ROBIN SHEPHERD: EGYPT DEFIES THE POPE
http://www.robinshepherdonline.com/egypt-plays-victim-card-against-pope-rather-than-address-deadly-islamist-bigotry-against-christians/#more-3681
Egypt plays victim card against Pope rather than address deadly Islamist bigotry against Christians
I had to rub my eyes a couple of times this morning as I opened the BBC website to find two more stories about the ongoing violence against Christians in Egypt. In the wake of the massacre of 23 Christians at Christmas, the first related the latest incident in which an Egyptian policeman had sprayed gun fire at a group of Coptic Christians on a train, killing one and wounding several others. The second relayed details of how the Egyptian authorities are now responding to these appalling events: by withdrawing their ambassador to the Vatican after the Pope had had the temerity to call on Egypt to take “effective measures for the protection of religious minorities”. The Egyptian foreign ministry described the Pope’s remarks as “an unacceptable interference in {Egypt’s] internal affairs.”
This, of course, is par for the course in the Islamic world. Muslims can only be understood as victims, never as aggressors or perpetrators. This grievance culture is more or less ubiquitous and forms a central element of Islamist and wider Muslim political culture the world over. The “logical” response to criticism is, therefore, to attack the critic rather than address the problem. And it is a strategy that is validated and encouraged by the liberal establishment across the West.
Hence, mass anti-Semitism in the Islamic world is either ignored or blamed on Israel. Hence, the absence of liberal democracy across the Arab and Muslim Middle East is the fault of “western imperialism” and says nothing about the cultural backdrop from which that state of affairs arises. And hence, when Islamists slaughter Christians, the harshest condemnation is reserved for the Pope for drawing attention to the problem and suggesting that something is done about it.
There are many entry points to understanding the predicament faced by Israel in the Middle East. The way “moderate” Egypt is now responding to the massacre of members of its Christian minority is one of them. Perhaps it will open a few more people’s eyes.
I had to rub my eyes a couple of times this morning as I opened the BBC website to find two more stories about the ongoing violence against Christians in Egypt. In the wake of the massacre of 23 Christians at Christmas, the first related the latest incident in which an Egyptian policeman had sprayed gun fire at a group of Coptic Christians on a train, killing one and wounding several others. The second relayed details of how the Egyptian authorities are now responding to these appalling events: by withdrawing their ambassador to the Vatican after the Pope had had the temerity to call on Egypt to take “effective measures for the protection of religious minorities”. The Egyptian foreign ministry described the Pope’s remarks as “an unacceptable interference in {Egypt’s] internal affairs.”
This, of course, is par for the course in the Islamic world. Muslims can only be understood as victims, never as aggressors or perpetrators. This grievance culture is more or less ubiquitous and forms a central element of Islamist and wider Muslim political culture the world over. The “logical” response to criticism is, therefore, to attack the critic rather than address the problem. And it is a strategy that is validated and encouraged by the liberal establishment across the West.
Hence, mass anti-Semitism in the Islamic world is either ignored or blamed on Israel. Hence, the absence of liberal democracy across the Arab and Muslim Middle East is the fault of “western imperialism” and says nothing about the cultural backdrop from which that state of affairs arises. And hence, when Islamists slaughter Christians, the harshest condemnation is reserved for the Pope for drawing attention to the problem and suggesting that something is done about it.
There are many entry points to understanding the predicament faced by Israel in the Middle East. The way “moderate” Egypt is now responding to the massacre of members of its Christian minority is one of them. Perhaps it will open a few more people’s eyes.
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