Posted on 05/18/2005 5:35:20 AM PDT by SJackson
How both the Left and the Right are missing the most important aspect of the Qur’an-flushing controversy
When in April EBay offered a consecrated host for sale, imagine if Catholics had rioted and seventeen people were killed.
The media would have been full of stories about the dark side of the “Christian Right.”
Imagine if, when Muslims desecrated the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus in 2000, destroying it with hammers, rampaging Jewish mobs had killed dozens of Palestinians.
The establishment media response would again have inundated us with stories about the heroic Palestinians and their Israeli oppressors.
Neither of those things really happened. But seventeen people have been killed and hundreds wounded in riots by Muslims since Newsweek published its story about an American interrogator flushing a Qur’an down the toilet at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.
And yet the media establishment seems preoccupied only with the fact that Newsweek, in publishing a false story that it has since retracted, has done a very bad thing. And that the Bush Administration must do something to calm tempers and soothe feelings in the Islamic world.
There is no excusing Newsweek’s irresponsibility in this. But this is not really a story about media bias or carelessness at all. There is a much larger story that is getting hardly any attention at all. The gorilla in the living room that no one wants to notice, is that flushing a Qur’an down the toilet should not be grounds to commit murder.
This aspect of the story is being ignored by spokesmen on both the Left and the Right. After the initial reports of rioting, Juan Cole sputtered, “Whatever goddam military genius came up with the bright idea of flushing the Koran down the toilet at Guantanamo should be court-martialed, and Bush had better get out there apologizing before this thing spirals further out of control.” On the other side of the political spectrum, Paul Marshall wrung his hands in National Review: “Even if Newsweek publishes a full retraction, the damage is done. Much of the Muslim world will regard it merely as a cover-up and feel reconfirmed in the view that America is at war with Islam.”
Neither Cole nor Marshall, however, made any moral judgment about the rioters. Marshall was furious with Newsweek: “It would be charitable to think that if Newsweek had known how explosive the story was it may have held off until it had more confirmation. If this is true, it is an indication that the media’s widespread failure to pay careful attention to the complexities of religion not only misleads us about domestic and international affairs but also gets people killed.” Cole, for his part, directed his anger at the Bush Administration: “As a professional historian, I would say we still do not have enough to be sure that the Koran desecration incident took place. We have enough to consider it plausible. Anyway, the important thing politically is that some Muslims have found it plausible, and their outrage cannot be effectively dealt with by simple denial. That is why I say that Bush should just come out and say we can’t be sure that it happened, but if it did it was an excess, and he apologizes if it did happen, and will make sure it doesn’t happen again (if it did).”
Neither one says anything whatsoever about a culture that condones — celebrates —wanton murder of innocent people, mayhem, and destruction in response to the alleged and unproven destruction of a book.
The question here is one of proportionate response. If a Qur’an had indeed been flushed, Muslims would have justifiably been offended. They may justifiably have considered the perpetrators boors, or barbarians, or hell-bound unbelievers. They may justifiably have issued denunciations accordingly. But that is all. To kill people thousands of miles away who had nothing to do with the act, and to fulminate with threats and murder against the entire Western world, all because of this alleged act, is not just disproportionate. It is not just excessive. It is mad. And every decent person in the world ought to have the courage to stand up and say that it is mad.
I suspect that even Juan Cole and Paul Marshall, somewhere in the back of their minds, know that it is mad too. But why don’t they say so? Because Rule #1 in the establishment (Left and Right) view of this present conflict is that it has nothing to do with Islam. To bring a moral judgment to bear upon Muslim people, or to explore the ways in which Islam fuels the conflict, is therefore absolutely forbidden.
This kind of analysis, dominant as it is in the media, does the Western world an enormous disservice. The reaction to the Newsweek story in the Muslim world only shows how critical it is that the elements of Islam that give rise to fanaticism and violence be examined and confronted. Lives are at stake. But Cole and Marshall, and many others like them on both the Left and the Right, can’t see this necessity through the enveloping fog of political correctness
I am not talking about Conservative commentators such as Spencer or publications like National Review. Non-conservatives such as Bernard Lewis have also raised the issue.
Prominent, elected GOP officials, including the President, have been conspicuous in their absence in the discussion on the threat of Islam. It has become the third rail of American politics. We cannot even discuss the issue in the context of public policy and the relationship to the WOT.
