A Formal Apology

Back on February 5th, Howard Rotberg gave a sneak preview of “Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address” at Pajamas, where he predicted:

“My move today is to recognize that Americans cannot roam the world imposing our particular notions of liberty and democracy on the world. The world is composed of many people who find their liberty depends on a religious supervision of all aspects of their daily lives. Although we in America have traditionally embraced a separation of church and state, it is time to acknowledge that our way is not the only way.

[Applause and standing ovation]

“To prove this to the world, we are modifying one of America’s most lasting symbols, the Statue of Liberty. We recognize that not all people in the world accept our notions of liberty. That is probably the underlying reason that the United States has been expelled from the United Nations. To demonstrate that we have learned that tolerance is the most important world value, and not a narrow definition of liberty, we are changing the name of the great statue just off the shore of New York from the Statue of Liberty to the Statue of Tolerance.

[applause, cheering and standing ovation]

“And to absolutely prove the seriousness of our tolerant new order, I have exercised my jurisdiction to order an alteration of the statue, so that instead of a crown on the statue’s head, there will be a hijab.

[applause]

“The site of the new Statue of Tolerance, with its hijab, will be a fitting symbol for what Time magazine has recently called the “Century of Islam” and our tolerance as a people. This will show the world true American greatness.

[Applause and standing ovation]

“May God, Allah, Jehovah, Waheguru, Yahweh, Akamba bless America.”

[applause and standing ovation]

I created an accompanying thumbnail of the Statue of Liberty wearing an hijab to illustrate the story:

Flashforward to this item at the Blaze, which notes that “‘Shariah4America’ Group Calls for Burkha on Statue of Liberty:”

According to the group’s website, the Statue of Liberty “elevates the command of man over the command of God” and public veneration of the statue amounts to idol worship strictly prohibited by Islam. “This has forced sincere Muslims to develop realistic plans that will aid in the removal of the Statue of Liberty.

“Due to the scale of the task at hand, it is highly likely that rigorous safety checks will need to be employed before the demolition of the Statue of Liberty can commence; thus as a temporary measure, it is proposed that a large burkha is used to cover the statue, thereby shielding this horrendous eye sore from public view as well as sending a strong message to its French creators,” the site reads.

Click over to the Blaze to see Shariah4America’s own statuesque Photoshoppery, about which Meredith Jessup asks, “Are They Serious?”

Reality? Satire? Who can tell these days, where it’s only a matter of time before real life outpaces even the most skilled satirist. (Trust me — it’s the law.) But to the extent that we set the (wrecking) ball rolling, I’d like to formally apologize for my role. It’s not so much thoughtcrime as Photoshop crime, but what the heck; I hear the rates for an extended stay at the Ministry of Love are quite reasonable this time of year. And the meals are now halal!

Update: Canadian blogger Kate McMillan of the great Small Dead Animals blog comments below that the Shariah4America Website is, not surprisingly, likely satire.

Well, at least for now…