by Raymond Ibrahim, http://www.meforum.org/3540/
As Egyptians of all factions prepare to demonstrate in mass against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi’s rule on June 30, the latter has been trying to reduce their numbers, which some predict will be in the millions and eclipse the Tahrir protests that earlier ousted Mubarak. Accordingly, among other influential Egyptians, Morsi recently called on Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to urge his flock, Egypt’s millions of Christians, not to join the June 30 protests.
While that may be expected, more troubling is that the U.S. ambassador to Egypt is also trying to prevent Egyptians from protesting—including the Copts. The June 18 edition of Sadi al-Balad reports that lawyer Ramses Naggar, the Coptic Church’s legal counsel, said that during Patterson’s June 17 meeting with Pope Tawadros, she “asked him to urge the Copts not to participate” in the demonstrations against Morsi and the Brotherhood.
The Pope politely informed her that his spiritual authority over the Copts does not extend to political matters.
Regardless, many Egyptian activists are condemning Patterson for continuously behaving like the Muslim Brotherhood’s stooge. Leading opposition activist Shady el-Ghazali Harb said Patterson showed “blatant bias” in favor of Morsi and the Brotherhood, adding that her remarks had earned the U.S. administration “the enmity of the Egyptian people.” Coptic activists like George Ishaq openly told Patterson to “shut up and mind your own business.” And Christian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris—no stranger to Islamist hostility—posted a message on his Twitter account addressed to the ambassador saying “Bless us with your silence.”
Indeed, the U.S. ambassador’s position as the Brotherhood’s lackey is disturbing—and revealing—on several levels. First, all throughout the Middle East, the U.S. has been supporting anyone and everyone opposing their leaders—in Libya against Gaddafi, in Egypt itself against 30-year U.S. ally Mubarak, and now in Syria against Assad. In all these cases, the U.S. has presented its support in the name of the human rights and freedoms of the people against dictatorial leaders.
So why is the Obama administration now asking Christians not to oppose their rulers—in this case, Islamists—who have daily proven themselves corrupt and worse, to the point that millions of Egyptians, most of them Muslims, are trying to oust them?
What’s worse is that the human rights abuses Egypt’s Coptic Christians have been suffering under Muslim Brotherhood rule are significantly worse than the human rights abuses that the average Egyptian suffered under Mubarak—making the Copts’ right to protest even more legitimate, and, if anything, more worthy of U.S support.
Among other things, under Morsi’s rule, the persecution of Copts has practically been legalized, as unprecedented numbers of Christians—men, women, and children—have been arrested, often receiving more than double the maximum prison sentence, under the accusation that they“blasphemed” Islam and/or its prophet. It was also under Morsi’s reign that another unprecedented scandal occurred: the St. Mark Cathedral—holiest site of Coptic Christianity and headquarters to Pope Tawadros himself—was besieged in broad daylight by Islamic rioters. When security came, they too joined in the attack on the cathedral. And the targeting of Christian children—for abduction, ransom, rape, and/or forced conversion—has also reached unprecedented levels under Morsi. (For more on the plight of the Copts under Morsi’s rule, see my new book Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians.)
Yet despite the fact that if anyone in Egypt has a legitimate human rights concern against the current Egyptian government, it most certainly is the Christian Copts, here is the U.S., in the person of Ms. Patterson, asking them not to join the planned protests.
In other words, and consistent with Obama administration doctrine, when Islamists—includingrapists and cannibals—wage jihad on secular leaders, the U.S. supports them; when Christians protest Islamist rulers who are making their lives a living hell, the administration asks them to “know their place” and behave like dhimmis, Islam’s appellation for non-Muslim “infidels” who must live as third class “citizens” and never complain about their inferior status.
