Bye-Bye, Barack — Here Comes Hussein!
Published in die Presse
(Austria) on 22 September 2010
by Sibylle Hamann (link to original)
It’s easy to turn anyone into a national enemy if you really want to.
It’s election time in the United States, too. But almost everything there is different. The only similarity is that in both countries, we see what happens when a vague, widespread accusation meets up with targeted demagoguery. The most absurd nonsense can become politically powerful if one can find someone to expend the energy and determination necessary to keep repeating the charges over and over with no concern for collateral damage.
It all began when those who disagreed with Barack Obama began casting doubt about his birthplace — maybe he wasn’t a true American? A foreigner, and therefore, ineligible to be president? Whoever wanted to throw another shovel of coal onto that fire avoided calling him by his first name and began using his middle name, Hussein. That sounded almost as dangerous as Saddam Hussein. Rush Limbaugh, radio talking head and professional firebug, likes to refer to him as “Imam Obama” or “America’s first Muslim president.”
Haha — on the one hand, very funny. On the other, brutally effective. A detailed survey done by the Pew Research Center recently showed surprising results: 24 percent of Americans now believe they’re being governed by a Muslim. Only 42 percent know that Obama is a Christian. Before the presidential campaign, fully 61 percent knew that. Now, one in 10 think he’s “something else.”
That in and of itself wouldn’t be so tragic were it not for the fact that Muslims currently are generally suspected of being enemies of the state and sympathetic to terrorists. That’s true in the United States as well as here in Europe. And from that comes the strangest conclusion held by more than half of all Republicans in America who are “certain” or think it’s “highly probable” that the U.S. president “sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world.” Only 25 percent of Republicans can categorically exclude that possibility. America’s right-wingers are already demanding a federal law forbidding the adoption of Sharia law — just to be on the safe side.
Denying it is futile. The more Obama goes on camera saying he’s neither a Muslim nor a terrorist, or to say he’s not in favor of adopting Sharia law, the more suspicious his enemies get, saying anyone who protests that much must have something to hide. Right? The more somebody defends himself, the more you know you’ve hit a sore spot! And besides, don’t Muslims have a rule that says it’s all right to lie if it’s done to promote Allah? They call it “speaking with a forked tongue” and have historically accused the Jews of doing the same thing.
Jon Stewart, the most clairvoyant of the late-night talk show hosts, has called for a march on Washington to be held on Oct. 30 — a march against hysteria and for reason. He says, “Think of our event as Woodstock, but with the nudity and drugs replaced by respectful disagreement.”
It’s election time in the United States, too. But almost everything there is different. The only similarity is that in both countries, we see what happens when a vague, widespread accusation meets up with targeted demagoguery. The most absurd nonsense can become politically powerful if one can find someone to expend the energy and determination necessary to keep repeating the charges over and over with no concern for collateral damage.
It all began when those who disagreed with Barack Obama began casting doubt about his birthplace — maybe he wasn’t a true American? A foreigner, and therefore, ineligible to be president? Whoever wanted to throw another shovel of coal onto that fire avoided calling him by his first name and began using his middle name, Hussein. That sounded almost as dangerous as Saddam Hussein. Rush Limbaugh, radio talking head and professional firebug, likes to refer to him as “Imam Obama” or “America’s first Muslim president.”
Haha — on the one hand, very funny. On the other, brutally effective. A detailed survey done by the Pew Research Center recently showed surprising results: 24 percent of Americans now believe they’re being governed by a Muslim. Only 42 percent know that Obama is a Christian. Before the presidential campaign, fully 61 percent knew that. Now, one in 10 think he’s “something else.”
That in and of itself wouldn’t be so tragic were it not for the fact that Muslims currently are generally suspected of being enemies of the state and sympathetic to terrorists. That’s true in the United States as well as here in Europe. And from that comes the strangest conclusion held by more than half of all Republicans in America who are “certain” or think it’s “highly probable” that the U.S. president “sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world.” Only 25 percent of Republicans can categorically exclude that possibility. America’s right-wingers are already demanding a federal law forbidding the adoption of Sharia law — just to be on the safe side.
Denying it is futile. The more Obama goes on camera saying he’s neither a Muslim nor a terrorist, or to say he’s not in favor of adopting Sharia law, the more suspicious his enemies get, saying anyone who protests that much must have something to hide. Right? The more somebody defends himself, the more you know you’ve hit a sore spot! And besides, don’t Muslims have a rule that says it’s all right to lie if it’s done to promote Allah? They call it “speaking with a forked tongue” and have historically accused the Jews of doing the same thing.
