Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem Saturday indicated his nation is ready to resume some kind of peace process with Israel. That news got Israeli ultra-leftists, some foreign diplomats, and the mainstream media all excited.
But this purported peace overture must be seen as a deception, just like every one before it.
This time in Egypt. Cairo is banning the most recent editions of popular French and German newspapers for publishing editorials delving into Islam’s violent history and the behavior of its founder, the “prophet” Mohammed.
As reported by Egypt’s state-controlled news agency, MENA:
“The minister of information said that he would not allow any publication that insults the Islamic religion or calls for hatred or contempt of any religion to be distributed inside Egypt.”
This statement will certainly seem odd to anyone familiar with the huge amount of anti-Semitic material published on a regular basis by Egyptian newspapers, radio stations and television networks.
Nor are Christians spared the incitement to hatred.
Now, some will point to the fact that many of the examples of anti-Semitism in the Egyptian media take the form of political criticism of Israel, the Jewish state, making the virulent statements, cartoons and programs perfectly legitimate.
But if that is true, is it not equally legitimate in today’s world to look at, question and even criticize Islam’s violent origins and history? After all, almost all of the major armed conflicts taking place in the world today involve Muslims who claim to be acting on behalf of Allah.
