Despite its staunch opposition to theocratic governance in all cases except that of Christianity, Fox News claimed that Christians in Iraq have raised a 30-foot tall Christmas tree in Baghdad “to celebrate both the holiday and the expulsion of ISIS extremists by Iraq Security Forces.”
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Iraqi Christians have raised a 30-ft. tall Christmas tree in Baghdad to celebrate both the holiday and the expulsion of ISIS extremists by Iraq Security Forces. pic.twitter.com/e96oaR5neN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 23, 2017
Trump’s White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, under her official government Twitter account @PressSec, perverted the already misguided headline by using it to congratulate the President on his “leadership” that she tacitly suggested resulted in this profuse display of Christianity.
Thank God for the President's leadership in fight to defeat ISIS https://t.co/zsewP7cIuc
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 24, 2017
Of course, the presence of a Christmas tree has nothing to do with the defeat of ISIS, as one represents a Christian holiday and the other is a terrorist organization. To say that a Christmas tree – a symbol of Christianity – was raised as a result of ISIS’s defeat would suggest that ISIS represents all of Islam which is, obviously, not the case.
Notwithstanding, Sanders overlooks the fact that the tree was first erected when former President Barack Obama was President— and it was done so by a Muslim.
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Per The Telegraph, “A Muslim businessman has erected the tallest Christmas tree in Baghdad as a show of solidarity with Christians during the holiday season” in December of 2016, when Obama was still President and serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
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Quite contrary to Fox News’ and Sanders’ anti-Muslim suggestions, businessman is Yassir Saad claimed that the tree was erected with the goal of “joining our Christian brothers in their holiday celebrations and helping Iraqis forget their anguish, especially the war in Mosul.”
The right wing may insist on fear mongering, but beneath the surface of their xenophobic agenda, there is usually an entirely different story. If the U.S. government insists upon taking credit for Muslims engaging in a show of solidarity with Christians in Iraq, then that credit belong to Obama.
In other words, if she had any proclivity for the truth, her tweet might be edited to say, “Thanks, Obama.”
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