It comes from a different source, but the same thing is happening with the stupidity of the comments by Pope Benedict, then by Lord Carey, and supported by the Chicken Hawk in Chief, Lord Goldberg. The right has managed to create a narrative in which a poor little innocent Pope's life is threatened, a nun killed, and Catholic churches destroyed because of the vicious Arab terrorists, who we Democrats would allow to destroy our freedoms - since we're Jihad Enablers.
The distortions that enable such a narrative are boggling. Benedict is a conservative, right-wing guy. As Cardinal he ran the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" formerly known as the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition." In his speech he implied that a reformation was essential in Islam. Yet he, currently, and the group he headed, historically, have fought every reform possible. His is the religion of the crusades, and of the Spanish Inquisition where Jews and Arabs who would not convert had to leave or be killed. The Inquisition was all about killing those whose conversions were not sincere enough. (The Jews (And Muslims) that fled Spain sought and received refuge in the Ottoman Empire) Is it surprising that the comments of a Catholic Pope would be scrutinized in the Muslim world?
Without a hint of irony, Captain Ed describes Lord Carey's position as one where "growth will never occur until Muslims go through a Reformation process that sets their faith apart from their government." (emphasis added)
Goldberg is not interested in the refuges Jews received from the Ottomans - "Spare me tales of Jewish accommodation in the 15th century', he writes. But he approves of the Pope's quoting a 14th century Byzantine, and of course bases his support for Israel in part on even more ancient history.
Because of our support for Israel, and because we had established a military base in Saudi Arabia, Osama attacked us. This despicable act is inexcuable. With justification, Bush attacked the country that had harbored Osama.
But
we then invaded and have occupied another Arab country for over three years.
In the process, its infrastructure has been destroyed, as well as
possibly a hundred thousand innocent Arab lives lost. As Robert Pape has pointed out, there had never been an Iraqi suicide bomber,not one, until we invaded Iraq. Al Qaeda is stronger, and the Arab world more radical, because of our unilateral attack on Iraq.
One of the reasons those of us who objected to that invasion, did so, was because of our certainty that it would bring instabilitly and increase hatred of the West in an enormously important region of the world. The left warned that the invasion of Iraq would cause more terrorist attacks
And it has.
The West now has over 150,000 troops on the Arabian Peninsula, and we have established a Jewish State on land that had been in Arab hands since the founding of Islam. The Arab world is pissed and sees us as its enemy. Would the Chicken Hawk in Chief please spare me the outrage.
This crash between civilizations, if it is one, is entirely the fault of our President, who has been Driving While Intoxicated, and the real enablers are the Goldbergs, the Bill Kristols, and our corporatized media that dare not speak the truth.