Trump Does Love Some Muslims--the Autocrats and Dictators
First al-Sisi, and now Erdogan. Plus more. Why does Trump love these men? Maybe he wishes he could get away with doing what they do.
DEAN OBEIDALLAH
04.20.17 1:00 AM ET
Donald Trump clearly has a fetish for Muslim strongmen. If Trump had a Tinder profile (and given Trump’s lack of transparency, he just might) it would likely read:
“Desperate for tall, dark Muslim strongmen who love discipline, hate dissent and are into bondage of his critics. Torturing and killing your own people a real turn on. Promise to be discrete about your human rights record. Lets dominate democracy together—I promise many ‘Cialis moments.’”
And it appears that many Muslim dictators and autocrats have “swiped right” to take Trump up on his offer. Just a few weeks ago Trump entertained Egypt’s leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House, his first visit there because President Obama had refused to meet with him given his appalling human rights record.
As a brief primer, since Sisi took power in 2013 by way of a coup, he has effectively forbid criticism of his administration. He has cracked down on the media. Prominent human rights groups have seen their leaders arrested. His forces routinely use torture against critics or make them disappear. One of the most appalling incidents was the Rabaa massacre in August 2013 when Sisi’s forces killed nearly 900 of his own citizens who were protesting.
When Trump met Sisi at the White House, did he raise Sisi’s reprehensible human rights record? Nope, instead Trump declared at a joint meeting with the Egyptian leader: “I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation.”
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/04/20/trump-does-love-some-muslims-the-autocrats-and-dictators.html
