Obama: Freedom or Islam?

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/12/obama-freedom-or-islam/

EDITORIAL: Obama: Freedom or Islam?
White House panders to Muslims instead of pushing American values

President Obama is trying to hit the reset button on his outreach efforts to the world’s Muslims. He would do better to focus on aggressively promoting freedom rather than pandering to Islam.

The first round of outreach - kicked off by Mr. Obama’s June 2009 speech in Cairo - was a spectacular failure. Opinion polling on sentiment towards the United States in countries with Muslim majorities showed an initial burst of enthusiasm, followed in 2010 by a collapse. In some cases, Muslim approval of America fell to levels lower than during the waning days of the George W. Bush administration.

Now the White House is using the timing of Osama bin Laden’s death to argue that al Qaeda’s violent approach to political change is passe, and that the popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East represent the wave of the future. However, al Qaeda already has answered this argument. In the Spring 2011 edition of the terror group’s English-language magazine Inspire, the lead editorial by Yahya Ibrahim notes that a “line that is being pushed by Western leaders is that because the protests in Egypt and Tunisia were peaceful, they proved al Qaeda - which calls for armed struggle - to be wrong. That is another fallacy. Al Qaeda is not against regime changes through protests but it is against the idea that the change should be only through peaceful means to the exclusion of the use of force.”

Of course, not all change occurring in the Middle East is peaceful. U.S. and NATO warplanes support armed rebels in Libya, and al Qaeda notes that this vindicates their views on violence. “If the protesters in Libya did not have the flexibility to use force when needed,” Mr. Ibrahim says, “the uprising would have been crushed.” This point is also being proved in Syria, where the United States has been deaf to desperate pleas from dissidents being mowed down by regime troops with the assistance of Iran. No mere speech by Mr. Obama will bring a springtime of freedom to Damascus.

Mr. Obama’s fixation on the means by which change is coming also overlooks that the substance of the change may be precisely what al Qaeda has always advocated. The White House has pushed for the participation of religiously-based parties in Egypt’s new government, but **if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power in Cairo, it will pursue domestic and foreign policies indistinguishable from those bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri would implement if he were in charge. Islamism is the objective, whether achieved by bombs or ballots.
**
Mr. Ibrahim says that in al Qaeda’s opinion, “the revolutions that are shaking the thrones of dictators are good for the Muslims, good for the mujahidin and bad for the imperialists of the West and their henchmen in the Muslim world.” He says the terrorists, “are very optimistic and have great expectations of what is to come.” This optimism is not unfounded. Mr. Obama should shift his focus from pandering to Muslim sensibilities to helping shape the outcome of the changes sweeping the Middle East in a way that reflects American values.

The United States is not at war with Islam, but neither should our nation be promoting it. America has traditionally advocated the principles of freedom of conscience and individual liberty, concepts that are in dire need of support in most Muslim states. Taking an unadulterated stand for freedom in the Middle East would be the most gutsy move Mr. Obama could make.

© Copyright 2011 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

my view on this is that they are "maamay (uncles)" of the world therefore their world order should be implemented every where...

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

so america is not at war againt islam?????

they have attacked iraq, afghanistan, libya, somalia, pakistan, yemen, lebanon,

how many millions of muslims have been killed in the process???

they support dictators who oppress the muslims

they supply and support the israelis who kill the muslims

But obama says we not at war against the muslims

hahaha thanks for the sick joke we really believe you not!

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

Americans have been brainwashed by their elite into dying for the elite's corporate profits. There needs to be emerging powers such as China and the EU to check American aggression.

Just watch the stuff from Fox News and Sarah Palin etc. It truly makes me feel sad and angry at the same time. These people are so self entitled, brain washed and have no interest in a non-violent solution. I wonder what would happen if their military suddenly collapsed...

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where is CENTCOM ?

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taking diCtations:D:

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

The United States government and its policies are built on principles of secularism. We have a secular state where people of all religions are welcomed and given equal opportunities, freedoms and rights. Nothing beneficial or enlightening comes out of baseless accusations purely out of personal bias. It cannot be anything but personal bias since there is no other logical explanation for accusing the U.S. of waging a war on Muslims. In the U.S, people of all faiths serve the government on a daily basis; they are part of our communities, our social, economic growth and progression. We have some of our strongest Alliances with Muslim countries and have their support in our fight against violent extremist organizations. Please think about this, what possible logical reason would there be for a secular state to wage a war on people of any religion? It is neither in line with American values and neither is it in our national interest.

