You many recall the demand of Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi for a new anti-blasphemy law at the United Nations. One of Mursi’s chief aides, Emad Abdel Ghaffour, “we call for legislation or a resolution to criminalize contempt of Islam as a religion and its Prophet. The voice of reason in the West will prevail if there is mutual respect, dialogue and efficient lobbying for this critical resolution.” That does not appear to be a two-way street with Morsi or his followers. Morsi was shown this week attending prayers and listening to cleric Futouh Abd Al-Nabi Mansour calling for the destruction of all Jews and their supporters. Observers report that Morsi not only did not object or distance himself from the remarks, but appears to say “Amen” after the specific call for death to all Jews.
The service occurred at the el-Tenaim Mosque and was shown on Egyptian state television on Friday. The government broadcast of the prayer further showed implied support when there was no immediate condemnation after Abd Al-Nabi Mansour declared “Oh Allah, absolve us of our sins, strengthen us, and grant us victory over the infidels. Oh Allah, destroy 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.”
Various other governmental officials were in attendance.
Morsi has continued to say that he will honor the peace treaty with Israel, but the failure to denounce such a prayer is alarming. Morsi is clearly trying to ride a tiger with the rise of his Islamic party and the demands for action against Israel. However, the hypocrisy in the Middle East over free speech is striking. Morsi wants a law criminalizing insults to Islam after an obscure filmmaker releases a short trailer of a film on YouTube. Others set out burning and killing in protest. Yet, he sits in a televised prayer service calling for what would amount to genocide against Jews as well as “their supporters” — the largest of which happens to give Egypt billions in aid.
Once again, it is stories like this that reaffirm my opposition to the Administration’s work with countries like Egypt to produce an international criminal standard for anti-religious speech. The Administration claims that it is moderating the positions of Egypt and Pakistan but fails to appreciate that it is merely legitimating the prosecution of people for their speech. These countries are not being moderated but enabled by these efforts.
Source: Miami Herald
In the final anaysis. Anti – Blasphemy laws are nothing more than a choke hold on Free Speech
All talk and no trousers, ~ that’s funny !
We’ll they are dying over their beliefs ~ trousers or not. ~
There a level of dysfunction that seems to be required to practice all religions ~ while Islam takes dysfunctional to levels the word was never intended to go.
I wish it was to were they could just slug it out ~ and get their dirty sock fight over with and quit bothering the rest of the world with their family feud.
Belief in SKY DADDIES, is a form of Mental Illness….
People love to get all het up over stuff like this. Armchair judges!
I’ve never heard that before…..
I’ve been to Egypt a nation of savages, urinating and defecating in the streets. It won’t amount to much, as they say all talk no trousers.
Idealist contributed:
“As a vestal virgin serving at the oracle of “quick simple solutions”, you are top of the line.” regarding me advocating not doing business with those who advocate genocide.
Perhaps it might be helpful to for you to do some introspection on this for yourself.
Let’s turn this slightly. We allow Egypt’s government to call for the murder of Jewish people and the destruction of Israel or some other country. So do we return to the past of supporting governments that have committed human rights atrocities and / or advocated them? That is what you are suggesting as a result of giving billions of dollars in aid to a country that does just that. Is that what you are suggesting.
And that they will go to Russia and Pakistan for arms. Well, Egypt already did that with arms from Russia, So did India and a few others in the past. And look what handing loads of money to the DPRK did for us. They used some of the aid to offset the cost of their nuclear weapons program and now they are threatening nuclear blackmail. They even one time threatened nuclear proliferation during one broadcast.
Many of those in the arab middle east make credible claims sometimes that the US’s foreign aid to Israel supports what they view as aggression toward other Arab states. So, do we then pay off the Egyptians or other because they threaten others. When on an individual basis have you seen it work where you offer individuals a reward despite their bad behavior, it works the same for world leaders.
Rafflaw,
I respect your idea. I think most folks could, more of less motivated, put their names on that list.
And for irony, let me add George W. Bush, ex-prez.
He certainly thought that he had it tough competing with the other slackers who had 10 or 500 times his wealth. But he had Prescott and Poppy, and Poppy and ???? got Nixon fixed with an arranged Watergate, including the revealing of the taping system, etc.
And then Poppy got himself and Dubja made presidents. Amazing what smarts can do.
Now the place is yours, bed for me. ZZZZZZZ.
Mike S.,
Growing up in Skokie, IL in the 50’s and 60’s and being an Irish Catholic was the true measure of being an underdog! 🙂
Larry,
I’ll concede that point. The Irish were victimized for almost as long as the Jews if one reads history.
“True Jewish teaching is that all of humanity is equal in the eyes of God. Jews, however, have been “chosen” and tasked with observing the pain of humanity and working to heal it. It is called Tikkun Olam.”
I liked that. Thanks for the link.
