We welcome the opportunity to speak here today, as the problem of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims is an issue across the OSCE region. The United States strongly supports combating all forms of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims and is taking efforts to build mutual respect between people of all faiths. The U.S. government works continuously to ensure that person of all faiths, including Muslims, can freely enjoy the fundamental freedom of religion. We raise these concerns with our Allies, partners, and others – both within the OSCE and without. The U.S. Government’s Annual Report on International Religious Freedom addresses these concerns in detail within the OSCE region and around the world.

It is interesting that the OSCE is The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

A recent report from Holland told that the acting mayor of Amsterdam is pursuing the idea of “decoy Jews.” That’s because attacks on Jews in Amsterdam have reached the point that such a strategy is necessary. Specifcally:

The idea was suggested by a Moroccan-born Parliament member after a broadcast was televised showing Moroccan immigrant men harassing and making Nazi salutes at a rabbi and two children walking in Amsterdam.

“Moroccan immigrant men?” What religion could they be?

More generally, last week Moshe Kantor, head of the European Jewish Congress, (h/t Barry Rubin) said:

“I believe that the situation of European Jewry is at its worst since the end of World War Two, Kantor said. “Jews are afraid to walk the streets in Europe with Jewish signs; Synagogues, Jewish schools and kindergartens require barbed-wire fences and security and Jewish men, women and children are beaten up in broad daylight.”

“Most worryingly, Jews are being forced out of many European cities, like Malmo, because of the atmosphere of hostility and violence,” he added.

Malmo? Where have I heard of that before? Go to the original article and there’s this:

“These issues need to be taken seriously,” he said, arguing that there needs to be a dialogue involving politicians, Islamic groups, and the Jewish community.

Jews are fleeing a city and there need to be a dialogue with Islamic groups?!?
Why would that be?

I’m glad the Ambassador Rosenthal has her eye on the ball.

Two related items:

1) Here’s NASA’s administrator Charles Bolden (via memeorandum; Source here):

“Bolden: I am here in the region – itâ€s sort of the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s visit to Cairo – and his speech there when he gave what has now become known as Obama’s “Cairo Initiative” where he announced that he wanted this to become a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. When I became the NASA Administrator – before I became the NASA Administrator – he charged me with three things: One was that he wanted me to re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, that he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.”

I had not realized that reaching out to Muslims was a priority of NASA.

2) Even while the administration’s envoy designated to fight antisemitism is fighting anti-Islamic bigotry, the administration is siding with states who have no diplomatic relations with Israel in a diplomatic maneuver designed to isolate Israel diplomatically, Nudge on Arms Further Divides the U.S. and Israel:

The United States practices a policy of ambiguity with respect to Israel’s nuclear stockpile, neither publicly discussing it nor forcing the Israeli government to acknowledge its existence.

The United States, recognizing that the document would upset the Israelis, sought to distance itself even as it signed it.

In a statement released after the conference ended, the national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, said, “The United States deplores the decision to single out Israel in the Middle East section of the NPT document.” He said it was “equally deplorable” that the document did not single out Iran for its nuclear ambitions. Any conference on a nuclear-free Middle East, General Jones said, could only come after Israel and its neighbors had made peace.

The United States, American officials said, faced a hard choice: refusing to compromise with the Arab states on Israel would have sunk the entire review conference. Given the emphasis Mr. Obama has placed on nonproliferation, the United States could not accept such an outcome.

It also would complicate the administration’s attempts to build bridges to the Arab world, an effort that is at the heart of some of the disagreements between the United States and Israel.

I think that the last paragraph would be more correct if it read:

It also would complicate the administration’s attempts to build bridges to the Arab world, an effort that has been matched by its attempts to distance itself from Israel. These parallel efforts have caused a lot of friction with America’s main ally in the Middle East.

Given the efforts the administration has made and is making to reach out to the Muslim world, I guess it isn’t that surprising the administration official in charge of fighting antisemitism would take an expansive view of her role. *sigh*

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.