President Barack Obama’s comparison between the Passover story and the Middle East revolutions demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both Jewish traditions and the uprisings sweeping the Arab world.
Obama released a statement Friday wishing Jewish families across the world a happy Passover, but he also included substantial references to Israel and Middle East policy. The four paragraph statement on the holiday — which commemorates the passage of Jews from Egypt to Mount Sinai where they obtained the Ten Commandments as a covenant from God and then into the land of Israel –suggests that the lessons from Passover are also represented in the Arab uprisings.
The Passover story “inspires hope that those oppressed and enslaved can become free,” with that message “reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East,” according to Obama.
However, the very nature of the Arab revolutions could very well transform the enslaved into the oppressors. While some activists in the Arab world are advocating democratic reforms, radical Islamists that oppress women and strip human rights are gaining traction and will likely implement their versions of Sharia law once taking power.
In the Passover story, the Jews were — literally, not figuratively — enslaved by the Egyptians before uprising and demanding their freedom. Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, into the desert and ultimately to Israel, where they began the process of creating a thriving civilization based on human rights. Until this day, that Jewish nation now embodied by the State of Israel continues striving to protect civil liberties.
The Jews have historically been considered a “light unto the nations,” embodying morality, positive contributions to society and charity, all the while facing oppression and discrimination and genocide from their next door neighbors.
While Israel faces criticism for the treatment of Palestinians, it is undeniable that Israel aspires to protect minorities and, more so than any other state, limit civilian casualties in military operations, even when Israeli civilians are regularly the target of terrorist acts. That high regard for human life is unrivaled in the Middle East, and possibly even the world, as suggested by the recent apology from Judge Richard Goldstone, the author of the United Nations’ anti-Israel report on the 2008-2009 Gaza military campaign. That’s not to mention that Israel still remains the only democracy in the Middle East, with approximately a million non-Jews enjoying the same citizenship rights as Jewish Israelis.
That same level of morality and embracing of Western values is nearly non-existent in many of the Arab uprisings, with radical Islam a strong contender to seize the thrones of deposed dictators.
As Egypt spurred the Passover story, it also is the site of a revolution that could transform a pro-West regime into a state governed by the Muslim Brotherhood, a group of radical Islamists that would attempt to scuttle any type of democratic reforms. For example, the Muslim Brotherhood supports very limited female participation in elections and backs education of women that would ensure they remain largely out of the workforce and in the home. Disenfranchising half the population and gearing their education to prevent independence are not pro-democratic or exemplify Western values.
The Muslim Brotherhood has also already had an opportunity to rule, with its Palestinian offshoot Hamas regularly preventing free speech, shuttering the press and murdering its opposition. Through Hamas’ rule of the Gaza Strip, the terror group has suppressed criticism and prevented the population from supporting any alternative, with that type of governance likely to take root if it’s parent organization seizes control in Egypt. Dismantling opposition parties and abolishing dissent also run counter to the values of the United States.
There clearly lacks parity between the Jewish exodus from slavery and the prospects of a similar movement in the Arab world. The former biblical event led to a civilization that embraced human rights, while the latter uprisings could merely transform into new versions of oppressive regimes.
Obama’s comparison fails to recognize that the underlying values behind both movements are diametrically opposed, and the outcomes likely will be similarly paradoxical.
As Obama elegantly described, the “beauty of freedom” is most certainly enshrined in the Passover story, but it is most definitely not ingrained in the Arab uprisings. Obama is right that the Jews fled Egypt to be free, but radical Islamists are on the verge of hijacking the Arab uprisings to install yet another oppressive regime more akin to the rule of the pharaoh over the Israelites.
The White House Statement:
The White House
Washington
My family and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating the sacred festival of Passover.
On Monday evneing, Jewish families and their friends in America, Israel and around the world will gather around the Seder table and retell the story of the Exodus, one of the most powerful stories of suffering and redemption in history. The story of Passover – which recalls the passage of the children of Israel from bondage and repression to freedom and liberty – inspires hope that those oppressed and enslaved can become free. The Seder, with its rich traditions and rituals, instructrs each generation to remember its past, while appreciating the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails.
This year, that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. Against the backdrop of change, we continue to pray for peace between Israel and her neighbors, while reaffirming our enduring commitment to Israel’s security.
As Jewish families gather for this joyous celebration of freedom, let us all be thankful for the gifts that have been bestowed upon us, and let us work to alleviate the suffering, poverty, injustice, and hunger of those who are not yet free. Chag Sameach.
Barack Obama
