And it’s not how we Americans have maligned the greatness of Islam for far too long, or the importance of the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process.” Pressuring Israel is something he can do on his own time, they seem to be suggesting by omission. What they want to hear about is freedom: freedom to speak without fear of violent reprisal or imprisonment; freedom from Islamist tyranny; freedom from the yoke of dictatorship. “We do want allies in the West, but not from inside the White House,” writes Hossam el-Hamalawy, an Egyptian journalist and blogger. “Our real allies are the human rights groups and unions that will pressure the Obama administration to sever all ties to the Mubarak dictatorship. Their visits to Egypt are more meaningful, even if unlike Mr. Obama, they do not get a lavish reception.” There are six of them altogether, and you can find their pieces on today’s New York Times op-ed page, amazingly enough.
