Sad Day and Time for Thought

Religion Trumps Freedom: September 11 was a day of remembrance in the United States. Many had hoped that a new level of understanding between Americans and Muslims had been reached. However, yesterday the American Embassy in Cairo was invaded, the American flag torn down and replaced with a black one inscribed with: "There is no God but God, and Mohammad is his messenger." Also in neighboring Libya, the American ambassador to the country, along with three consulate members, was killed in Benghazi; the consulate building was torched. All of this in response to a film posted on the Internet insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. What this means is that to a segment (or even cross-section) of the populations in these countries, allegiance to religion comes before freedom of speech, rights for women, or any other freedoms. No Limits Put on Mob Anger: Security in Libya has been known to be a problem, especially in Benghazi. Still, protection for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was lacking. Four army armored carriers around the embassy were there to counter large-scale attacks. The Interior Ministry said that police in the area were not trained in riot control. Thus, many stood by or sat nonchalantly on sidewalks. The police were completely unprepared. No one was killed or injured in Cairo; but the walls of the embassy were breached; and the U.S. flag torn down, torn apart, and burned. The embassy' sign has been defaced with letters torn off, Islamic slogans, and Bin Laden's name. Mob anger spun out of control. I think Americans need to think about how we can aid or cooperate with these countries if they don't support our values and don't/can't protect our institutions. Safety: The US Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security sent an e-mail late this afternoon asking me to confirm my safety. I went out at sunset to buy some bananas. The local neighborhood was quiet, with men entering the door to a prayer room for sunset prayers, one entrance tucked in with many amongst the many shops. The vendor in the large corner shop on the nearest main street, Kasr el-Aini, usually doesn't like it if I buy less than a kilo(gram) of bananas and so charges me a bit more. Today I asked him if he thought America was good and said I liked Egypt. He then gave me an Egyptian pound back, one less than what he usually charged me for a quarter kilo. Individual Egyptians tend not to dislike individual Americans. Nonetheless, just as Germany has outlawed Holocaust deniers, Egypt’s conception of freedom of speech may not, and never, include insulting Islam as the film produced by an American-Israeli did. Does this view justify violence? No, but it may help in understanding why the situation played out the way it did. More to Come: Reactions to a film viewed as offensive to the Prophet Muhammad by Egyptian political groups, prompted by a protest that stormed the American embassy on Tuesday (9/11), has varied from condemnations to legal action, as well as a call by the Muslim Brotherhood for massive Friday protests in every governorate.