I mean when she misspoke when she said that no Americans should disrespect Islam. She isn't entitled to make that commitment for all Americans. But she is entitled to say it about our troops, prison guards, and others who work for the government.
I don't agree that it isn't sensible to order our troops to respect the sensibilities of people whose countries we are in. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of preserving good order and avoiding unnecessary trouble. It would be self-destructive to do otherwise.
The issue of what to do if terrorists attack us from a mosque, for instance, is much more mixed. But it doesn't cost anything to be polite about people's religion at least until that conflicts with military necessity.
I do certainly agree that politicians, news reporters, and others who kowtow to Islam while bashing Christianity are contemptible.
What do you mean by disrespect? Who decides what is being disrespectful, us or the Muslims? Should we instruct all USG employees that the Koran should only be touched by Muslims and that clean gloves should be worn? Do we have women cover up in their presence? Should we allow alcohol to be consumed in their presence?
I don't agree that it isn't sensible to order our troops to respect the sensibilities of people whose countries we are in. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of preserving good order and avoiding unnecessary trouble. It would be self-destructive to do otherwise.
That goes without saying. It is SOP for all USG personnel assigned abroad, the employee and family members.
The issue of what to do if terrorists attack us from a mosque, for instance, is much more mixed. But it doesn't cost anything to be polite about people's religion at least until that conflicts with military necessity.
We have been "polite" to the point of endangering the lives of our own troops. Such "politness" was not deemed as important when we were fire bombing Dresden, Hamburg, or Tokyo. Monte Cassino was totally destroyed and Cologne cathedral was damaged severely along with thousands of churches throughout Europe.
We defer attacking Muslims during Ramadan even when historically, they have attacked one another during this month long holiday. When a group seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, they were taken out by force of arms.
We are more attuned to Muslim sensibilities than they are themselves. On a personal note, in preparation for an assignment to Saudi Arabia, I received some cross-cultural training. One supposed taboo was to show the sole of your foot while talking to a Saudi. On my first trip to the Saudi FM, I met with a government official who sat across from me with the sole of his foot pointed at me. Obviously, he didn't attend the same cross-cultural class. Nor did many of his compatriots who had no problem consuming alcohol.
We need to hold Islam and Muslims to the same standard of civility that we hold other religions and people to. Jacoby correctly notes that what Newsweek reported does not justify the Muslim reaction.