Burnt Offerings: President Obama Addresses the Islamic World
by Robert DaviFrom time to time I feel like presenting a piece that should be read. This is one of them — sent to me by a very close friend in Congress.
Obama’s Cairo Message: Limited Audience, Limited Impact
1. President Barack Obama’s address at the Cairo University on June 4, 2009, which was billed in advance by his staff as a historic message of goodwill and reconciliation to the Islamic world, had a limited audience. Though projected as an address to the Islamic world, it was largely an address to the Arab world and focused largely on issues of interest to the Arabs.
2. The Arabs constitute a minority in the Islamic world. Non-Arab Muslims living in countries such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia constitute the majority. The issues, which agitate them, are different from the issues which agitate the Arab world. Osama bin Laden understands this better than Obama and his advisers. That was why in his audio message released through Al Jazeera a day before Obama’s Cairo address, bin Laden focused on issues of immediate concern to the non-Arab Muslims in the Af-Pak region such as the large-scale displacement of Pashtuns from the tribal areas of Pakistan. By focusing on their plight and by holding the Americans responsible for it, he sought to make it certain that the anti-American anger in the Af-Pak region will increase rather than decrease.
3. Outside India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia, the attitude of the Muslims towards the US is characterized by feelings of hostility or anger or skepticism. There is hardly any feeling of empathy or warmth. There are various reasons for the negative feelings towards the US. Some are country-specific, some are region specific and some are ethnicity specific. The negative feelings of the Arabs towards the US may be due to the Palestine issue and the perceived US support for Israel, but Palestine and Israel are not such burning issues in the non-Arab Islamic world.
4. Obama’s address seemed to have been constructed around the belief that the Muslims constitute a monolithic community and that their actions are motivated by certain issues of common concern to all the Muslims of the world. This is a wrong belief. The Muslims are not a monolithic community and there is no common thread uniting the anger motivating the Muslims in different countries and different regions. There are Muslims and Muslims and issues and issues.
5. If Obama wanted to address the Muslims of the world, Cairo was the wrong place from which to seek to do so. There was a time when Egypt was seen as the beacon of the Arab world. It is no longer so. Al Qaeda and pro-Al Qaeda organizations project Egypt and its leaders as apostate. President Hosni Mubarak is a very unpopular Arab leader. Obama going to Cairo to deliver the address is seen by large sections of pro-Al Qaeda and pro-Taliban leaders as a leader of the American infidels traveling to the country of apostates to deliver an address to the Muslims from a platform provided by the apostates.
6. There are two ways of judging the impact — what has been and what will be the impact on those Muslims who have taken to terrorism against the US and other countries of the world – and what will be the impact on ordinary Muslims who stay away from the so-called global jihad, but at the same time do not nurse any feelings of empathy for the US?
7. The impact on the world of global jihad will be very little. Their views towards the US have been formed as a result of years of brainwashing in extremist mosques and madrasas. They are not going to change as a result of a beautifully-drafted speech beautifully delivered before an audience carefully assembled by the so-called apostates. They will continue to fight against the US, which will have to defeat them in the battlefield. bin Laden’s projection of the US President as Bush in Obama’s clothing will make a greater impact on the minds of the jihadis than the words and phrases of Obama.
8. The jihadi behavior till now was influenced by the visuals, which came out of Iraq and Afghanistan. As the impact of those visuals decreases, Al Qaeda and pro-Al Qaeda organizations are trying to exploit the visuals of the plight of nearly three million internally displaced Pashtuns, driven out of their homes by a Pakistani war ordered by the US as bin Laden projected it in his message.
9. The impact on the ordinary Muslims outside pockets of urban elite will not be significant. Ordinary Muslims are not so naïve as to be impressed by a couple of quotations from the Holy Koran. Muslims outside India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia are not enamored of democracy. They have nothing against authoritarian rulers, provided they care for the ordinary Muslims. Mubarak is not an example of a caring ruler. Among Muslim rulers blessed and supported by the US, there is hardly anyone whom one can call caring for the common Muslims. The ordinary Muslims will judge the US by the company it keeps in the Islamic world than by the speeches of Obama.
