Divider-in-Chief (22 page)
Authors: Kate Obenshain
In
The Obamas,
Jodi Kantor relates what happened when Obama and his entourage traveled to Oslo, Norway, to accept the prize:
The Obamas,
Jodi Kantor relates what happened when Obama and his entourage traveled to Oslo, Norway, to accept the prize:
For one day, the Obamas lived the dream version of his presidency instead of the depressing reality. At meals and receptions they mingled with the members of the Royal Academyâgovernment officials, academics. Instead of false rumors or specious charges, the first couple found respectful Scandinavians who were surprisingly well versed in the president's work. “They had read the presidents' books,” Susan Sher said later in
amazement. “They knew more about some of his policy ideas than I did.” They asked the same question the president had asked Congress: How could a country as rich as the United States not provide health care for its citizens? The president and first lady were deeply touched, proud that they had improved America's reputation abroad, and, in some sense, they felt better understood than they did in Washington. “I was struck by how well read and how knowledgeable every person I met with was,” recalled Eric Whitaker, an Obama friend who made the trip. “Americans have no idea what's going on in the rest of the world,” he said. “This was a room that represented the better angels of our nature.”
6
amazement. “They knew more about some of his policy ideas than I did.” They asked the same question the president had asked Congress: How could a country as rich as the United States not provide health care for its citizens? The president and first lady were deeply touched, proud that they had improved America's reputation abroad, and, in some sense, they felt better understood than they did in Washington. “I was struck by how well read and how knowledgeable every person I met with was,” recalled Eric Whitaker, an Obama friend who made the trip. “Americans have no idea what's going on in the rest of the world,” he said. “This was a room that represented the better angels of our nature.”
6
The night the Obamas stayed in Oslo, thousands of Norwegians stood outside their hotel room window holding candles. “It's hard to think of a time since the inauguration that the Obamas had received that kind of shower of appreciation,” Kantor wrote. “The trip spurred a thought the Obamas and their friends would voice to each other again and again as the president's popularity continued to decline: the American public just did not appreciate their exceptional leader. The president âcould get 70 or 80 percent of the vote anywhere but the U.S.,' a friend said indignantly.”
7
7
That's right: to the Obamites, and to Obama himself, the only thing exceptional about America is its exceptional president. This might be the most troubling aspect of the divider-in-chief, the fact that he has divided himself fromâput himself aboveâthe American people as a whole.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Obama's Islamophilia
A
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey in August 2010 made news because it found that nearly 20 percent of Americans believed Obama is a Muslimâa significant increase from the share that held that belief at the start of Obama's presidency. It was easy to see why people were confused. Obama has done his best to reach out to Muslims, at home and abroad.
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey in August 2010 made news because it found that nearly 20 percent of Americans believed Obama is a Muslimâa significant increase from the share that held that belief at the start of Obama's presidency. It was easy to see why people were confused. Obama has done his best to reach out to Muslims, at home and abroad.
In Cairo, Egypt, in June 2009, Obama said he sought “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.”
1
Then he said, “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”
2
1
Then he said, “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”
2
A president has many duties prescribed by the Constitutionâto command the Armed Forces, execute federal law, and appoint federal officials, to name a few. “To fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear” is not one of them.
But Obama apparently believes it's the responsibility of his entire administration to varnish the image of Islam: to lift it up above other religions, and
to ignore offenses committed in the name of Islam against Christians and Jews around the world. Americans are united about the idea that people should be allowed to practice their faith; they express horror and outrage when the inherent freedoms of any religious group or individual are violated. Yet Obama seeks to divide Americans even on the issue of religious freedom.
to ignore offenses committed in the name of Islam against Christians and Jews around the world. Americans are united about the idea that people should be allowed to practice their faith; they express horror and outrage when the inherent freedoms of any religious group or individual are violated. Yet Obama seeks to divide Americans even on the issue of religious freedom.
Obama rarely mentions religious freedom in his remarks. And yet he honors what he sees as his fundamental responsibility to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam.
In June 2010, NASA administrator Charles Bolden gave an interview to Al Jazeera television in which he said that before he accepted his new job, Obama told him that “perhaps” his “foremost” duty was “to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science... and math and engineering.”
3
3
So much for Obama's campaign pledge that in his administration “the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.”
4
Under Obama, Islam guides the mission of one of the federal government's most scientific agencies.
4
Under Obama, Islam guides the mission of one of the federal government's most scientific agencies.
Obama's own Christianity makes way for a deep affinity with Islam. His “Islamophilia” has manifested itself in many waysâin his unflinching mistreatment of Israel, his rhetorical and literal bows to Muslim autocrats, and his repeated labeling of Islam as “a great religion.” In 2010, Obama hosted a Ramadan dinner at the White House;
5
five months earlier he had cancelled National Day of Prayer events at the White House.
