I stumbled across a post by Andrew Sullivan and think it deserves posting here (you should definitely read the entire post). His
blog addresses
this National Review Article and provides the following insight:
Here's what I don't get about the religious right in this. They are rightly sensitive to possible government discrimination against sincere religious faith. But here there is a case of the most atrocious anti-religious discrimination imaginable. And what is their response? Do they say: "This is obviously untrue. If it were true, we'd be outraged. Our military would never behave this way." No; their fear is that the evidence will not back them up on this. So they say, "Look at the liberal media, feeding unsourced stories to discredit America." Is this a form of denial or mere avoidance? Maybe their defense of religious freedom doesn't go as deep as it might. Maybe it depends on whose religion is under attack.
I find his discussion substantive and alarming. Why hasn't there been much suggestion of moral outrage about the activities which were alleged? The flushing of the Koran is the most demeaning attack on a religious text I can imagine! How can they denounce Newsweek as acting irresponsibly without recognizing the reprehensibility of the underlying conduct?
What if allegations centered on the desecration of the Bible in front of Religious Christians or the Old Testament in front of Orthodox Jews? I can't imagine any response would ignore the moral repugnance of such alleged activity. Even in the event Newsweek had acted irresponsibly, shouldn't we expect our religious and political leadership to fervently denounce the flushing of the Koran as unacceptable. I would hope this administration would condemn such activity as raping our Bill of Rights.
Also, why hasn't this administration publicly pledged to explore procedures which would safeguard against any religious mistreatment? I imagine such a promise would do much more for America's image abroad than a retraction by Newsweek or an attack on the magazine's credibility. This whole controversy provides this administration a prime opportunity to reaffirm our country's devotion to religious freedom/tolerance and (if possible) improve their image in the Muslim World. Why don't they use it?