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Hey, let’s send the Good Doctor over to Egypt! His wisdom will surely save the day there for the Copts. He is overflowing with “advice” (albeit inculpative) for the Jews and the State of Israel, why not offer this unremitting wisdom to his fellow Christians, or even better, to the Morsi government.
reply 10 to eric in mmoderation
Eric R. Said:
This is not at all analogous: Lebanon was legally at war with Israel,Lebanon was in civil war with the Maronites being an active ally with a common enemy, The PLO enemy was holed up in Beirut after black september, the war in Lebanon was riddled with interests whereas no interests exist in the egyptian copts scenario. I think you are focused on human issues rather than national interests which govern most nations. In fact, I believe Israel missed a major opportunity in not setting up a christian state in south Lebanon.Eric R. Said:
again I see no possibility of this. A more relevant place to act to “prevent a refugee crisis” would be in syria to protect the druse which at least would have benefit of capturing more of the Golan from syria and putting the idf closer to damascus.
Israel has enough problem protecting itself.
One other reason that Israel might want to actively intervene in the forming of a “safe zone” is to prevent a refugee crisis where hundreds of thousands of Copts flee to Israel and threaten the Jewish demography of the country.
@ yamit82:
See my response to Mr. Ross.
By the way, I don’t think Israel should help the Copts, but she will be strongly pressured into doing so, and any massacres of Copts by the MB will then be blamed on us Jooooooooooooos for failing to intervene.
bernard ross Said:
What do you mean that you can’t conceive this? Israel has already done something similar – Israel acted in 1982 in part to defend Maronite Christians in Lebanon, who like the Coopts, are anti-Semitic, Arab and Christian, and were being massacred by the Palinazis.
The “lesser of two evils” sort of thing.
If Raymond Ibrahim had been reading my IP posts here for the last 9 mos. he would not be surprised. Since when does any knowledgeable person believe diplomatic BS on Human rights being the real basis for the actions they pretend to justify? They have not supported any and anyone, they have a specific arrangement with the GCC and their proxies which include the MB. all these “apparently” strange behaviors are easily explained once one accepts that their has been a GCC US arrangement. This latest “disturbing” fact is merely anther demonstration of the alliance. Qatar funds MB, Hamas, Egypt which simply explains most developments. There is a solid basisfor the US/GCC alliance: it has resulted in a reliable, dependable, stable supply of energy to the US and EU for decades and they provide a vehicle for US admins to operate outside of the legal restraints imposed on US govt.(eg use of jihadis to accomplish clandestine goals). I am not the least bit surprised as all the evidence has pointed in this direction: even a blind man can stumble over the truth.
Eric R. Said:
I am sorry to say that I cannot even conceive of such a situation. On what do you base this as a possibility?
Obama is sending troops too – 400 U.S. troops will reportedly be deployed to Egypt to augment the police force of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. They will be part of a 13-country force stationed in Egypt in anticipation of protests, scheduled for June 30th, calling for the removal of Morsi. http://frontpagemag.com/2013/arnold-ahlert/defending-an-islamofascist-with-u-s-troops
Yesterday I watched a video with Glenn Beck. He noticed the irony of Obama disarming peaceful Americans but arming cannibal terrorists in Syria.
Eric R. Said:
Are you totally delusional?
What business is it of Israels?
If christians care about their coreligionists let them do something to help them. Not a single Jew should be placed at risk to help copts.
Historic Irony here… “What comes around goes around” We owe christinas NOTHING, NADA…ZIPPO!!!
I for one want nothing from them either. Not their support or their charity. Prefer that they leave us alone but that said, I know they won’t.
There are aver 2 billion christians in the world and if they don’t care? We should? Screw em!!!
@ NormanF:
Norman, I have little or no sympathy for the Copts either, but a lot of Christian supporters of Israel do care, since the Copts are well — Christian. I think it is remotely, but still conceivably possible that Israel might be thrust into a situation where she actually has to defend Copts in some enclave – maybe around Alexandria – while the world figures out what to do with them. (I would send them to the former USSR republics to help repopulate them.)
I just love how the Muslims are putting the screws and thumbrack to the Jew-hating Copts!
Cry me a river.