Posted on 11/14/2010 3:28:50 AM PST by Scanian
President Obama has once again taken it upon himself to address the Muslim world, this time in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. In the absence of reliable opinion polls it is anyone’s guess whether the Muslim world relishes, or even indeed much cares about, what is fast becoming a biannual fixture.
What does seem increasingly obvious is that the president remains as baffled by that vast amorphous body as the rest of us.
He had not even opened his mouth before his purpose was almost derailed by, of all people, his wife, or rather a handshake between Michelle Obama and an ultraconservative Muslim Indonesian government minister.
That handshake, rather than the president’s appeal to moderate Islam, came to dominate the headlines about his visit to the country of his childhood.
At first glance, that may seem to serve only as a reminder that we live in trivial times. But it was actually a fine example of how a real-life, unchoreographed incident can effortlessly trump empty political rhetoric, however painstakingly planned the setting, and end up telling us something much more profound than even the grandest of prepared speeches.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Moderate Muslims,if there is such a thing,had better start deciding what side they are on before the big one starts.
IMHO, there is only a few true moderates.Most are really waiting to see who is going to win and then join that side.
The phrase “moderate muslim” would imply tolerance. Since the tolerance muslims display is toward terrorism and intolerance, perhaps a different adjective would be more appropriate.
It also shows how utterly distant the American media (including the “analytical media” such as The View) is from anything resembling the real world when it comes to any discussion of Islam.
Light years away. Out past Alpha Centauri.
There is no moderate Islam. Islam—all of it—follows the Koran, an extremely violent and aggressive “work.”
There may be Muslims who display “moderation” in their lives and behavior but that type is almost universally secularized and rather assimilated to Western ways.
Islam is not a “cafeteria” religion. Any Muslim who thinks he can pick and choose which parts to follow will soon find himself designated an “apostate” or “mushrik” and no better than a “kafir,” i.e., an infidel and in serious danger.
The distaste that Muslims feel for apostates makes me very skeptical that the Islamic world could ever look to Obama as any kind of true leader. An ally to be exploited, certainly. But when a faithful Muslim hears about Hussein’s life history he can’t help viewing him as an apostate.
The handshake is only a small part of what happens when you place Dumb (Obama) and Dumber (Michelle Obama) in the White House .
Neither has any idea of what it takes to be President and First Lady and both are too stupid to ask those who could give them good advice.
You mean like Helen Thomas?
James Zogby?
Oh, hell no! Nothing “moderate” about either one!
My definition is different than our “esteemed” media and politicians’ definition. A moderate Muslim is one that isn’t (at the time) actively trying to kill those who believe differently.
Obama and his ghetto wife are an embarrassment as Pres and First Lady but this instance does not give me pause to complain.
It appears to me that this Indonesian thought his ‘position’ out ranked our president and was offended at not being revered.
I'm pretty sure one of those ‘mom’ phrases was that you don't cry out for respect, you earn it. Both of these men fall short.
you got that exactly right, which makes them muslimes just the same and will suffer the same fate
if they live here and are confused about their allegence, they need to go
The controversy arises over the man, not Michelle. He was an ultraconservative who got caught up in an act of hypocrisy (touching a member of the opposite sex he wasn't related to, which he always claimed was a big no-no)and that act overshadowed anything else the Obamas did. Kind of like when Britney Spears announcing she is getting married overshadows the State of the Union address. It was an Indonesian People Magazine moment.
That's what I got from the article but people on this thread are trashing the Obama's as if it's their fault. I hate those people as much as anyone but to trash them for something someone else did is petty.
People on this thread were critical of moderate muslims. Comment 6 was the closest to critical of the Obamas. Run through the written opinions and see if you don’t agree.
Advice?? They don’t need no stinkin’ advice!
Remember, they are the smartest couple in the world.........
His credentials include spending a lot of time in Muslim countries as a youngster. He was trained but doesn’t look like he has shared his training with his “fashion plate” wife......HAHAHAHA!!!!
If the Obama’s would only “use” the experts who are available to any Presidential couple before a trip they wouldn’t look like such amateurs in these foreign situations.
“Handlers” should make them aware of the local customs and who to touch and who just give a nod.
Remember when she touched the Queen of England? Even I know that just isn’t done!
BS
They drink like fish despite the fact it is not allowed by their religion. They tend to pick and choose what they like.
That sounds like the Saudi Royal family....
And that hypocrisy makes them hated by the extreme muzzie elements in their own country and elsewhere.
And, as hypocritical as they are, have you ever heard of any of them extolling hedonism? I haven’t.
So what do they do to compensate for their debauchery? Fund madrassas and terrorist groups. Which preach extreme, puritanical Islam by the Koranic book.
It seems a bit like a dhimmi tax-—go ahead and be hypocrites but keep the money coming.
As for the famous booze and broads evening before 9-11...I’m sure the attackers would give some lame explanation but you know they would forbid similar indulgences to anyone but “fighters” like themselves.
And I seriously doubt that they would let their fun times be known to the general muzzie population. They tend to do things like that away from prying hometown muzzie eyes and gossip. Which is why Beirut was such a popular destination in its heyday for Arab “players.”
The worst fanatic leaders always seem to have one code for themselves and another, puritanical one for the hoi polloi.
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