Death to America Day festivities were held in Iran on Monday. The rioting, pillaging, killing, and burning that would take place throughout the Muslim world if even one small American town had a Death to Islam Day or a Death to Allah Day would be unimaginable. There is no such thing in the U.S. and there never will be. We have erred on the side of apology under Obama but when America speaks tolerance we mean it, even when it hurts us. Those who condemn what we stand for display hate and they mean it, too. That puts us in danger but it does not change our convictions.
Don’t confuse mass rallies with Mideast democracy.
Our State Department got a lot of mileage out of the supposed strength of the pro-democracy movement in the Middle East that, in retrospect, seems more like a U.S. diplomatic creation than reality. Since then political disasters unfolded in Egypt and Syria and the embassy attack in Benghazi continues to fester in our memory. Secretary of State Kerry should consider taking back his words about Iran, given Monday’s celebrations of hate for America:
We admire the courage of the Iranian people who went to the polls and made their voices heard in a rigidly controlled environment that sought to limit freedom of expression and assembly. We remain concerned about the lack of transparency in the electoral process, and the attempts to censor members of the media, the internet, and text messages. Despite these challenges, however, the Iranian people have clearly expressed their desire for a new and better future.¹
Hassan Rouhani would likely disagree with Kerry, too. The last thing he needs while trying to convince the U.S. to limit sanctions because he is not as evil as his words about Israel portray him (see: Muslims Will Make Fools of Liberals and Republicans Alike) is to have the Iranian people prove that moderation in the Middle East takes second place to extremist Muslims who hate America.
Does Islam make Middle East politics irrelevant?
It might surprise Muslim hate mongers that we take our beliefs about our country as seriously as they take their transnational allegiance to Islam. American embassies have become a symbol met with hatred from people that Obama administration officials have bent over backward to separate from their governments. The name “Morsi” was never used by Kerry when he recently spoke about the Egyptian people’s quest for a democratically elected government:
But the Egyptian people have shown the world how strong they are. They have really demonstrated a significant resolve as they work to see their transition to meet their aspirations as they’ve tried to make that work. We know full well – and President Obama is completely committed to the idea – that the path forward is ultimately in the hands of the Egyptian people, and we are confident that they will overcome the challenges that are facing them.²
They overcame the challenge. They threw their democratically elected leader out of office and into prison. It turns out that taking responsibility for democratic ideals is a big challenge when you don’t understand what those ideals mean.
No Death to Allah Day in the U.S.
It would be foolish to suggest that all Mideast Muslims hate America, but how can we deny the strength of what we saw on Monday, or during extreme reactions that typify the Islamic world’s response to something most nations and people would brush off as bad judgment, like the “Innocence of Muslims” video?
There will never be a Death to Allah Day in our land of the tolerant. We allow organizations like CAIR to operate because we believe they have a right to be here. The Ground Zero mosque was built as we stood by, grit our teeth, and let it happen.
Despite our embarrassment over Obama’s Syrian line in the sand we agreed to help pay for the destruction of the country’s chemical weapons:
To date, the United States has provided approximately $6 million in financial and in-kind assistance to support the efforts of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program, including armored vehicles, training, protective equipment, and medical CW countermeasures for the inspection team. We intend to continue to provide available assistance to help the Joint Mission fulfill its mandate.³
We just approved giving more money to Pakistan, too. As much as Middle East Muslims show they hate America, no one can say we aren’t making an effort. The question is why we bother.
Bob Prokop says
February 5, 2016 at 6:58 amI can’t disagree. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but few terrorists don’t have Islam lurking in the background. While Wilders’ rhetoric would be roundly condemned in the U.S., Trump has managed to tap into our anger at the refusal of the U.S. government under Obama to recognize the simple fact that Islam is a problem.
Ideas are only ideas. They don’t become evil until someone acts on them. Islamic theology has proved uniquely suited to that, another simple fact most American politicians don’t have the courage to admit even while that refusal kills people.
Yahul Wagoni says
February 4, 2016 at 9:16 pmWe have no “Death to Allah” days since, aside from some bigoted Atheists, no one supports public demonstrations against God. But, perhaps we need a “Death to Islam” day. Many will object, and we must use such opportunities to make the same point as Geert Wilders – that while there are many good people who happen to Muslims, there is no good Islam.
Bob Prokop says
January 13, 2016 at 7:35 pmYes, they do, and they can be some very scary clowns.
Yahul Wagoni says
January 13, 2016 at 6:09 pmPerhaps most muslims don’t go about shouting “death to america” but it seems the crazies do and they are dirving the Islamist Klown Kar.
Helen says
November 7, 2013 at 11:14 pmWhy we continue to send money and other aid to the Middle East Muslim countries that hate us is money and goods down the drain. That whole area has been in turmoil and war for years and their dislike for the US will never change no matter what we give them or negotiate. We are kidding ourselves if we think otherwise. The construction of the Mosque at Ground Zero was a real slap in the face to all who parished in the Trade Center bombing. Thousands of Americans have died at the hands of the Muslims. Will we ever learn? It is plain and simple, the Muslims hate us and will do everything in their power to destroy us.