ABC News is reporting that when asked whether or not the election of a Muslim Brotherhood candidate to Egyptian president represented a “debacle”, the White House Press Secretary implied that the question represented a criticism of Islam as a religion. According to the report:
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that he’d heard the criticism that Egypt’s choice to elect a Muslim Brotherhood candidate to the presidency showed that the Arab Spring was a debacle but he cautioned that ‘we judge individuals and parties that are elected in a democratic process by their actions, not by their religious affiliation.’ ‘We hope President-Elect (Mohammed) Morsi will take steps to advance national unity, uphold universal values and respect the rights of all Egyptian citizens including women and religious minorities such as Coptic Christians,’ Carney said, reading a statement aboard Air Force One today. He said that concerns about relations with Israel being hurt should be tempered by the fact that Morsi acknowledged Egypt would continue to uphold its treaty obligations with the Israelis. As for Iran? Carney wouldn’t say the U.S. would urge or demand that Egypt steer clear of formal relations with Iran but suggested that it’s ‘perfectly appropriate for a nation like Egypt to have relations with its neighbors but again we look to Egypt to continue its significant role as a pillar of regional peace and stability.”
GMBDW notes that one of one of the most pressing and immediate aims of the Global Muslim Brotherhood is to be recognized as the sole representative of Muslims around the world. Mr Carney’s conflation of the Brotherhood with Islam itself would seem to support that aim.