10. Obama’s speech may help him back home by pushing up his popularity. Americans love such orations. It may not help the US much in the Islamic world. The use of soft power to counter pernicious ideologies coming out of the Islamic world is important. They have to be countered in a more subtle and sophisticated manner through personal interactions, dialogue in small groups, radio and TV programs, Internet chats etc. A Cairo-style address is not suited for this purpose.
11. A mix of Wahabism and Deobandism of the Pakistani brand is the driving force of the global jihad and of the hostility towards the US. Deoband is in India. The Indian brand of Deobandism was benign and continues to be benign The Pakistani brand is venomous and behind much of the negative ideas influencing the attitudes and conduct of millions of Muslims. Unless the pernicious Wahabi-Deobandi ideas emanating from Pakistan are countered in an intelligent manner, the divide between the Muslims and the non-Muslims will continue to widen. How to do so? That is the question that should occupy the minds of US policy-makers. (5-6-09)
(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai.)
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66 Comments
This is a great post Robert. Thanks so much for posting it. I don't see this speech as having significant impact on terrorism. I don't see it as boosting his popularity at home, but then I'm predisposed to not look favorably on this administration. Again, fantastic!
Adding to my earlier comment, I am fascinated to hear about Deobandism and would love to hear from anyone who is well versed on how we might be better able to counter their influence over there.
Its interesting that no one I know of has said anything about Deobandi until this post. Excellent post Mr. Davi. Thank you for a thoughtful piece. Would that the rest of Hollywood would be so thoughtful and articulate.
Excellent analysis. I have had the impression that Islam is about as important to Obama as Christianity, which is to say only as a means to an end. That's why he doesn't understand that Jeremiah Wright's version of Christianity is poles apart from traditional Protestant and Catholic Christianity. Likewise, it's why he seems not to understand that "Muslim" doesn't mean "Arab," and that there are virulent strains of Islam that are portentously dangerous in the civilized world, while others pose very little active threat to the West. In a short period of time he has insulted America and Christianity while throwing bouquets at a monolithic Islam which doesn't even exist.
It appears from the well writen post that Mr. Obama has broken one of the cardinal rules of warfare – know your enemy. By treating Muslims around the world as a monolithic block and ignoring their differences, he gives up an opportunity to deal with different groups in different ways. He also gives up the opportunity to divide and conquer. Instead, his efforts empower the Arabs over the other Muslims by making them the face of the Muslim world.
You know what I love? How Obama tells all other countries that the United States will no longer dictate to them on what they should and should-not do.
Oh…well, except for Israel. Them he can tell what to do. Don't build anymore settlements. Do this, don't do that.
Apparently if Israel wants Obama to be nice to them and not tell them what to do, they need to start indiscriminately dropping bombs in Palestine where children sleep – and sawing the heads off of non-believers.
[...] Burnt Offering: President Obama Addresses the Islamic World by Robert Davi [...]
Thanks for the info. I'm filing it away.
Obama……….means to an end.
nothing more needs to be said.
exactly, LH.
Robert, first class. My add; if Israel and Iraq visuals are motivators of this hatred, then how did Kipling and Col TE Lawrence know it well? This hatred is the same as Hitler, Stalin and Mao; it is for us the genocidal bell tolls not just the Israelis, and the eradication of jews would avoid nothing in the brutal conquest campaigns that would inevitably follow. Your source is correct about the Pakistanis, note what violent hatred Kipling saw there.
There's a troubling thought…… Waging war with the Malado Narcissius.
Am I a racist, trolls?
#^%#^& me.
Excellent as usual Mr. Davi. Thanks for posting it! Point by point beats "I hate this guy" screeds every time.
[...] June 5, 2009 at 6:30 PM (In the News) Source: Big Hollywood [...]
There is no country on this earth that I admire and respect more than Israel. Yes, that includes this country that I love and this government that should be overthrown. If left unchecked, the Malado Narcissius will sell them out lock, stock and burned-out barrel. Israel, stay strong as long as you can. There are those of us Gentiles, who will stand by you, unlike the US jews who constantly vote for dimocrat swine. Sorry about your bad luck. National Defense dimocrats are gone.
