Egyptian Sheikhdown?

by Robert Morrison

A popular revolt overthrows a ruler whom we claimed as an ally for thirty years. The Egyptian regime of Hosni Mubarak was quickly brought down after President Barack Obama gave a green light to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in a speech he delivered in June, 2009, at Egypt's Al Azhar Mosque, a hotbed of MB activity. Mr. Obama made it clear that a new day was dawning in U.S.-Mideast relations.

The U.S. under Barack Obama would smile on "democratic" reform of authoritarian governments like Mubarak's. And we would view it as a proper expression of democracy to install groups like MB that want to replace a slightly less severe version of Islam with the full rigors of shariah. In polls taken over that period of the Egyptian electorate, fully 84% of the people there said they agreed that anyone who changes his religion from Islam should be killed. So much for the winds of change in the Arab Spring.

The MB promised not to field candidates for Egypt's new parliament. They reneged. They promised not to contest for the presidency. Mohamed Morsi -- their man -- was elected. Western journalists and diplomats hopefully looked to the Egyptian military -- said to be "friendly" to the U.S. and Europe -- to restrain the newly installed President Morsi. Morsi made short work of the military. He sent Field Marshal Tantawi packing within days of assuming power in Cairo.

And what would be Mr. Morsi's Number One goal? Jobs for his people? The Egyptian economy is in freefall, after all. Peace in the region? No. Mr. Morsi says he wants to gain the release of the imprisoned blind Egyptian Sheikh, Omar Adbel-Rahman. This Sheikh is serving a life sentence in the U.S. for the murder of seven Americans in the first Islamist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993.

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy thinks it is just possible that the Obama administration will actually consider remanding the Blind Sheikh to the Egyptians as a gesture of goodwill.  Of course, McCarthy believes the Obama administration will likely wait until after the November elections before announcing any such move.

"I think the plan has been to agree to the Blind Sheikh's release, but not to announce it or have it become public until after the election.  That is consistent with Obama's pattern of trying to mollify Islamists," McCarthy said in an interview. "Obviously, they did not want this information to surface yet... but sometimes a situation can spin out of control."

Meanwhile, Sec. Hillary Clinton is vigorously lobbying Congress to fulfill pledges of U.S. foreign aid to the new Islamist regime in Egypt. The New York Times reports that she and other administration officials are seeking substantial loans to the MB government of Mohamed Morsi.
The New York Times reports:

In addition to the $1 billion in assistance, the administration is working with Egypt to provide $375 million in financing and loan guarantees for American financiers who invest in Egypt and a $60 million investment fund for Egyptian businesses. All of that comes on top of $1.3 billion in military aid that the United States provides Egypt each year.

All of this makes sense only if you live in Stockholm. It was there, we recall, that the famous Stockholm Syndrome was first identified. It was named for the phenomenon of a group of hostages who began over their long-term captivity to identify with their captors.

Doesn't the fact that Mohamed Morsi is demanding the release of a mass murderer of Americans -- an unrepentant mass murderer at that -- prove that he is no friend of ours?

Doesn't the fact that the vaunted Egyptian military was found to be totally ineffective in preventing the rise of the MB in Egypt prove that it is worthless to us?

Where the Egyptian military has shown bravery and martial skill is in running down unarmed Christians.  Have we so quickly forgotten the murder of 26 Coptic Christians and the injury of some 300 others just last fall? Or are we mesmerized by the talk of an Arab Spring?

Mohamed Morsi is no friend of the United States. We can hardly blame him in pressing this Sheikhdown. He must have seen how Muammar Gaddafi gave a hero's welcome to the convicted murderer of hundreds of Americans aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. When the Scottish government cravenly gave Megrahi over to Libya, this administration rewarded Gaddafi's regime with millions in foreign aid. That is, until Mr. Obama decided "to lead from behind" in getting rid of Gaddafi.

What we are seeing is the total bankruptcy of the administration's Mideast policy. The Obama administration doesn't have the slightest idea how to conduct a foreign policy that increases American security and preserves American honor. They are showering billions on sworn enemies of the United States and, especially, of Christians and Jews.

Why should Jewish and Christian Americans be taxed to help such bloodthirsty sworn enemies of our people and our ideals?

The liberal media deplores the fact that almost one-fifth of Americans think President Obama is a Muslim. I do not think Barack Obama is a Muslim. But if he were a Muslim, can the media tell us how Mr. Obama's Mideast policy would  be any different?

Robert Morrison

Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/10/egyptian_sheikhdown.html

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