Obama Supporters Criticize Administration's Muslim Brotherhood Policy.

Obama Supporters Criticize Administration's Muslim Brotherhood Policy.HT: IPTNews.By John Rossomando.Discontent with the Obama administration's "abominable" policies toward Egypt among some of his leading supporters on Middle East issues took center stage Friday afternoon during a panel discussion sponsored by the Center for American Progress (CAP).
The program on "U.S. Engagement with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood" featured James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab-American Institute; John Esposito, head of the Prince Alaweed bin Talal Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding at Georgetown University; and Michael Hanna, senior fellow at the Century Foundation.

Each expressed concern with the Muslim Brotherhood's rejection of women's rights, hostility and violence toward Egypt's Coptic Christian population, and repression of dissent and "incompetence" since the party came to power last year. This criticism is noteworthy given that each speaker admitted having had high hopes for the Brotherhood a year or more ago.

Egyptian human rights abuses have been so grave that even Esposito, one of the Brotherhood's most redoubtable defenders in America, took issue with the Obama administration's Egypt policy.
"The answer here is obvious," Esposito said when asked about last Sunday's siege of the Coptic Church's holiest cathedral by Islamic extremists and Egyptian riot police that left two dead and over 80 injured.
"The administration should be very strong in responding to that kind of incident because this is not an incident where we want to say that, 'Oh, we are not going to intervene in Egyptian politics,' where certain segments of the Egyptian population will say 'there goes the U.S. intervening.'" It should be met with very strong statements publicly, but also privately when talking about potential economic assistance."
Esposito's recommended course of action stood in opposition to the State Department's actual response at Monday's press briefing when acting spokesman Peter Ventrell called on "restraint from all sides" without acknowledging that the Islamists caused the siege.

Michael Meunier, president of Egypt's al Haya Party that is part of the opposition National Salvation Front in Egypt, praised the panelists for having a change of heart on the Brotherhood.
"I think it validates what we have been saying," Meunier told the Investigative Project on Terrorism. "The fact that the left started saying this proves we have not been exaggerating … what has been happening to us in Egypt from the Brotherhood rule."
The panelists' comments prove that the Obama administration has mishandled Egypt.
"It's very clear cut when it comes to our values," Meunier said. "We are giving up American values to support the Brotherhood."Hmmmmm......'The future does not belong to those who slander the Prophet'.Read the full story here.