           The editorial piece and the opinions illustrated in the article published is just that, the opinions of the author. The opinion does not reflect the stance of the U.S government, and hence it is critical of it. Does not the U.S. government’s stance, noted in the article, another proof of how, when asked by the international media of our take on the political progression in Egypt, we welcomed groups that have the support of the Egyptians, regardless of whether these political parties are religion-based on not. Doesn’t the fact that we are even welcoming groups, that might not share the same values or interests as us, show that we are not against nor at war with any religion, that we support the democratic voices of the people of the Middle East? 



          You have accused us of aggression in a large number of Muslim countries, but with all due respect, your list is not supported by the facts. We attacked Somalia? When? When we delivered humanitarian aid to stop a humanitarian catastrophe? How is it considered U.S. aggression, when the Arab League itself asks us to help the people of Libya who are brutally massacred by a dictator who became deaf to their pleas and blind to their suffering? How is it U.S. aggression when we are leaving behind an Iraq that is functioning by the decisions and will of the Iraqi people and not by a brutal tyrant. How is it U.S. aggression when we are sacrificing and spending resources, money, time and the lives of our soldiers in freeing Afghanistan from the clutches of an extremist regime, a regime that destroyed the future of Afghan children, their economy, their relationship with the rest of the world, and harbored the likes of Al-Qaeda? And in your own country, we are at war with a violent extremist organization whose terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of some 35,000 innocent Pakistanis. To be at war with these extremists is to be at war with Pakistan? Does that really make sense to you? Why not put an end to these blame games and unfounded allegations and engage in finding solutions to disease of terrorism that has infested the daily lives of Pakistanis and Afghans?

CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S. Central Command
www.centcom.mil

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

Really?. Lets talk about in realm of Middle East and your imperialistic agendas. You can paint pretty picture domestically to justify your foreign policy. But your foreign policy is quiet opposite to what you practice such as tolerance, opportunity and basic rights. But in contrary, i would argue that your foriegn policy is imperialistic:

I would say that United States goverment claims to oppose dictatorship wherever it occurs. However its record in the late nineteeinth and twentieth century shows a constant willingness to support, install and arm dictorships at the expense of democratic ones. Support of dictatorship in the region for last 60 years around Middle East and Pakistan to serve your own agendas. Even to this day, the American states armed and abbets the dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Morrocco etc. etc.

So therefore, I would argue that American foriegn policy has always been openly imperialistic and continues to be so to this day: it is aimed at furthering the needs of the U.S economy, however unscrupulous the means. As Saddam Hussien and OBL dead, it may be worth remembering who funded this regime as well as creation of terror network Al-Qaida, who sold and supplied weapons and provided support to terror network and Saddam's regime.

The U.S is a democracy commited, in principle at least, to human rights and the like, and its great propaganda claim of the Cold War was that it represented the 'free world'. It cannot thus have it both ways: either it refrains from its aggressive foriegn policy or it accepts the same criticisms levelled against itself. The U.S goverment is, I would argue, only committed to democracy when it suits the interests of the American economy.

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

Dear Sock Puppet http://www.thestar.com/news/world/ar…operation?bn=1

at least tell the truth you post such lies it is laughable even you can’t belive your own lies.

The united states is in the middle of a witchunt against muslims where they spy on almost every muslim where so called patriots want to burn the koran and abuse muslims on a daily basis. Black people are still victims of racism labelled as criminals even though they been living in America for hundreds of years, the hispanic commuuntes are labelled as beggers,theives and illegal immigrant this is the reality of freedom in America!

America supports every dictator from hosni mubarak to the house of saud in saudi arabia for 30,40 years they support these tyrants even untill the last minute they said hosni mubarak is a great man even when he kills his own people in cold blood. Then when hosni mubarak was finished only then did the gangster American regime say oh we with the people of egypt what hypocrites!

America sends humanitarian aid followed by helicopter gunships, b52 bombers, shock and awe, invasion, depleted uranium, white phosporus i am sure in veitnam you also claimed you was giving humanitarian aid while killing the people of veitnam!

