Unfortunately, the Left’s morality lack of interest in Muslim suffering isn’t limited to foreign policy. Consider the manner in which many liberals treat issues of Muslim concern in America. Take last year’s Alice in Arabia scandal. As I wrote at the time, the American Left’s reaction to the ABC family show was defining. Inaccurately referencing Edward Said’s Orientalism (a book many pretend to have read, few have actually read, and even fewer understand), the Left kicked up a firestorm of controversy and forced ABC to pull Alice in Arabia. What they neglected to consider was the notion that, however simplistic, the show might have sparked debate on human-rights issues in the Islamic world.

To be sure, Ahmed was treated poorly. And even if his treatment was not racist, we must always be ready to confront anti-Muslim bigotry. As President Bush explained after 9/11, “no one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith.” But supporting the human rights of Muslims requires more than supporting a Twitter hashtag or inviting a teenager to a science show. It requires our honesty about true suffering, and our resolute response to alleviate that suffering wherever it might occur.