Feel free to come get me, government. I'll hang for a while on your dime. Gil Sott Herron was wrong. The beginning of the revolution will not be televised.
On a more personal note to you directly Robert, KEEP WRITING. Keep expressing, so well, what we feel and what needs to be said. Your analysis was excellent. Thank you!
The point that BHO is actually endorsing the Muslim Unity Caliphate of the Brotherhood is also well taken; in addition to glossing over the displacement of the Pashtuns, he is glossing over the suppression of the Baluchis in the Persian/Afgan/Pak area, and totally glossing over the prime responsibility of the Brotherhood and Baathists in the Palestine state issues. BHO has done the equivalent of endosing Ayaran tribal unity under the Nazis or the asian co-prosperity empire under Tokyo. The naivete, arrogance and ignorance of our self-id'd "Best/Brightest" will get us all nuked. We need a Churchill and got BHO Chamberlain instead.
Don Quixote had a better sense of direction than our Barry, for Gods sake. At least Quixote in his delusion had chivalry and love of country, and with Joe Biden as Sancho, folks we are in real trouble.
It’s as if Barry walks around the world with a kick me I’m stupid sign hung on his back, WOW!
What makes you think Obama considers them enemies?
Yes. There are Arabic Jews, Arabic Christians, and even Arabics who are non-religious.
It's the fundamentalist strain of Islam that will harm us, which is leaps and bounds different from Islam here in the States.
" American infidels traveling to the country of apostates to deliver an address"
Where else would a good apostate deliver his speech, except in an apostate country.
A very good question and maybe the key to understanding Mr. Obama on this issue. Nevertheless, certain Muslim groups still pretty much consider the United States an enemy and if Mr. Obama doesn't recognize an enemy when they declare themselves one, then he is a poor commander in chief and we are in big trouble. Even if they don't consider him an enemy, his job as c-in-c is to protect the United States against all of its enemies.
Thank you Mr Davi. For those who are interested, a Deobandist is an ultra-conservative, ultra- orthodox fundamental religionist who is secondly a nationalist (or regionalist) and militarist. For them, pure Islam supercedes all other considerations. Deobandism inspired and shares Taliban beliefs and is dedicated to pure Islam and Shari'a. All muslims and others who do not share their beliefs are considered inferior. It amuses me sometimes that Mr Obama, who has made a career of criticizing Mr Bush's approach to the Muslim world and issues, seems less qualified and insightful than Mr Bush. The only difference between the two is that Mr Obama speaks better. I can only hope that while Mr Obama continues to thrash about wildly that he may accidently do something to protect us from the ideologically inspired extremists. Unfortunately, if the content of his speech is the best he can do, I believe we're all in for a bumpity ride.
Possibly Obama's boderline meglomania, stoked by weaselly synchophants, politically correct elitists, and the unwashed mass of ill-informed know-nothings who worship him, has somewhat blinded him to the idea that anti-americanism will not melt once he explains to everyone that he represents "Change they can believe in."
Remember, his fatuous followers toutt that he has "healed" the rift in America, conveniently dismissing the largest spontaneous demonstrations I've seen in my life as "Tea-baggers". They rave about how he has healed our sour relations with Europe, yet we read somehow he has strained our relatiionship with Germany in only four months. No doubt the Kobe beef and Champagne cocktails will flow now that he has brought peace to the world, just ask Jay-Z and Marisa Tomei!
I respectfully disagree. This speech will have a great deal of impact on Terrorism. In it's sub-text, President Obama has stated that terrorism on Israel will be ignored by the USA. That terrorism against US intrests will once again be treated as a CRIMINAL MATTER (ala pre-9/11 mentality). That all we'll attack them with is court supeanas.
