American liberals who ignore European bigotry while considering opposition to the Ground Zero mosque inexcusable bring to mind the mocking suggestion of German communist playwright Bertolt Brecht: "Would it not be easier in that case for the government to dissolve the people and elect another?"
Well, sure, fine: Some really closed-minded things happening Europe these days, as Kirchick details in his piece. But how to say this delicately: Who cares?
American liberals who have fought for the right of American Muslims to build mosques in New York and Tennessee haven't made the case that we should do so because, golly gee, look at those evolved Europeans and their traditions of religious tolerance! Maybe someone somewhere has said that, but they're the outlier. But the American debate isn't even remotely about Europe. Instead, what American liberals have done is appeal to American traditions of religious tolerance and expression.
Kirchick doesn't even really try to connect these unconnected dots. Everybody knows effete American liberals are closeted Communist Europhiles, so the dots connect themselves. Right?
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