Egypt’s President al-Sisi is emerging as a strong leader in the Islamic world against ISIL and against Islamic terrorists, and he has my respect for taking this role. As I’m sure readers realize, al-Sisi’s Egypt bombed ISIL positions in Libya after ISIL terrorists in Libya kidnapped and beheaded over 20 Egyptian citizens who were Coptic Christians. Egypt has also had to fight swarms of Islamic terrorists associated with ISIL, Hamas or other extremists groups who are attacking Egyptian soldiers, policemen, citizens and facilities in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and within the larger region of Egypt as well.
The first link reports that al-Sisi, last month, called on other Islamic nations to form a coalition to fight ISIL. The second link has the welcome news that he is not only reiterating that call for a regional Islamic coalition to fight ISIL, but that he is also trying to prod US President Obama into “assuming a greater role in helping his country fight terrorism.” That an Egyptian president has to try and prod an American president into getting serious about fighting ISIL says a lot about how bizarre and dangerous things have become on the world scene. At a time when the USA should obviously be going all-out to assist every Islamic nation which wishes to fight ISIL, the second link points out the Obama administration is withholding arms shipments from Egypt–arms that could be used to fight ISIL. Apparently, the Obama administration is having some kind of “hissy fit” that Egypt’s al-Sisi did the right thing by overthrowing the Islamic Brotherhood’s Morsi when Morsi attempted to become a dictator who wanted to rule by executive decrees and exalt himself above Egypt’s Constitution. Al-Sisi simply acted as an Egyptian patriot, and it has always been a mystery why Obama’s administration favored the Islamic Brotherhood–which is an Islamic extremist group itself.
In the second link involving an interview President al-Sisi has with FOX News, one can see that he chose his words carefully, but his frustration with Obama’s reluctance to seriously fight ISIL seems clear to me when you read between the lines. He “questioned whether the US was doing enough…,” “wants to see a ‘big response from capable countries,'” and added it involved “difficult questions” when asked how Arab nations in the Mideast region view the Obama administration. You can see more such inferences in the second link.
It is obvious to any sensible observer of world events that the USA and many other nations should “get serious” about fighting ISIL. The third link documents many of the beheadings, killings, kidnappings, tortures, etc. that ISIL has inflicted on Christians and others. ISIL has also done mass killings of Sunni and Shiite Moslems, Azidis, and basically anyone who disagrees with ISIL’s malignant interpretation of Islam. Egypt’s president has demonstrated that not all Moslems are like ISIL, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, Hamas and the other Islamic terrorist groups. He is not alone. The Sunni Kurds have magnanimously sheltered and protected Christians, Sunnis, Shiites, Azidis and anyone who is fleeing from ISIL’s tyranny and murderous intents. The Sunni Kurds have fiercely resisted the ISIL terrorists in pitched battles and need more advanced weaponry from the USA and the West. It is my view that the Kurds deserve and should have a nation of their own. Jordan’s King Abdullah ordered a fierce air campaign against ISIL after ISIL burned alive a captured Jordanian pilot. In a very heartening development, a large group of over 1,000 Muslims formed a protective ring around a Jewish synagogue in Oslo, Norway to show their solidarity with all civilized people who oppose ISIL’s madness (fourth link).
Many years ago, I can recall hearing the expression “People of the Book.” If I recall correctly, it was an Islamic expression that indicated that Christians and Jews should be viewed as natural allies of Muslims in some way because all three religions worshiped and acknowledged the God of Abraham. I haven’t heard that expression (or its exact definition) in a long time, but it would be a good basis for all three religious groups to join forces against ISIL and other Islamic terrorist groups.
Three cheers for Egypt’s President al-Sisi in trying to create a regional coalition vs. ISIL and for trying to motivate President Obama to join the anti-ISIL coalition in a serious way. In the fight against ISIL which is clearly a fight between good and evil, Obama has largely abstained. He has allowed the US military to conduct only pinprick tactical strikes against ISIL when strategic “shock and awe” bombing and other more forceful military action and leadership is needed. I think the unspoken message that Egypt’s al-Sisi tried to send US President Obama was “Whose side are you on? When will you make up your mind?”
That we are at a point in history where an Islamic head-of-state has to try and prod an American president into taking serious action against vicious terrorists is a conundrum about which all Americans should do some very serious thinking.
- http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/23/middleeast/isis-crisis/
- http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/09/exclusive-el-sisi-urges-arab-ready-force-to-confront-isis-questions-if-us/
- https://www.google.com/search?q=Egypt+massing+troops+on+Libyan+border&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=RjH-VJzXPLSQsQSdv4HgCg&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1247&bih=866
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/21/us-norway-muslims-jews-idUSKBN0LP0AG20150221
- https://www.google.com/search?q=ISIS+executes+Christian+children&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
