This blog has been justifiably tough on NYTIMES columnist Tom Friedman, so it's only fitting and proper - and FAIR AND BALANCED - that we cite him when he's gets something right:
The Muslim world's silence about the real desecration of Iraqis, coupled with its outrage over the alleged desecration of a Koran, highlights what we are up against in trying to stabilize Iraq - as well as the only workable strategy going forward.[...] If the Arab world, its media and its spiritual leaders, came out and forcefully and repeatedly condemned those who mount these suicide attacks, and if credible Sunnis were given their fair share in the Iraqi government, I am certain a lot of this suicide bombing would stop, as happened with the Palestinians.
The Muslim world's lack of criticism of the Muslims who rioted because of the Newsweek article, and the fact that Muslims rarely criticize Iraq's suicide bombers reveals a HUGE problem within Islam.
Muslims must cease their xenophobic hysteria and their reflex to use violence. This would most likely begin to happen if their mainstream clerics would LOUDLY AND UNAMBIGUOUSLY criticize the neojihadist fanatics who riot or become suicide bombers; (right now, the only Islamic folks who are consistently crticizing the neojihadists are Islamic fringe critics like IRSHAD MANJI). WE'RE WAITING.
Reliapundit,
ReplyDeleteI think Friedman only got it partially right, if I'm not mistaken. When he says, things would be better "if the Sunni's were given their fair share in the Iraqi government," that's preposterous.
The Sunni's have been given power in the Iraqi government. Maybe not as much as they would like, but they are the only group I know of in Iraq who has actually been handed power.
Why did they have to be handed the power they have?
Because they refused to participate in the elections.
Why?
Because they were too busy throwing a fit about the fact that they were no longer going to be able to run an apartheid government, as they did under Saddam.