President Obama’s message regarding Passover notes that the Passover story “inspires hope that those oppressed and enslaved can become free,” and that this message is “reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East.” It’s easy to understand why Mr. Obama might make this connection, especially after protesters in Egypt celebrated the downfall of “Pharaoh Mubarak.” But other than seemingly trivializing the events described in the Book of Exodus, Mr. Obama should understand that social transformations do not always bring about increased freedoms. The changes underway in the Middle East could as easily — even more easily — lead to the imposition of sharia law as lead to liberty. And Mr. Obama also ought to realize that the Islamists have a very different interpretation of the expression “Next year in Jerusalem.”
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