The logic of the American regime attacking the muslim lands is they do not want the muslims to unite and rise up as the islamic state as happened in the past, they scared to hell of this reality because this will destroy every american interest and finsih their inteference in our affairs for good.

Bad news centcom you can plot and plan but allah(swt) is the best of planners and it is inevitable the muslims will unite it is only matter of time. You can place obstacles but it is inevitable what will happen as the sun rising in the morning.

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America will lose in every aspect in wars and also the Ideological battle in fact it is losing the battle because according to their own think tank reports 20000 people are accepting Islam each year ALLAH O AKBAR

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

here we go again, your wish is granted :)

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but he always run away or skip my question about North Korea Dic.tatorship.
why usa only interested in muslim countries freedom? isnt N.koean most need it?

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

I know these polls don’t matter much to the americans…the americans are so innocent that they dont understand why people dont like them…in any context if you involve yourself in the affairs of other countries, you will make enemies simple as that…

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/17/pew-u-s-image-largely-unimproved-in-middle-east-after-arab-spring/?hpt=T2

Pew: U.S. image largely unimproved in Middle East after ‘Arab Spring’

The United States’ image in four Middle Eastern nations and the Palestinian territories largely doesn’t appear to have improved during anti-government uprisings that have shaken regimes in the region, a survey from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project found.

**Fewer people in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon view the United States favorably now than in 2010, while small gains were seen in Egypt - where an uprising toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak earlier this year - and the Palestinian territories, according to the survey.

Pew said America’s image also dipped in the two other predominantly Muslim nations that were surveyed: Pakistan and Indonesia.**

The results of the survey, which was taken between March 21 and April 26, come as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to deliver on Thursday a highly anticipated address on U.S. policy toward the “Arab Spring” uprisings that have shaken autocratic regimes across North Africa and the Middle East.

It also comes as Obama is urging Israel and the Palestinians to restart negotiations on a two-state solution to their decades-long conflict.

**“Many of the concerns that have driven animosity toward the U.S. in recent years are still present - a perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally, opposition to the war on terror, and fears of America as a military threat,” a Pew report on the survey said.
**
**Thirteen percent of those surveyed in Jordan had a favorable view of the United States, down from 21% last year. U.S. favorability in Turkey (10%, down from 17%), Pakistan (11%, down from 17%), Indonesia (54%, down from 59%) and Lebanon (49%, down from 52%) also saw dips.

U.S. favorability rose in Egypt (20%, up from 17%) and the Palestinian territories (18%, up from 15% in 2009, the last time a survey was done there).**

The percentage of people expressing at least some confidence in Obama was up slightly in Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey, but of the nations surveyed, only Indonesia (62%) - where Obama spent some time as a child - had a majority doing so, Pew said.

And majorities in each surveyed nation, expect for Indonesia and Pakistan, said they approved how Obama handled calling for political change in the Middle East.

Other findings, according to Pew:

– Most of those surveyed said democracy was preferable to any other kind of government (including more than 70% in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt). The only nation where a majority didn’t agree was in Pakistan, where 46% said democracy was preferable.

– Majorities in each surveyed country and territory – except for Egypt, where the questions weren’t asked - said economic prosperity, political stability, religious freedom, free elections, free speech and gender equality are very important in a democracy.

– Majorities in Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt believe laws should be based strictly on the teachings of the Quran. This was a minority view in Turkey, Lebanon, Indonesia and the Palestinian territories.

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

SHEIKH CHILLY AND LAALBUJHAKKAD KE HASEEN SAPNAY:D

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

its the fact go on you tube and you will find it and if America is winning the war than why he is talking to Taliban you are actually living in a fools paradise so keep on living

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

Do you not think your description of the world today is a bit simplistic and dated? It is true that we are a world power, wielding some measure of influence beyond our borders. But the reality of the world today is a bit more complicated than it was prior to the first World War. Unlike times past, we live today in an increasingly globalized world where a country’s economy, security, progress, and national interests are intertwined with the rest of the world. Therefore, it is in our national interest that countries, including those of the Middle East, are stable, democratic and peaceful, and that those countries themselves benefit from the global economy; should not a rising tide lift all boats?. It is true that we have our own history of expansionism, and we have entered into alliances with undemocratic regimes, subordinating democratic ideals to security interests, such as confronting the Soviet threat. But do we not also have an exhaustive history of assisting other countries – including our enemies – in democratic reforms? When we defeated the German and Japanese empires after the Second World War, did we not help rebuild those countries, leaving stable and independent democracies in the place of egregiously hostile dictatorships? We have, if you remember, fought wars, as recent as the Gulf War to protect countries from the imperialistic intentions of their invading neighbors.

