Who Is Samira Ibrahim and Why Is America Honoring Her?

Samuel Tadros sets the stage. Tomorrow Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama will present the International Women of Courage Award to ten women.

In all likelihood the recipients were chosen while Hillary Clinton was in charge of the department. Or better, when Huma Abedin, a woman whose family has longstanding ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was at Clinton’s side.

The State Department declares that these women have shown: “… exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk.”

Among them is Samira Ibrahim. The State Department profiles her as follows:

A former marketing manager, Ms. Ibrahim was among seven women subjected by the Egyptian military to forced “virginity tests” in March 2011 after they were detained during a protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Resisting enormous cultural pressure to remain silent about her ordeal, she brought charges against the government. A military tribunal in March 2012 exonerated the Army doctor involved, but Ms. Ibrahim succeeded in garnering worldwide attention, prompting the military to issue an order in December 2012 forbidding such procedures. Born in Sohag, Upper Egypt, she was arrested while in high school for writing a paper that criticized Arab leaders’ insincere support of the Palestinian cause.

Read through that last sentenced carefully. Keep in mind that this is coming to us from the State Department. It tells us that when Hosni Mubarak was in power and when Egypt was at peace with Israel, Ibrahim wrote an incendiary paper denouncing Arab leaders for their “insincere support of the Palestinian cause.”

What exactly does this mean? Does it mean that leaders like Mubarak should not have made peace with Israel? Does it imply that Arab leaders have not given sufficient support to Palestinian terrorists?

Is there any way of reading that sentence, within the historical context and not see it as expressing support for Palestinian terrorism. If you think there is, examine some of Ibrahim’s other statements.

Tadros has unearthed a series of Ibrahim’s Twitter postings that confirm our worst suspicions.

For example:

On July 18 of last year, after five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed a suicide bombing attack, Ibrahim jubilantly tweeted: “An explosion on a bus carrying Israelis in Burgas airport in Bulgaria on the Black Sea. Today is a very sweet day with a lot of very sweet news.”

As for Ibraham’s views about Arab governments, she makes it clear in two tweets, both of which demonstrated her virulent anti-Semitism:

Last August 4, commenting on demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, she described the ruling Al Saud family as “dirtier than the Jews.” Seventeen days later she tweeted in reference to Adolf Hitler: “I have discovered with the passage of days, that no act contrary to morality, no crime against society, takes place, except with the Jews having a hand in it. Hitler.”

Ibrahim expressed her hatred for America in incendiary terms:

As a mob was attacking the United States embassy in Cairo on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, pulling down the American flag and raising the flag of Al Qaeda, Ibrahim wrote on twitter: “Today is the anniversary of 9/11. May every year come with America burning.”

Of course, Ibrahim has declared that the tweets were sent out by someone who hijacked her Twitter account. Does that sound familiar? It’s the Weiner excuse. It was the excuse that Anthony Weiner first concocted when he tried to deny responsibility for his adventure in sexting. As you know, Weiner is married to Huma Abedin.

Shouldn’t a Congressional committee launch an investigation into how Sarima Ibrahim came to be honored by the United States State Department?

[Addendum: the State Department has postponed Ibrahim's award. The Washington Post reports:

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday the U.S. would hold off on awarding Ibrahim while officials investigate the tweets, which include support for attacks against U.S. diplomatic installations and praise for a terrorist assault against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria.

Ibrahim, who has already arrived in the U.S, says her account was hacked, though the comments stretch back several months.]