Connie, What Are You Talking About?

Yesterday, at a reception in Washington to introduce America's first special envoy to the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the appointment will help to promote principles that Muslims and non-Muslims alike "hold dear," such as human rights and human dignity, social justice and equal opportunity, liberty and the rule of law. She told the OIC ambassadors, "These are not American values or Western values. They are universal values, values that are lived and practiced by the majority of Muslims in the world, many of whom are citizens of democracies."

Ummmm...... Human rights, rule of law, liberty, social justice, equal opportunity?  What planet do you live on, Connie?  Of the 57 OIC members, only 14 qualify as "electoral democracies," according to Freedom House in its latest report on freedom in the world.  Only 6 of the 57 - Benin, Guyana, Indonesia, Mali, Senegal and Suriname - are deemed "free" in regards to political rights and civil liberties.  Let's look at religious liberty.  Hudson Institute's Centre of Religious Freedom stated in its 2007 report, "The Muslim majority countries comprise the religious areas with the largest current restrictions on religious freedom. This pattern parallels problems with democracy, civil liberties, and economic freedom, but the negative trend with respect to religious freedom is even stronger. Of the twenty ‘unfree' countries and territories surveyed, twelve are Muslim majority. Of the seven countries receiving the lowest possible score, four are Muslim majority. This is a phenomenon that goes beyond the Arab world or the Middle East."  There are exceptions, such as Mali and Senegal, but they are the exceptions, not the majority or many (contra. Secretary of State Rice).

Again, I just don't know how this reportedly intelligent woman could have made such ridiculous statements with a straight face or without her tongue being firmly planted in her cheek.