Former Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali (right)
argues in Newsweek magazine that America should quit apologizing and stop treating the Muslim masses as helpless victims, especially now that they freely elect leaders who reject Western-style freedom.
The Muslim men and women (and yes, there are plenty of women) who support—whether actively or passively—the idea that blasphemers deserve to suffer punishment are not a fringe group. On the contrary, they represent the mainstream of contemporary Islam.
Until recently, it was completely justifiable to feel sorry for the
masses in Libya because they suffered under the thumb of a cruel
dictator. But now they are no longer subjects; they are citizens. They
have the opportunity to elect a government and build a society of their
choice.
Will they follow the lead of the Egyptian people and elect a
government that stands for ideals diametrically opposed to those upheld
by the United States? They might. But if they do, we should not consider
them stupid or infantile. We should recognize that they have made a
free choice—a choice to reject freedom as the West understands it.
How should American leaders
respond?... If the U.S. follows the
example of Europe over the last two decades, it will bend over backward
to avoid further offense. And that would be a grave mistake—for the
West no less than for those Muslims struggling to build a brighter
future.
Not surprisingly, American liberals and Muslim media outlets
were outraged by the American Enterprise Institute scholar's article.
Former Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali (right) argues in Newsweek magazine that America should quit apologizing and stop treating the Muslim masses as helpless victims, especially now that they freely elect leaders who reject Western-style freedom.