In Egypt, we should remember that the regime which just fell from power rose to prominence as a Non-Aligned state under Nasser – certainly no “client state” of the US. Was Hosni Mubarak himself not educated in the former Soviet Union? Had we, stepped in to challenge Mubarak’s rule would you have labeled the US as an imperialist power trying to manipulate Egyptian politics? Even before the “Bread and freedom” uprising we voiced concern over the lack of fairness in Egypt’s election process.

In Pakistan, we have held a strong alliance and strategic partnership and we will continue to do so. We have not, and do not, seek to interfere in Pakistan’s internal politics, and our partnership with Pakistan is based on mutual interests and values which we have in common. We have both lost too many of our citizens to the menace of violent extremists like the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The conspiracy theories that claim the US created and funded Al Qaeda are nothing more than the paranoid delusions of those who substitute facts for baseless accusations. The demise of Usama Bin Laden should put these baseless theories to rest for good, should they not? And again, you blame Hosni Mubarak’s harsh treatment of Egyptians and Saddam Hussein’s hostility towards his own people and his neighbors, on the U.S. These dictators chose to act not for benefit of their country but to benefit themselves?

CDR Bill Speaks
DET – U.S. Central Command
www.centcom.mil

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

^ looks like things are looking UP!

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Man what kind of alliance do you have with Pakistan? The continuous drone attacks and the unilateral operation to kill OBL has exposed the nature of trust that exists between the two countries. The drone attacks I dont know how effective they have been, as they are destabilizing Pakistan and the Americans are also being killed in Afghanistan. The policies of our great ally instead of stabilizing Pakistan is pushing it towards a civil war.

As far as propping up of Alqaeda is concerned, who brought these people to Pakistan and Afghanistan in 1979? Who trained and funded these so called mujahideen when they suited American interests?

The bottom line is that the Americans are in Afghanistan for almost 10 years and the end of the war is still not in sight. The very presence of Americans in the region is providing some of these groups to take up arms.

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Honestly I read all his post first time in a hope that he might be talk about something North Korea. And as usual he ignored it.

I hate extermists like taleban or AQ/KKK
and I hate also american polticians double faced role, even majority of americans dosent beleive them and the get brain washed by using media.
come one Centcom try to free north korean peoples too, and let S.Korea and Japan to live in peace which they dont have becoz of brutal Dictator of the History there.

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Re: Obama: Freedom or Islam?

In our previous postings we explained that the US is not at war with Islam, nor with any other religion. We are at war with terrorists who use violence to further their self-serving violent extremist ideologies.. Islam is a religion of peace and should in no way be associated with discredited extremist fatwas and terrorist beliefs and behaviors. The truth is, these groups kill far more of their fellow Muslims than Americans or other Westerners. Is it not then disrespectful to assume that war against terrorists who target Muslims as apostate are associated with Islam? And how is it that a war which targets those responsible for so much misery in the Muslim world can be called a war against Islam?

          US Muslims are a growing population as evidenced by the numerous mosques, community centers and medical clinics that are part of prosperous neighborhoods. Our constitution protects their rights and freedom to practice Islam. Your claim that the growing population of Muslims is a threat to the US is an opinion and not a fact.  What is fact is that decent Muslims are a peace-loving, justice seeking people and as you already know we have strong alliances with many Muslim countries, some of which are actively helping us in the War on Terror. Have we not supported political diversity by supporting the participation of all segments of Egyptian society in politics and elections; this includes the Muslim Brotherhood?  Has not President Obama asked for Palestinian sovereignty and peace in the Middle East?  In paraphrase, “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines,” President Obama said, with mutually agreed upon concessions from all sides so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.

"The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential in a sovereign state.
As we have already stated, unity and stability in Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt, is beneficial for the entire world including the US and its national interests.

CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S Central Command
www.centcom.mil