Cairo embassy slams Twitter hypocrisy

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo wants the Muslim Brotherhood to know its staffers can read Arabic, too.

In a very public Twitter confrontation this week, the embassy asked the Egyptian group why it seemed to be supporting the U.S. on its English Twitter feed but encouraging anti-American protesters on its Arabic one.

In English, the Brotherhood expressed concerns about the potential harm caused by protests against a controversial YouTube video.

?We r relieved none of @USEmbassyCairo staff were harmed & hope US-Eg relations will sustain turbulence of Tuesday's events,? the Brotherhood tweeted to the embassy Wednesday night.

?Thanks,? the Americans responded several hours later. ?By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too.?

Those Arabic feeds were actually supportive of protesters, and read, ?Egyptians revolt for the Prophet?s victory in front of U.S. embassy,? according to a Businessweek translation.

Conceding nothing, the Brotherhood then tweeted back at the embassy, ?We understand you're under a lot of stress, but it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern.? The group later stated that they condemned violent protests in both English and Arabic.

Anti-American revolts have taken place this week in several predominately Islamic countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and Libya, where four Americans ? including American Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens ? were killed.

The YouTube video that demonstrators oppose mocks Muhammad, the last prophet of Islam.

And the U.S. Embassy?s Twitter feed has gained a reputation for its direct engagement ? positive or negative ? with users. The embassy has made references to ?The West Wing,? linked to images of tweeting plants, and once even asked the blanket question, ?How is everyone out there on Twitter today??

This sets it apart from many other diplomatic feeds, which use a more official tone in online social media communications.

Larry Schwartz, a senior public affairs officer in Cairo, runs the feed, according to Foreign Policy.

Schwartz was involved in a diplomatic tangle Tuesday when a statement he wrote and tweeted apologizing for the situation in Egypt was attacked by Mitt Romney

cwells@nydailynews.com

Source: http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/news/~3/_RYiu6pkKj0/story01.htm

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