Obama The Zionist: Who is Responsible?

CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, could have a large political role to play in the American presidential and legislative elections. This is because of the weak Arab presence in America, and because Arab-Americans are not concerned with politics or interested in voting (as they came from countries that differ politically), and likewise because of a lack of concern about the Palestinian problem among Arab regimes and businessmen.

As in all American presidential elections, we Arabs take our own political position, which does not extend much beyond sorrow, distress, and strong rebuke of the positions of the American presidential candidates. We have rooted ourselves in this from 1948 until now.

During the 60 years since the loss of Palestine, we have been concerned only with the state of the Palestinian problem in Washington, and not in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. We have overlooked, though, that Zionism is nursed by Washington, and instead we focused close to us, on Tel Aviv. We’ve gotten to a point where we’ve cooperated with them in jest, but not in earnest.

And the “joke” here stands for acts of criminal resistance, which have not achieved any positive results or outcomes worth mentioning in 60 years, but instead have tightened Israel’s hold on Palestine each year more than the last and disfigured the image of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims in the eyes of the West more and more.

The Palestinian problem suffers much in the opinions of the global public and of world leaders – all of which, we should realize, are the movers and shakers that create Western decisions in America and in the West in general.

Tiresome and Repetitious Questions

In every American presidential election, we ask: Where are the Arabs? And where are their organizations, to influence American public opinion? Where is the Arab lobby in America, to challenge the sweeping Zionist lobby in Washington, AIPAC? Where is the Arab money?

Indeed, we find nothing but a few small, broken down organizations which do not raise their voices and are not heavyweights. Instead, we have the largest of these organizations in Washington, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), founded in 1994, whose only concern became, particularly after the disaster of September 11, 2001, to defend against accusations of terrorism that cling to Islam and Muslims.

This is the goal and effort for which they are lauded. Of principal importance would be to inform American popular opinion with the truth about Arabs and Palestinians in Palestine and to reflect these efforts in the race and outcome of the American presidential election, but this has not had any effect to speak of.

Instead, the competitors in the American presidential election continue to curry favor with Jews and Zionists – there are about 5 million Jewish votes at stake, well equipped politically, who control the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Arab-Western Political Commentaries

During every Arab political commentary in each American presidential race, we read the same thing. These commentaries address American political sentiments but not the logic behind them, or else they focus on the number of votes that will be dropped from the ballot boxes. And in these commentaries, some of the pundits say:

-The candidates shockingly discuss the satisfaction of Jewish voters by expressing a position with is entirely supportive of the Israeli policy of aggression and expansion in Arab areas, at the expense of the Palestinian people.

-Perhaps the Democratic presidential candidate wanted to pacify the Jewish lobby, and the Israelis behind it, with assurances of support for all that Israel asks of America, in response to massive Zionist attacks expressing misgivings about his position and focusing on his father’s Muslim religion.

-We understand all too well the importance of the Jewish vote for any American presidential candidate, just as we grasp the strong reach of the Zionist lobby’s finances and communications in the United States. But this is a cheap cover, for the lobby harms American interests in more than 40 Islamic countries, encourages violence and terrorism, and gives further justification for organizations rooted in extremism, such as Al Qaeda.

We Still Haven’t Learned

In some of these past commentaries, it’s explained to us that the Arab position has been one of emotional pleading for 60 years, faltering in each American election and not filling the ballot boxes. Arabs and Muslims in American – and this is their fatal mistake – still consider politics to be a moral value, in which politics applies only to American interests.

But what the candidates want in elections like these is the strength of the vote, not the strength of emotion. Emotions won’t send anyone to the White House or Congress. Truth, goodness and justice – these are all lofty human values indicative of noble characteristics, but you can’t cash them in the political election bank. What you can take to the bank, though, is a strong Arab-American voting bloc, or any other American bloc. But the Arabs don’t possess this electoral strength.

The Bankrupt Arab Bank

Despite the fact that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was founded in 1994, has 32 branches and regional offices in various parts of the United States, and is the largest Islamic organization in America, it has remained just like any Arab ministry of information who does the essential job of defending against accusations aimed at Muslims and Islam, condemning Israeli attacks on Palestinians, refuting accounts that portray Muslims as perpetrators of terrorism, exposing the role of the Zionist lobby in Washington, distributing religious alms appropriately amongst impoverished Muslims, etc.

The return gained on this lacking role is that CAIR could have a large political role in American presidential and congressional elections. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Weak Arab presence in America. A high percentage, more than 70%, of Arab-Americans, are from the lower classes (cab drivers, gas station attendants, super market clerks, car salesmen, unemployed). Jewish-Americans, on the other hand, who number about as many as Arab-Americans, are doctors, engineers, lawyers, university professors, businessmen, actors in theatre and film, and communications professionals with influence on public opinion.

2. Arab-Americans are not concerned with politics or interested in voting, as they came from countries that differ with respect to politics and lack healthy democratic practices. Therefore, they don’t go to the polls, not even in local state elections, just as they didn’t exercise choice in their countries of origin.

3. Decreased money for CAIR and similar organizations, reflecting unconcern among Arab regimes and businessmen about the Palestinian problem, which persists after 60 years like some rotten food that no one wants to eat.

After all this, could we excuse Barak Obama his recent Zionist position, undertaking his first visit to AIPAC after being chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate, or is he not even to blame at all?

Aren’t we the ones who made this happen?