More dhimmitude from the Bushites

I had given Condoleezza Rice a tentative pass on her reference to the Koran as the “Holy Koran.” Given the context in which she had been speaking, namely murderous Moslem riots over a Newsweek report that a U.S. interrogator had flushed a prisoner’s Koran down the toilet, the diplomatic use of the word “Holy,” aimed at assuring Moslems that we respected their religion, did not seem unacceptable. However, as I look at her statement again, I cannot maintain that position. She said: “Disrespect for the Holy Koran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States. Disrespect for the Holy Koran is abhorrent to us all.” It’s the second sentence that gets me. It’s one thing for a U.S. official, speaking to inflamed Moslems, to show respect for them. It’s another thing for that diplomat, speaking in the name of all Americans, to suggest that all Americans regard the Koran as “holy.” That is an outrage.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 16, 2005 10:53 AM | Send