to empower moderate Muslims, including the ‘moderate’ Muslim Brotherhood. The election of Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamad Morsi was hailed as a slam-dunk for democracy and earned Washington’s backing.
But a year later, 22 million Egyptians saw things differently, returning to Tahrir Square and prompting the military to give Morsi and company the boot.
Secretary of State Kerry is to be commended for declaring that the Egyptian military was "restoring democracy" by deposing Morsi. Now the U.S. should drop its flawed Muslim Brotherhood policy. Never a force for moderation, it should be recognized for what it is: An enemy of freedom and tolerance—a hate group with a long enemies list.
There should be no more grants and no more White House visits for bigots.
Let’s rejoin the original Tahrir Square campaigners and never again confuse the Brotherhood's successful leveraging of democratic process with their contempt for democratic values espoused by their Supreme Spiritual Leader Mustapha Mashour in 1981:
“Democracy contradicts and wages war on Islam. Whoever calls for democracy means they are raising banner’s contradicting God’s plan and fighting Islam.”
The world may have acquiesced to President Morsi’s escalating authoritarianism— but Egyptians did not. Morsi reneged on appointing a Christian woman as vice president, blocked a constitutional amendment limiting presidential power, and precipitated a walkout from Egypt’s Constituent Assembly by barring the Supreme Court from “interfering” while authorizing himself to take any measures “to protect the revolution.”
While in power, the Brotherhood proved clueless about running an economy, yet retained boundless hate for its enemies. It’s 80- year vendetta against Jews inside and outside the Holy Land ranges from its WWII alliance with Hitler to creating genocidal Hamas.
Brotherhood spiritual guides Mohamed Badi and Sheikh Qaradawi relentlessly stoke the hatred: “[We will] continue to raise the banner of jihad against the Jews, [our] first and foremost enemies . . .” declared Badi, adding, “resistance is the only solution against the Zion-American arrogance and tyranny.”
Qaradawi, an al Jazeera favorite spouted, “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler…There is no dialogue between us [Muslims and Jews] except by the sword and rifle . . .. [We pray Allah] to take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people . . . kill them down to the very last one.”
At a mosque to deliver his first “Unity” speech, President Morsi answered “Amen” to a Sheikh’s fervent prayer: “Deal with the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, disperse them, rend them asunder. Oh Allah, demonstrate Your might and greatness upon them. Show us Your omnipotence, oh Lord.”
On Morsi’s watch, Cairo’s only synagogue lost its designation as a Jewish House of Worship.
But Jews aren't Egypt’s “canary in the coal mine”, millions of Christian Copts are.
Gatestone Institute, echoed in Christianity Today, reports that: “right at the beginning of the June 30 revolution, anonymous letters addressed to the Copts threatened them not to join the protests, otherwise their ‘businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches’ might catch fire. . . .”
Analyst Raymond Abraham wrote about violent post-Morsi attacks targeting Christians: “On July 3rd, in a village in al-Minya in Upper Egypt, the services building of St. George Church was looted and torched. Likewise, the evangelical Saleh Church in Delga was attacked and caught fire. . . According to the pastor . . . 'supporters of former President Morsi are engaged in continuous and unprecedented harassment of Copts. He said that a number of those people broke into the homes of Christians at gunpoint, terrorizing women, children and seizing gold jewelry and furniture’.”
Elsewhere, Christians—particularly children—are kidnapped and held for ransom.
The Washington Post reported on Islamist websites threatening action against anyone opposing implementation of Sharia law.
A Coptic Christian woman lamented, “This is just the beginning. They won’t be happy until they steal everything we own and kill us all. How can anyone be full of so much hate?”
It’s true millions of Egyptians continue supporting the Brotherhood, just as millions once supported Stalin and Hitler, but is that how we should gauge when America should remain silent? That was the disastrous mistake Winston Churchill saw repeated in England during the 1930’s -- the more powerful the Nazis became, the more accommodating Chamberlain tried to be. America cannot signal the world it is only willing to take on small-time bigots and terrorists.
No one knows what Egypt will look like next month, let alone next year. But if millions of moderate Muslims, Christians and secularists have the courage to stand up to the hateful Muslim Brotherhood, dare we remain shamefully silent?
Hier is the dean and founder, and Cooper is associate dean, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