This may be due to a PC attitude in some cases, it could also be due to the tactical requirements of isolating our principle enemy--which, BTW, is not all Koran-believing Muslims.
Nobody ever said that "all Koran-believing Muslims" are the enemy. I do believe, as stated previously, "that radical Islam is the enemy and that the Muslim silent majority sympathizes with the extremists." By our remaining silent, we are emboldening the terrorists and reinforcing their influence with the Muslim silent majority. BTW, I have lived a total of nine years in three Islamic countries, Indonesia (two years), Saudi Arabia (five years), and Iran (two years)and visited many more.
Second, you and I appear to disagree where the greater danger to our nation lies. I feel the greater threat resides in the the socialist forces within our country. They control several vitally important social institutions, including the MSM. If we can solidify a patriotic majority around the founding principles of our Republic, we can deal with any exterior threat.
I agree, we disagree. I believe radical Islam poses the same threat to our country and other modern democracies, as Fascism and Communism. Creeping socialism does not pose the same kind of threat. Unless we can deal with this external threat now, we will not have the luxury of dealing with our social institutions.
LOL. . .the best laugh today. I did not think I did that; but funny. . .because it happens to me, frequently. . .and I think. . .'why didn't I just say 'that' (?)
Radical Islam is a direct threat to our way of life. I only hope my daughter isn't forced to wear a burkha in twenty or thirty years.
Thank you for so clearly stating the obvious!!!!!
Thanks for posting this bit of common sense.
Finally.
"The gorilla in the living room that no one wants to notice, is that flushing a Qur’an down the toilet should not be grounds to commit murder."
I am sick and tired of having our military investigated for abuses by our native United States media without the White House, Congress or native media drilling the facts of what these so-called "insurgents" do every day --- target and ruthlessly murder innocent civilians and freely elected government officials.
Excellent argument and explanation for the 'Ignorance' displayed by the devotees of the death cult known as Islam.
You have a point. Most Americans are afraid to say anything against organizations like CAIR or the invasion of our country by illegal aliens, because they may be tagged as racist by the left.
I believe one of the reasons we haven't seen a lot of terrorists activity in America since 9/11 is the fact that almost every home in America has firearms in it. The left is trying to rectify that as we speak.
The activist judges attack our Christian values and over turn laws everyday that make it easier for the left to rule this country.
Our universities and public schools attack our constitution. religeous morals and patriotic values and are turning our youth into anarchist and homosexuals and emasculating our young men.
All this will make it easier to over throw our government either by communists, Islamic extremists or illegal immigrants from south of the border.
One that we are continuously relearning.
The reason for walking on eggshells is to avoid having *all* Muslims at war with us instead of just a minority (however many that might be). Maybe this is not possible. I hope it is. I have to admit I have a sinking feeling that in the long run it won't be. I'll probably be dead by then, but my son would still be alive and his children if he has any, so I fervently hope that if it comes to it, we would not shy away from doing what needs to be done.
I put it more bluntly here in my household (jointly with The Lovely Wife):
The morons of Islam just LOOK for any excuse to rampage and kill. Have you ever seen a more overly-emotional, childlike, stupid, bloodthirsty, amoral bunch of droolers in your life????????
I've said it before, I'll say it a thousand times: Islam is a blight on this earth, and NO one can now doubt that mankind would be FAR better off if Islam was eliminated.
In my humble opinion, this is the wrong reason. As I stated, the radical minority has gained the support of the silent majority because they have be so effective in their intimidation tactics of both the West and fellow Muslims. By "walking on eggshells" we feed those tactics. The Mafia does something similar. There is a price to pay if you don't go along to get along.
We must stop making paternalistic excuses for the unacceptable behavior of Muslims who commit violence and murder in the name of Allah under the pretext of some perceived insult by a non-Muslim. It goes back to the inane comments of the US leftists in reaction to 9/11, i.e., "Why do they hate us?" There is no justification for such actions. We need to stop blaming ourseleves and place the blame where it belongs, i.e., on the perpetrators.
This is what they are trying now. I just hope they don't go all PC and refuse to give up this strategy if they determine it's not working.
Great bumpersticker.
Or how about "FLUSH NEWSWEAK AND THE REST OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA"
Pook...you nailed it with that one! Fits right in with the liberal nanny state concept. They can't be held responsible because they are disadvantaged.
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