6
5
five months earlier he had cancelled National Day of Prayer events at the White House.
6
One way Obama has sought to “fight negative stereotypes of Islam” has been with his administration's efforts to work with Islamic regimes to combat criticism of Islam.
In December 2011 Secretary of State Clinton hosted a summit of international leaders called the “Istanbul Process,” which explored steps to fight and criminalize intolerance, discrimination, and violence on the basis of religion or belief. Despite the generalities, the real focus was one form of alleged discriminationâ“Islamophobia.”
The conference was intended to implement United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, also known as “Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping and Stigmatization Of, and Discrimination, Incitement to Violence, and Violence Against Persons Based on Religion or Belief.”
7
7
The Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had been pushing laws that criminalize “blasphemy” or “defamation of Islam” for over a decade. Many OIC states that support these laws, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran, routinely imprison or execute those they deem “blasphemers.”
To its credit, the State Department made sure that the final resolution didn't limit free speech, but nevertheless it gave voice to states that want to reintroduce anti-defamation laws. The OIC would like the West to punish anti-Islamic speech, cartoons of Mohammed, or books that criticize Islam as inherently violent.
As the OIC reported: “The upcoming [Washington] meetings... [will] help in enacting domestic laws for the countries involved in the issue, as well as formulating international laws preventing inciting hatred resulting from the continued defamation of religions.”
8
The conference raised expectations that the United States supports regulation of speech. And why not? Such laws are already in place in Western Europe and Canada.
8
The conference raised expectations that the United States supports regulation of speech. And why not? Such laws are already in place in Western Europe and Canada.
As Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, put it:
Islam and ViolenceU.S. diplomats should stop the “Istanbul Process” and begin to energetically and confidently promote the virtues of our First Amendment freedoms. They should be thoroughly briefed about the OIC's intractable position on blasphemy laws and the extent of atrocities associated with them. They must end signaling that there is common ground on these issues between us and the OIC.
9
9
In 2010, Rashad Hussain, President Obama's special envoy to the OIC, gave his boss the title of America's “educator-in-chief on Islam.”
10
But for all his professed knowledge of Islam, Obama disregards the very real threat that some of Islam's most devout adherents pose. And he fails to recognize that his blame-America-first mindset won't appease violent jihadists.
10
But for all his professed knowledge of Islam, Obama disregards the very real threat that some of Islam's most devout adherents pose. And he fails to recognize that his blame-America-first mindset won't appease violent jihadists.
Obama rarely acknowledges the obvious link between Islam and terrorism. Instead, his Department of Homeland Security has told law enforcement officials to be alert for terrorist acts by violent “Rightwing extremists” and “Christian Identity Organizations.”
11
11
Modern liberals are at odds with Islamists on many issues. But they find common cause in a common enemy: the Judeo-Christian worldview. The left's list of grievances against America is remarkably similar to that of the Islamists.
“America is unjust, criminal and tyrannical,” said Osama bin Laden when asked in a 1997 CNN interview why he had declared war against America.
12
But that indictment could have been uttered by a leftwing college professor or member of Congress. In fact it was similar to Colorado University Professor Ward Churchill's accusation that the victims of 9/11 were “little Eichmanns.” Liberal Virginia congressman Jim Moran has accused U.S. troops of having “ethnically cleansed most of Baghdad.”
13
12
But that indictment could have been uttered by a leftwing college professor or member of Congress. In fact it was similar to Colorado University Professor Ward Churchill's accusation that the victims of 9/11 were “little Eichmanns.” Liberal Virginia congressman Jim Moran has accused U.S. troops of having “ethnically cleansed most of Baghdad.”
13
Leftists and Islamists share a totalitarian impulse about the role of the state. Both have as their goal to render their subjects dependent on the state for everything in their lives.
In her book
The World Turned Upside Down
, British journalist Melanie Phillips described the “love affair” among socialists, fascists, radical environmentalists, and Islamists. She writes: “What they all have in common... is a totalitarian mindset in pursuit of the creation of their alternative reality. These are all worldviews that can accommodate no deviation and must therefore be imposed by coercion. Because their end product is a state of perfection, nothing can stand in its way.”
14
The World Turned Upside Down
, British journalist Melanie Phillips described the “love affair” among socialists, fascists, radical environmentalists, and Islamists. She writes: “What they all have in common... is a totalitarian mindset in pursuit of the creation of their alternative reality. These are all worldviews that can accommodate no deviation and must therefore be imposed by coercion. Because their end product is a state of perfection, nothing can stand in its way.”
