EDITORIAL: Obama: Freedom or Islam? White House panders to Muslims instead of pushing American values By THE WASHINGTON TIMES-The Washington Times7:51 p.m., Thursday, May 12, 2011
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.".....................>>>>...............................>>>>............................http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/12/obama-freedom-or-islam/
White House panders to Muslims instead of pushing American values
Isn't freedom of Religion an American Value? Shouldn't we attempt to show the world that our form of government that (supposedly) accepts ALL religions with out any prejudice or favor to any one religion, is an American Value worth emulating?
On this issue, Obama doesn't represent the Conservatives who are at war with Islam, but he does represent the rest of America.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Ya know I think boxy has a point here. There is NOTHING wrong with the muslim religion. They are a peaceful religion. Their sharia law is one that should be practiced world wide. It has certainly worked for centuries in other countries. And perhaps their idea of imposing women to wear burkas is practical as it is religious. Rapes and abortions and divorces would clearly decline rapidly. Porn would be abolished and Hollywood would seek to exist.
Keeping women as the bottom feeders of society just may be the ticket. After women's lib....all hell broke loose.
Look, american was founded as a christian nation. Why? Because the majority were christians. But that was centuries ago. If america's population becomes a muslim majority, why not give their religion/culture a try. Oh sure there will be opposition from folks who aren't in favor of beheading or stoning women to death....but folks aren't too happy with the electric chair or tasers either.
the left and obama just may be right here...........embrace the muslim religion/culture and give it a try. Hell, at least they are allowed to carry guns and can smoke anywhere. And they appear to have better control over their citizens. They are a nation that has learned to live 'without'.......a lesson americans should learn and just may someday.
And lastly....they are a religion of 'peace, acceptance and tolerance'. They accept ALL religions including Christians and Jews.They are a religion/culture of freedom!
So obama, the liberals and boxy just may be right.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Look, american was founded as a christian nation.(1) Why? Because the majority were christians. But that was centuries ago.(2) If america's population becomes a muslim majority, why not give their religion/culture a try.(3)
Bumble, You listen to Drugged out Rush, Beck or Hannity and actually believe their propaganda as if it were fact. 1. America was founded as a Christian Nation. Only on Fox News and the Conservative Right wing. The rest of America knows that the US Constitution prevents America from being a Christian Nation. If the founders wanted the USA to be a Christian nation, they'd of said so, instead of expressly saying the OPPOSITE.
2.America is a Christian Nation because the Majority was Christian... OKKKKKK Then America is also a Right Hand Nation, because the majority was Right Handed. Or... America is a White Nation, because the majority was White back then. (Pretty lame huh)
3. See #1. No Christian Nation, and No Muslim Nation... But as the first amendment guarantees (Thank God) and the first amendment protects the rest of America from the Conservative Religious Police that preach the "Christian Nation" lie.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Maybe the Conservatives or pseudo cons should go back and look at the Constitution. Box has got this right. What a surprise.
Many of you comment when you no NOTHING about Islam at all. Also I notice that none of you ever take the opportunity when it arises to attend a lecture or program where you might learn something. As for the women--you really don't know $hit about Islam. Back woods Muslims like back woods Italians or Poles or any ethnic group treat their women like $hit. Muslims don't have the market cornered. I am a part of a women's interfaith study groups. Five out of the seven Muslim women who are regulars have an MD or a Ph.D. They are from Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. Boy are they bottom feeders. You people are ignorant fools.
As for being at war with Islam--that's exactly what the right wing neo-Cons do. Even your beloved Bush stated publicly that this country is NOT at war with Islam.
America, it's founders and it's constitution was founded on Judeo Christian values and principles.
MT's OPINION... OR The Treaty of Tripoli The Treaty of Tripoli was the first treaty concluded between the United States of America and Tripoli, signed at Tripoli on November 4, 1796 and at Algiers on January 3, 1797. It was submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, receiving ratification unanimously from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797 and signed by Adams, taking effect as the law of the land on June 10, 1797.
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion, -as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
So the choice is between: 1. MT's Opinion... OR 2. The unanimous vote of the entire US Senate, plus President John Adams... (BTW, John Adams IS a founding father)
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Oh, so the Washington Monument that contains the Latin inscription "Laus Deo" – meaning "Praise be to God" - and was paid for and refinished by the National Park Service, has nothing to do with our Founding Fathers beliefs - and represented what they had in mind as they started and ruled this country.
For more constitutional scholars, this link is handy:
And don't let these little pieces of history get in your way:
the national motto, "In God we trust" a page from the congressional record of Wednesday, February 2, 1983, Vol. 129, No. 8, which declares 1983 as the "Year of the Bible" and lists the Ten Commandments a proclamation by President Ronald Reagan marking 1983 the "Year of the Bible" a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln designating April 30, 1863, a "National Day of Prayer and Humiliation" an excerpt from President Lincoln's "Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible," which reads, "The Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man" The Mayflower Compact of 1620, in which the Plymouth colony's founders invoke "the name of God" and explain that their journey was taken, among other reasons, "for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith
Box I do believe this country was started on judeo Christian values. But even Jews will tell you America is a Christian country. But this country was founded on the desire to be free. Stop attacking Islam. I believe boomer and box understand this issue. The rest of you are pretty intolerant.
Oh, so the Washington Monument that contains the Latin inscription "Laus Deo" – meaning "Praise be to God" - and was paid for and refinished by the National Park Service, has nothing to do with our Founding Fathers beliefs - and represented what they had in mind as they started and ruled this country. For more constitutional scholars, this link is handy:
the national motto, "In God we trust" a page from the congressional record of Wednesday, February 2, 1983, Vol. 129, No. 8, which declares 1983 as the "Year of the Bible" and lists the Ten Commandments a proclamation by President Ronald Reagan marking 1983 the "Year of the Bible" a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln designating April 30, 1863, a "National Day of Prayer and Humiliation" an excerpt from President Lincoln's "Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible," which reads, "The Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man" The Mayflower Compact of 1620, in which the Plymouth colony's founders invoke "the name of God" and explain that their journey was taken, among other reasons, "for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith
MT is really lost on this issue
~MT Considers every mention of "GOD" as if it were saying "CHRIST". References to a generic "GOD" is not addressing "CHRIST" or "CHRISTIANS" , it's reaffirming the first amendment "Freedom of Religion"... The "GOD" refers to all gods of any religion, and in no way is defined as "THE CHRISTIAN GOD".
As far as Republican presidents declaring "The year of the bible"... They also proclaim "NATIONAL PICKLE WEEK"... with just about as much significance.
This country was founded by mostly Christians... but they went to extremes to declare that the country is not defined as a Christian Nation. Similarly, this country could be called a Right Handed Nation, because most of the Founding Fathers were Right Handed.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith