Both the amateurish film that insulted Mohammed and riled the Muslim world -- and the Islamic extremists' violent, murderous response -- are to be condemned.
The film-maker's right to make the film are protected by the First Amendment. I don't dispute his right to do it; but not everything that is permitted should be done. This is an example of bigotry and stupidity, and it should be condemned for its poor judgment and insensitivity.
Religious fervor is of course at the bottom of this, as it has been for many of the wars and atrocities throughout history. But the film is no more a representation of Christianity or U. S. foreign policy than is the violence part of Islam or even of the governments of those countries.
But all this is compounded -- and becomes an international tragedy and a threat to the survival of civilization as we know it -- when extremists on both sides behave as if we are still in a medieval world of kill or be killed.
Having said all that, and despite our U.N. Representative Susan Rice's word to the contrary on tv this morning, there is a huge amount of anti-American feeling throughout that region. And, more than anything else, I believe we are responsible for much of that. We invaded Iraq unnecessarily. We are still in Afghanistan 11 years later, killing too many of their civilians accidentally, and our support tilts toward Israel in the unending struggle for land in Palestine/Israel. And now, we're being told by the war-mongers that we should help Israel bomb Iran.
What we don't need is more bellicosity and cowboy braggadocio thrust into that explosive tinder box. Obama is right to stay steady and diplomatic.
It's frightening to think what will happen if Romney wins and appoints John Bolton as Secretary of State or Defense. He already has neo-conservatives as his foreign policy advisers. So far, they've bombed, figuratively, and probably would bomb literally if given the power.
Ralph
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At last, some sane reasoning. Unlike Susan Rice, who insisted that the violence was a response to the anti-Muslim film, George Will said today that it was not. It may have been a trigger for the demonstrations, but there is a sectarian tribal warfare going on across the region that we neither understand nor can mitigate.
ReplyDeleteHe also said that if Mitt Romney had been president, it would have just as likely happened. The great myth in America, particularly during president elections, is that of presidential power, according to Will. If only X were president and did this or that, everything would be different. In fact, the president's power is greatly exaggerated in people's minds, and during elections it becomes a national narcissism.
I often don't agree with George Will, but this time I do, with one caveat. I don't think Romney would have prevented this happening; it's more likely that he would have fanned the flames and made it worse.