The Somali-born libertarian feminist and atheist opines about the implications of rabid anti-Semitism in the Middle East, where she was partly raised (in Saudi Arabia): "Egypt's newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was caught on tape about three years ago urging his followers to 'nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred' for Jews and Zionists. Not long after, the then-leader of the Muslim Brotherhood described Zionists as 'bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians,' 'warmongers' and 'descendants of apes and pigs.' These remarks are disgusting, but they are neither shocking nor new. As a child growing up in a Muslim family, I constantly heard my mother, other relatives and neighbors wish for the death of Jews, who were considered our darkest enemy. Our religious tutors and the preachers in our mosques set aside extra time to pray for the destruction of Jews."
Ms. Hirsi Ali, who is a fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center's Future of Diplomacy Project continues her commentary about the Middle East: "It is a major step forward for a sitting U.S. administration and leading American newspapers to unequivocally condemn Morsi’s words. But condemnation is just the first move. Here is an opportunity to acknowledge the breadth and depth of the attitude toward Jews in the Middle East, and how that affects the much desired but elusive peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. So many explanations have been offered for the failure of successive U.S. administrations to achieve that peace, but the answer is in Morsi’s words. Why would one make peace with bloodsuckers and descendants of apes and monkeys?"
More from Ms. Hirsi Ali: "In the wake of the Arab Spring, as the people take a chance on democracy, they and their new leadership want to see their ideals turned into policy. For too many of those who fought for their own liberation, one of those ideals is the end of peace with Israel. The United States must make clear to Morsi that this is not an option. This is also a crucial opportunity for the region’s secular movements, which must speak out against the clergy’s incitement of young minds to hatred. It is time for these secular movements to start a countereducation in tolerance."
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Op-Ed: Raised On Hatred