14
There's a reason Obama won more than 90 percent of the Muslim American vote. And I think we can safely assume it wasn't because he
promised abortion-on-demand or open homosexuality in the military. It was because Muslim voters believed Obama would treat Israel as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East, that he would end the war in Iraq (which had begun as a war of liberation but was now portrayed as somehow a war on Muslims), that he would diminish America's stature in the world so that there would be no more such interventions in the Middle East, and that he would protect Muslims from prejudiced Americans.
promised abortion-on-demand or open homosexuality in the military. It was because Muslim voters believed Obama would treat Israel as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East, that he would end the war in Iraq (which had begun as a war of liberation but was now portrayed as somehow a war on Muslims), that he would diminish America's stature in the world so that there would be no more such interventions in the Middle East, and that he would protect Muslims from prejudiced Americans.
Obama's outreach to other countries hasn't helped him much. Obama entered office as a global icon, but his status was significantly diminished just three and a half years later. A June 2012 Pew Global Attitudes poll found that global opinion of Obama had plummeted since he became president.
15
Approval of Obama's international policies dropped from 78 percent to 63 percent in Europe; from 34 percent to 15 percent in countries with Muslim majorities; from 40 percent to 22 percent in Russia; and from 57 percent to 27 percent in China.
The “War on Muslims” Farce15
Approval of Obama's international policies dropped from 78 percent to 63 percent in Europe; from 34 percent to 15 percent in countries with Muslim majorities; from 40 percent to 22 percent in Russia; and from 57 percent to 27 percent in China.
Before there was a “war on women,” there was a “war on Muslims.” The left wants to divide Americans by telling them that Muslims are not welcomed here because of American intolerance, and that only liberals can protect them.
Most journalists take it for granted that Muslims have a hard time in America. “American Muslims ask, âWill we ever belong?'” ran a
New York Times
headline after public backlash to a proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York City in 2010.
16
New York Times
headline after public backlash to a proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York City in 2010.
16
The proposed mosque's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, defended the mosque on ABC's
This Week
, saying, “My major concern with moving it is that the headline in the Muslim world will be, âIslam is under attack in America.'”
17
But this narrative falls apart under scrutiny.
This Week
, saying, “My major concern with moving it is that the headline in the Muslim world will be, âIslam is under attack in America.'”
17
But this narrative falls apart under scrutiny.
For starters, tens of thousands of immigrants from Muslim countries flood into the United States each year. And the years of highest immigration from the Middle East have occurred since the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks. In 2005, for instance, nearly 96,000 people from Muslim countries became legal permanent U.S. residents, the most in any year in the previous twenty years.
18
terrorist attacks. In 2005, for instance, nearly 96,000 people from Muslim countries became legal permanent U.S. residents, the most in any year in the previous twenty years.
18
Some immigrants from the Middle East are Christians escaping persecution. But the vast majority are Muslims either escaping persecution at the hands of Muslim governments or searching for economic opportunities in a country with a functioning market.
The U.S. Census does not collect information about religion, but estimates about the number of Muslims in the United States range from 1.3 million to 5 million. Every estimate suggests the number of Muslims in America is rising.
According to the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), the number of people in America who described themselves as Muslims more than doubled between 1990 and 2008, from 527,000 to 1.35 million.
19
19
By virtually every measure, Muslim Americans are flourishing in the United States. According to the ARIS study, 35 percent of American Muslims age twenty-five years and older have college degrees, a share equal to or higher than that of any other religion except Judaism and “Eastern religions.”
20
20
There are more than 2,100 mosques across the country,
21
and since 9/11 American voters have elected the first two Muslim congressmen in United States history. Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim college, opened in 2009.
21
and since 9/11 American voters have elected the first two Muslim congressmen in United States history. Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim college, opened in 2009.
America has experienced dozens of attacks and foiled plots linked to Islamic radicals since 9/11. But after each, the media conversation centers less on the need to monitor Islamic radicalization and more on the inevitable “backlash” that never materializes.
When Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a radicalized Muslim, murdered fourteen people and wounded thirty others at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009, government agencies warned that it could provoke violence against Arab and Muslim Americans. A
Christian Science Monitor
story was titled, “Fort Hood Shootings: U.S. Muslims feel new heat.”
22
An Associated Press headline read, “Another attack leaves U.S. Muslims fearing backlash.”
23
Christian Science Monitor
story was titled, “Fort Hood Shootings: U.S. Muslims feel new heat.”
22
An Associated Press headline read, “Another attack leaves U.S. Muslims fearing backlash.”
23
Other books
Land of a Thousand Dreams by BJ Hoff
Friends ForNever by Katy Grant
Pay Off by Stephen Leather
Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson
Broken Souls by Stephen Blackmoore
The Awakening: Britton (Entangled Covet) by Abby Niles
Taking the Bait: An ARC Operatives Romance by Audrey Noire
Dick: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance by Wild, Nikki
Calling the Play by Samantha Kane
Learning to Breathe Again by Kelli Heneghan