PS “observing the pain of humanity and working to heal it.” Seems to answer my question as to why jews are always at the forefront of correcting ills; whether it be justice, ignorance or cultural deprivation.
We have two jewish museums in Stockholm of modern origin. Both have clearer lines and purposes than our national state-sponsored ones.
You know, one last, Ivy League schools are no guarantee for us as a nation.
Yale is no guarantee for good people for CIA.
Dubja is a prime example. As is Poppy who would have done well without attending Yale and working for the CIA since graduation. His cunning and his pop Prescott and the Harrimans, Grahams of WP fame, etc would have been enough. But trophy diplomas are necessary in some circles.
I am beginning to suspect that this whole “Arab Spring” thing is a fake sponsored by our “leadership”.
I put that in quotations because they lack THE necessary quality of leadership, ie “vision and street smarts”.
Darren Smith,
As a vestal virgin serving at the oracle of “quick simple solutions”, you are top of the line.
“The first order of business would be to simply cut them off from US Foreign Aid and to not do business with them-”
Great idea. And what might be Morsi’s reaction be.
Might he not use it to whip up domestic support. take away more rights, get more and better weapons from Russia and China in exchange for military bases for them in Egypt, negotiate with Pakistan for a loan of a few nukes, and generally become a real hell-raiser in the ME????
What do you think our moneys and aid have gone to?
Besides the personal rakeoff by the “leaders” and the “army”.
Think about it awhile. State Dept and the DoD have.
Not that I trust them, not when they took away Mubarak without getting a trustworthy successor in place.
MikeS,
Nice piece to Frankly. Always new ideas for me. Like taking away the victim meme and replacing it with the a people that can fight. Of course, if anyone knew of
Josephus’ own history, then they would be aware of his part in the wars he later writes on. And his courage and sagacity being rewarded by Roman citizenship by the Roman commander, who incidently later became an emperor.
Correct please any mistakes I make, but don’t confuse them with ill-will.
Converting to Judism is of course a nice idea for enthusiasts like myself, but I think you have to be born and raised in the tribe to appreciate it.
The Sisyphus effort of combatting ignorance is giving you muscles.
ID707,
Since a child, when I first realized that being Jewish was somehow different, I have loved being of Jewish Heritage. Even though I am far from being religious, Deist as you know, my identification with my people is a major part of who I am. Though some Jews may disagree and many non-Jews certainly
would, to be Jewish is to understand the plight of being a underdog. Now do I think of Jews being the “Chosen People”, to a certain degree I do, but not in the sense that no-Jews take. True Jewish teaching is that all of humanity is equal in the eyes of God. Jews, however, have been “chosen” and tasked with observing the pain of humanity and working to heal it. It is called Tikkun Olam. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Caring_For_Others/Tikkun_Olam_Repairing_the_World_.shtml
This is where people like Bibi and many of the ultra-Orthodox don’t get it in my opinion, but then they don’t think to highly of people like me.
The punch line of many a Jewish joke given our tumultuous history goes something like: “But Lord why did you have to choose us?”
Frankly,
“(Sorry Israel, but the ham-handed attempt to provide you with a secure homeland IS a disaster in no small part because of the cavalier way the West went about it – its a disaster for both Jews and Arabs). ”
Which brought to mind how little things change.
The Warsaw ghetto is said to have had a jewish
leadership which was allowed to make decisions and negotiate. If true, I wonder if the modern state of Israel is not another version of the ghetto. Israel has recognition of many states but not of its nearest neighbors. What would have been the better solution, if any, Frankly?
Just a thought. ??????
Dredd,
“The wisdom of the separation of church and state comes to mind.”
Like now in the USA? Where? How? Through ignoring same?
Of course, that was your deeper meaning.
Posting without reading comments:
Results of getting rid of Mubarak: Rise of the Brotherhood, Morsi’s election, and demise of hope for secular Egyptians.
Is Morsi offering a deal? They will let Israelis kill West Bank residents (PC enough for you?) in exchange for letting themselves be beaten in another war with Israel?
When TF does the CIA ever get it right? Of course with no undercover officers in the ME (all are embassy-based), they will never get it right.
BTW, how did the Professor know that the attempt (sic) to pray did not succeed? Smile. Corrections is a laborious process!
Haven’t we been here once before? How long does it take, how many times do we have to go down the wrong road before we GET IT?!!
to answer the article.
there is no difference between biden, and ryan choosing the pope over GOD, and everybody else choosing their god. THE CHOSEN ONES are here and every body chooses another master. they all go to hell just like the jews.
do churches tell you how to vote on anything. that is blasphemy against GOD also. so voting against GOD is actually known form the voting booth. and if you don’t vote you don’t have any thing to say to any body. even presidents, monarchs, ect. go to hell.
they all pray to different man made religions against GOD. they pray against GOD in public places for the voters to see. the clerics and teachers say that the leaders are blind.
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT KINGS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, as does every other book of every religion but the chosen…