Home of American Fatwas

The American president talked about the need to address extremism and terrorism, defending the Islamic religion and the need to correct notions contrary to the peace and greatness of Islam. But what President Obama said is nothing more than speculation, and all that was left for the president to announce was the establishment of the home of American fatwas!

President Obama defended Islam and Muslims, saying that the extremists don’t resemble the billion commendable Muslims of good instruction. But while this speech would be acceptable during the first period of the previous presidency of George Bush, especially after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, it isn’t now because the world has already changed a lot. Our region specifically has affirmed that it affects international security, and this demands procedural steps, not lectures, speculation and “strategic patience” as the Obama administration is suggesting, even at the end of its second term!

What are needed today are actions, not words. The fight against terrorism is no longer speculation as it is happening now, freely, especially since there is clear evidence, there is bloodshed, and countries are crumbling.

President Obama, for instance, speaks about the need to provide jobs in order to eliminate extremism. This is valid, but the issue is more complicated than that. Members of the Islamic State, for instance, do not seek jobs, and neither do members of al-Qaida or Hezbollah; whereas we didn’t listen to Hussein Nasrallah’s concerns about jobs and education, even with blood, destruction and authoritarianism. Lebanon’s problem then is not finding employment for the unemployed youth, but finding a president for the most important job vacancy! In Syria the people aren’t searching for jobs, but rather an end to the killing machine that has slaughtered and displaced a million Syrians, destroyed Syria in its entirety, and at the hand of Assad used chemical weapons and the like with Iran’s support.

And as long as we are talking about Iran, we can’t avoid remarking on the matter that the American president discussed. Whereas he says suppressing opponents leads to extremism and terrorism, the reality that the Iranian regime was repressive during the Green Revolution and the fact that the opposing Iranian forces that led that revolution until now are still under house arrest has yet to lead to the emergence of terrorism and extremism in Iran, nor suicide operations or bombing. This leads to a number of serious questions. Why is the whole region a target for terrorism, but not Iran? Why are some leaders of al-Qaida originally from Iran? And worst of all is that the Obama administration opened up to the Iranian regime, contrary to all it has done and continues to do to Iranians and to the region!

Thus the narrative does not have good intentions nor is it defending Islam, especially since groups in the region exploit Islam in a negative way. This is what the Obama administration didn't watch out for, which surged with political Islam, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, which lay the groundwork for an epidemic that is fragmenting homelands, the experiences of which are clear from Sudan to Egypt. So from this point on what is now required are actions, not words. What is needed is to subdue the extremist propaganda in social media, not set up a center against it, and measure the changes. What is needed now is an end to the bloodshed and killing in the region, an end to the destruction of the country rather than defense of Islam through speculation, for the house of the Lord protects them.