Respect for me, not for thee

That seems to be the attitude of many Western governments, journalists, and intellectuals that make up our self-anointed ruling class.

A recent editorial by the Calgary Herald expressed concern for this bizarre double standard. A key quote from the editorial:

When Florida pastor Terry Jones announced plans to burn the Qur'an on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he was roundly, and rightfully, condemned. Christian groups worldwide were at the forefront of the protests, denouncing Jones and calling on him to respect the dignity of Islam. In 2005, allegations that U.S. military personnel had desecrated copies of the Qur'an at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp sparked an internal investigation to ensure no repeat.

The recent murder of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan, the deaths of 58 Christians in Iraq, the continuing persecution of Christians worldwide has sparked little outcry among the ruling class. But any hint of "Islamophobia" (real or imagined) seems to provoke endless hand-wringing.

The editorial goes on to say:

Not one of these incidents has garnered even a fraction of the attention the proposed Qu'ran burning caused. This begs the question: Why?

Perhaps it's because Christians rarely riot in difficult circumstances. They should not have to. In an enlightened world forever preaching equality and justice, no group should have to resort to death and destruction to get injustices remedied.

I think the editorial writers are wrong here. It is my opinion that the largely secular ruling class is not motivated by sympathy for Islam, let alone being secretly Muslim itself. It is highly unlikely (for example) that President Obama is a closet Muslim seeking to impose sharia law. Nor is it fear of attacks by Muslim extremists that are behind this new "tolerance" for Islam. Rather, I believe that the antipathy of the ruling class towards Christianity and Judaism is fueled by the claims of both that God's law is superior to man's laws, that humanity is sinful by nature and needs a Savior that is not a mortal President or Prime Minister. Such a view conflicts with the ruling class's messianic desire to remake society in its own image.

The ruling class's tolerance for the actions of Muslims - a tolerance they would not in a million years extend towards Christians and Jews - is nothing but an old political strategy: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Islam is seen as a rival to Christianity and Judaism, and thus benefits from the ruling class's desire to divide and conquer. If the ruling class ever came to believe that Islam could threaten their hold on the nation's government, universities, and media, they would attack Muslims just as savagely as they now go after Christians and Jews.

I think that it may come as a shock to many, but the secular ruling class tends to view Muslims the same way they view Christians and Jews - as a bunch of ignorant, reactionary Bible-thumpin' (or Koran-thumpin') bigots. But for now the ruling class seems to view Islam as a useful political weapon against those they hate, and therefore Muslims benefit accordingly.