Jimmy Carter has scored yet another humanitarian coup. On Friday, August 23rd, the 39th president of the United States stood proudly next to Islamic notables as he was presented the International Friends of Hamas (IFH) award. The ceremony occurred at the opulent mansion of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Doha, Qatar.
In keeping with IFH custom, the ex-President was presented with a gold medal, a checkered Hamas head scarf and a miniature rocket – a replica of the almost 15,000 which Hamas has routinely employed to bombard Israel in the last several years. With the aid of a translator, the Hamas Chairman expressed appreciation of Carter’s courage in calling for the U.S. to recognize Hamas as a “legitimate political actor” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Chairman Mashal further noted that the ex-president, through his global influence, has been immensely helpful in exposing certain myths about the Hamas organization. For instance:
- It is not true that Hamas public beheadings are more vicious than those carried out by al-qaeda or ISIS.
- It is not true that Hamas’s sole enemy is the nation of Israel. According to article 17 of its charter, Hamas has also declared Rotarians, Free Masons and “gangs of spies” as its enemies.
- It’s not true that members of Hamas are cowards. The very name “Hamas” connotes “strength” and “bravery” according to its covenant. Hamas boasts a long list of suicide missions to back up this principle.
Despite criticism from various quarters over the last 40 years, Jimmy Carter has demonstrated idealism and valor in the international organizations he now backs. He remains undaunted by accusations that his policies helped fuel inflation in the U.S. during the late 70s – and that he left the presidency with a 34% drop in his approval rating.