Who's Sorry Now
- Mary Elizabeth Hansen
Americans of a certain age will remember the childhood refrain, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." That little rhyme served as a piece of invisible armor against the taunts and cruelties of playground bullies, a retort without a resort to a physical response. Of course, reality is more complicated. Words can and do serve to incite fear and violence. Adults know that fact of life. Consequently, some choose their words very carefully, deliberately hoping to inspire hate and hurt.
Last week, in the Gaza Strip, three Americans were killed on their way to interview candidates for Fulbright scholarships. The Palestinian Authority rushed to the media to proclaim their regrets over the incident and to disavow any involvement in the American deaths. Yet, in the same week, according to the Palestinian Media Watch , the Palestinian Authority, through their official broadcast station, carried a hate-filled sermon aimed at specifically at Americans. The speaker, well-known Islamist Sheikh Ibrahim Madiras, ranted, "This president [Bush] sees himself like one who has ascended to the mountaintop and like one expecting someone to push him so that he falls into the abyss, he and his people with him. We warn the American people that this president is dragging them to the abyss..[Allah] take vengeance on your enemies, our enemies, enemies of religion." Those words were meant to incite more hatred and violence, despite the fresh blood of three innocent Americas on streets of Gaza. The sermon was carried by the Palestinian Authority without interruption, a disclaimer or an apology.
The Jerusalem Post reporter, Carolyn Glick, recently wrote that Sabah al-Iman, a member of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, attended an Arab League conference in Damascus, Syria. According to Glick, al-Iman gave assurances to League members that the new Iraqi government, like the former Hussein regime, would not do any business with Israel. Of course, his words were warmly received by the participants in the conference. Will the new Iraq, working hard to give birth to a new democracy, revert to the virulent anti-Semitism of the old Iraq? It seems so..upon his return to Iraq, no regrets, clarifications or apologies were issued by the Iraqi Governing Council.
Last week also featured a blatantly anti-Semitic speech given by Malaysian Prime Minister Hahathir Mohamad. In his opening remarks to the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit meeting, Mohamad stated, "The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." Throwing further fuel on the fire, the controversial prime minister added, "1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews." He received a standing ovation for his hate-filled words.
Among those standing and cheering were Jordan's King Abdullah, valued by the West for his moderate views, and one of the United States strongest "allies" in the global war on terror, President Megawati Sukamoputri of Indonesia. Megawati presides over the government that is soon to receive a gift from US taxpayers, a $250 million dollar donation for Indonesia's schools, in order to promote a tolerant and peaceful version of Islam! Other "allies" of the US, also chafing their hands from clapping, were President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, both hypocrites and both recipients of billions of dollars in aid to support the war against Islamists.
The European Union condemned Mohamad's remarks. President Bush, meeting with the prime minister several days after the speech, personally criticized his Malaysian counterpart over his choice of words. Mohamad responded to the flood of Western criticism by stating, "The reaction of the world shows they [the Jews] do control the world." Clearly, the Malaysian leader had no remorse or regret about his remarks. What he did have was the admiration and approval of his mostly Muslim audience, including those supposed moderates who the West showcases as peaceful, tolerant Muslims.
Lt. General William G. Boykin, a highly decorated veteran of military operations in Afghanistan and Somalia, is also a devout Christian. During the past year, Boykin has made speeches at various churches and prayer breakfasts. His remarks at these events included his opinion that militant Islamists seek to destroy America, "because we're a Christian nation." He also compared the war against Islamic militants to a war against Satan. Following the release of several of his speeches, a number of politicians rushed to the nearest microphone to condemn Boykin's remarks. Muslim lobbyist groups made similar scrambles to their favorite media outlets to label the general a bigot and a racist.
Although General Boykin has stated that he will not resign, calls continue for his resignation. It seems that indignation over his words cannot stop. Boykin has issued an apology, "to those have been offended by my statements." He is responding to the indignation of many in the government and of various special interest groups. In short, he appears to regret his choice of words and has called for an independent investigation to satisfy his critics.
Who's sorry now? The American general-evangelical Christian seems to be sorry for the things he said. Who's not sorry and won't take back one hate-filled word? Sheikh Ibrahim Madiras, Sabah al-Iman, and Prime Minister Mohamad. After all, being an Islamist means never having to say sorry.
© Mary Elizabeth Hansen 2003