Eleven years after the murder of roughly three thousand Americans by Al-Qaeda and two hundred and thirty-five years after Washington's terrible defeat at Brandywine Creek, September 11th once again has been a day of tragedy and woe for the American People. Four American diplomatic personnel in Benghazi, Libya fell victims to the forces of Islamist Reaction including ambassador to Libya Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Already, however, sad to say there is extensive politicization of this attack from both sides of the partisan divide. Indeed it is hard to think of recent tragedies that have not been politicized such as the Aurora theatre shootings or the shooting at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin.
Governor Mitt Romney even as the full extent of the attacks in Benghazi came to light to-day, has stood by his comments essentially denouncing as apology a statement issued by the American embassy in Cairo before the attacks occurred in anticipation of protests and worse due to news of an anti-Islamic film. While it is clear that Governor Romney desires to gain a political advantage as the President gains in the polls, it is equally clear that such politicking in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy is rightfully reprehensible to most of the American people. In addition the statement was not authorized by any higher officials in Washington and was withdrawn as a result. Such straining out of gnats even after this brutal assasination is absurd and contemptible. I find this, sadly, as more evidence of Romney's essentially Wilhelmine approach to foreign policy which I may consider further in a later post.
On the other side of the divide, the left has aimed its main guns of blame at the various activists who had a part in making the controversial film (called Innocence of Muslims) that angered many Muslims such as the infamous Koran Burner, Pastor Terry Jones. While the film, from the descriptions I've seen is a movie made via deception and has a good dose of right-wing paranoia in it with comments almost certain to anger Muslims, this is no contradiction from the fact that the people to blame primarily for the embassy attack are none other than the mob who attacked it and perhaps the terrorist group behind it. Despite the Akin-like views on anti-Islamic sentiment by many on the left, free speech is free speech, and plenty of comments blasphmous to Christians, Jews, and others including Muslims are made every day with few eliciting a violent response. Even if engaging in false and hateful statements, as long as there is no direct incitement to violence or harm the speech is free under the law and must be dealt with by reason and facts not murder and rioting. All this said, I should reiterate to my fellow Christians especially those who work to share the gospel with Muslims that such attacks are not preaching of the Gospel and makes them instead look ignorant and bigoted Know-Nothings.
Indeed there is plenty of evidence suggesting that the attack was not motivated by the Innocence of Muslims and perhaps planned beforehand. The attack involved the use of such weapons as antiaircraft weapons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and reportedly showed a high degree of organization and training. Colonel Wolfgang Puterai for example suggests that it consisted of a core of 30 to 40 members of an Islamist group (called Ansar al-Sharia) organized during the revolt against Qadaffi. While some of the terrorists claimed that the attacks was motivated by the film, it has been reported that there were many unarmed protestors mixed with the terrorits. In addition of course it happened on the anniversary of September 11th which to Islamist extremnists has taken on the same meaning that November 9th has taken on to many National Socialists. Finally the fact that Zawahiri explicitly called on Libyans in a video released not long ago to avenge a lieutenant of his killed in a drone strike all point to the fact that this was indeed planned. It cannot be coincidence, in my opinion, that the terrorists struck while Ambassador Stevens was in Benghazi to dedicate a cultural centre.
While this attack may have shocked many Americans who watched happily as the mutual enemies of both the Libyan and American peoples-namely Muammar Qadaffi (or Gadaffi or Kadafy)-was overthrown and slain with American and NATO military support, the Libyan government or people should not be considered Islamist in sympathy. The Libyan government acted quickly to condemn the attacks and it was their security forces who helped evacuate the compound and recapture it from the militants. Meanwhile it was the citizens of Benghazi who helped bring Ambassador Stevens to the hospital where he died and who now denounce the violences in protests. Ambassador Stevens himself was a friend of the Libyan people who helped establish contacts with the resistance against Qadaffi in 2011 and who was well-liked in the country. It would a cruel irony should Stevens's death produce resentment against a country and people whom he knew and worked with so much.
Regardless of whatever new reports may come in, my prayers and sympathies are with the families of Ambassador Stevens and the other dead officials and for the country of Libya.