Jon Stewart, the most clairvoyant of the late-night talk show hosts, has called for a march on Washington to be held on Oct. 30 — a march against hysteria and for reason. He says, “Think of our event as Woodstock, but with the nudity and drugs replaced by respectful disagreement.”
Never seen a more biased, bigoted and misleading view of Islam than here in this seething with hate story. The misperception the Islamic Shar’ia law needs to set its fear at rest for all and forever. The Shar’ia is nowhere in practice. The Saudi model is a mere cosmetic. The Saudi Kingdom itself is a decaying relic of the past. It is square peg in modern democratic world. Saudi Shar’ia is absolutely devoid of its promotional emphasis. Shar’ia was – it still is – a great blessing. Here is an anecdote: Shar’ia began its practice during the last ten days of the Prophet’s life in Medina. A newly married day labourer lad violated sanctity of Ramadan having sex with his equally young spouse. He came to the Prophet and readily owned the guilt. He was told to complete the ritual of 60 days additional fasting. Without any hesitation, he told that this was beyond him. You can feed sixty hungry people in lieu of fasting, he was told. “I am a poor hungry man myself,” he said. He was asked to sit there and wait. When a gift of foodstuffs came, the Prophet told him to take provision and distribute it to 60 poor people. “My own fellow labourers in the community I live with are no better than myself,” he pleaded. O.K., then go and give it to the, he was told. Saying this Prophet had a pretty good grin showing his beautiful teeth and he said: ‘How God has been so benevolent to this man.” he Qur’an stipulates this message repeatedly: “God does not burden anyone with more than that person can bear.” And we all know that no two persons are alike in carrying a pardon. Did the Prophet promulgate Shar’ia after he took control of Mecca? In today’s culture and highly degraded moral civilisation, if God decides to shower His blessings and abundant bounty on a people with imposition of Shar’ia law, it would done with a clean state of forgiving the sins, all of them. May be the ardently awaited and the kindest hearted Jesus Christ do it for us. There is too much nonsense about conversions of aliens to Islam in exchange for freedom or from death. Such conversions are not allowed y the Shar’ia law. The society must first orientate that person with the basic requirements of life before admitting it in the fold of Islam. I am a convert from Hinduism. Let me mention here one of the most fabulous bounties Islam offers to mankind. God multiplies charity given in His love and cause by 700 times (70,000 per cent). Work it out for yourself. Here is another sweetener: God promises to provide employment ensuring attainment of income through rightful means. For this here is a simple invocation: ‘O God, make my income from rightful means against the wrong and make me self-sufficient out of your own self.” Want another big stimulus? “Don’t put people to a loss in trade and charge a fair and minimum price.” God increases the profit manifold. No wonder, Islam received a fitting welcome in India, Indonesia and Malaysia to mention a few examples. How does this contrast with the greed and loot of the Europeans when they swooped over the aliens in their colonial rule. Please spare Obama from mischievous machinations for selfish personal ends. He is on his way to emerge as a great American President with his faith intact in Christianity. I have placed before him plausible options for solving the Mideast conundrum. The real issue lies in Israel’s folly in becoming a secular profane state by getting rid of the Hebrew God, who has proved as most unfriendly to the Jews.
revised comment: Re: Barack Obama’s middle name Husain.
Obama’s ancessetors in Kenya, if they happen to be Muslims, they might be Muslims simply by name. There are hunreds of Muslims who have nothing at all to show about their Muslim identity. To be a Muslim knowing its meaning is a great blessing both to him and to others. But it is sad that even great Muslim scholars carry mediocrity about them. I wonder if the Imam in New York would know that Qur’an comprises full text of Torah and true teachings of Jesus Christ. One does not need to change identity from Judaism and from Christianity by reading the Quran. Jesus Christ comanded: “Sabath is for man and not man for Sabath.” Islam in the same breath and spirit assers that: “Sharia is for man and not man for Sharia.” Islam needs rediscovery and an nfusion of fresh blood. Where Islam differes, though, with all practicing faiths is on its thrust on on the reirth of the humanity and accountability on the Day of Judgment. One wonders if Obama has any inkling about this aspect of Islam. Now there is nothing frightening about the hereafter. he teachings of Islam are not only much simple but these are reinforced with invocations to God. Take for instance the teaching of Jejus that: “you would be born again.” How much does one know anything more about this happenig. So, spreading hjysteria and falsehood about Obama’s middle name and implying that america is on a cutting edge of being ruled by a Muslim, who would impose the Sharia, is aal nonsense.