Obo Wows The Terrorists

by Amir Taheri

"PRESIDENT Obama's "address to the Muslim world" was a masterwork of equivocation and political naiveté.

Let's start with a sentence buried within his text -- possibly in hopes that few might notice. With it, Obama effectively accepts Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"No single nation should pick and choose which nations should hold nuclear weapons," he said.

He wasn't prepared to go further than warning that an Iranian bomb could mark the start of a Middle East nuclear arms race.

Unlike his previous statements, the Cairo speech didn't include the threat of any action -- not even further sanctions -- against the Islamic Republic. The message was clear: America was distancing itself from United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Obama's mea culpa vis-à-vis Islam extended beyond the short span of US history. He appropriated the guilt for the Crusades, Western colonialism and support for despotic regimes during the Cold War, and countered that with a flattering narrative about Islam's role in history, featuring outlandish claims that would astonish many Muslims.

Ignoring the role of ancient Greece, pre-Islamic Persia, China and India, he credited Islam with having invented modern medicine, algebra, navigation and even the use of pen and printing. He went so far as to trace the genesis of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment to Cairo's medieval Al Azhar theological school.

Emphasizing the Islamic aspect of his identity, Obama said: "I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed."

He then committed America's support to the Saudi initiative known as Interfaith Dialogue and the Turkish-sponsored Dialogue of Civilizations, both of which divide the world on the basis of religious creed.

Obama voiced no support for "Muslims around the world" who are fighting for democracy and human rights, making no mention of the tens of thousands of political prisoners in the 57 Muslim-majority countries. He had no warm words for those fighting for women's rights and equal rights for ethnic and religious minorities.

The president may not know it, but his "Muslim world" is experiencing a historic civil war of ideas in which growing movements for freedom and human rights are fighting a variety of despotic, fanatical terrorist groups that use Islam as a fascist ideology.

Obama refused to acknowledge the existence of the two camps, let alone take sides. So it wasn't surprising that the Muslim Brotherhood, which wasn't invited to hear Obama's speech, praised him for "acknowledging the justice of our case."

So besides being a liberal fruitcake, the jugheaded lad is woefully lacking in historical perspective. Considering the sorry state of education these days it really isn't his fault for not having learned how the world truly works, but one would imagine that upon assuming the duties of the presidency the fella could at least try to get something correct now and again.

No balls, no brains, no wonder.

Where the free world goes from here is anybodies guess, but a full frontal loin girding would appear to be a stout recommendation when confronting modernity with such a flaming fairy in charge of where the good guys hang their hats.