Good posts! I actually think the individual to credit for writing that wonderful analysis is a man named Bahakutambi Raman, who is the Director of Topical Studies at the Institute of Chennai (at least according to Wiki.) However, we can thank Mr. Robert Davi for his contributions (writing and otherwise) to Big Hollywood and his willingness to pass along Mr. Raman's analysis which seems to be exactly on point(I think Robert stated he actually received it from a friend in Congress.) Either way, as regular readers of Big Hollywood, you and I got the benefit from reading it.
I know that bringing the Nazis into a conversation is usually a mistake.
But I will anyhow.
Obama appears guilty of the same error Chamberlain made: expecting to reason with unreasonable people. I have no doubt he's sincere, but he's making a terrible mistake. Weakness will only attract predators, and the world has no shortage of them.
Listening to Obama's servile and submissive maunderings in Cairo brought to mind an old Arab proverb I once ran across::
"When the camel stumbles, the daggers come out."
Obama has convinced himself that he can persuade the Muslim world into believing that his administration means them no harm. What they interpret is that he's incapable of doing them any harm, and that's dangerous.,
StanH, you've just added irony to Obama's pursuit of "clean wind techonology." I guess that's "code" for "windmills"?
I am really ticked off that he goes over seas and bad-mouths us: "Oh yeah, the jerks back home have a lot to learn about you great people." You know what, it's time we changed the locks before he gets home.
I really do not think that The President pre reads the speach he reads on the teleapropter, for two reasons.
One, if he believed what he was reading he would have to make solid promises and support the arab causes all over the world.
Two, None arab that want the same promises will side with the more militant Muslins to achive the Obama promises.
This is a win win for the Alkieda all over the world.
Mr. President, What are you thinking?
"Mr. President, What are you thinking?"
"This speech is going to make me so popular with the hippie chicks!"
You touched on a point I'm waiting for the MSM to point out (yeah, right). Every time Bush made a comment about Islam, even when he specified certain dangerous elements within Islam, the press and TV news commentators couldn't wait to call his statement "simplistic." His discussions were far more pointed, much more logical, and much more nuanced than the feelgood broadbrush ramblings Obama has handed us in the past couple of days. MSM reaction: "Brilliant, conciliatory, historical, learned," etc., etc., ad nauseam. No double-standard here, folks.
"The impact on the world of global jihad will be very little. Their views towards the US have been formed as a result of years of brainwashing in extremist mosques and madrasas."
Kind of like how Obama's view of the US was formed as a result of years of brainwashing under Rev. Wright, eh?
I find the double standard breath taking and disgusting. Obama's flattery approach isn't superior to Bush's direct approach, only different. It's as if we went from an administration of Boardroom warriors to an administration of feely-touchy, sensitive men of the 80s. I don't know, maybe that's what the muslim leadership needs, mothering.
You know, that is the BEST analysis I've seen of Muslim attitudes towards the US and the reasons for them. This is stuff I hadn't thought of, but you're right!
Obama is worse than a rank amateur, he's a naive amateur. He has half the country hypnotized, and he thinks he's going to work his magic on the Muslim world.
I'll bet he discussed this with Netenyahu when he was in D.C., that he was not going to be visiting Israel on his Middle East trip (you could see the tension in the body language that something was up and it wasn't good).
If Obama thinks he can talk the extremists out of their blood lust, he's hopelessly mistaken. A wise man once said "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
Well said… I have to say, being somewhat of an arabist, that he sounded to me a little preachy to even muslims in that speech.
Obama comes off as weak. He is the Edie Haskell of the US. A conniving, lying kiss-up who thinks nobody is on to him. Lots ofm people are goin to get hurt because this child is in charge.
Trials of wahhabis in India accused of rebellion in the late 1800's is the roots of Deobandi Islam. Wahhabis preachers had been in India for some time. Wahhabi mujahediin assassinated a few prominent Brits. The mughals had ruled before the crown showed up. The Brits set up local authority that took power away from the mughals. Some muslims felt they showed embrace the modernity the Brits offered. Others, no so much. Sayyid Ahmed Khan supported felt that Indian muslims should work . Those opposed started the Jam'at Ahl i hadith (party of the people more or less). They were wahhabi in all but name. Banned by British Indian gov't they denied links to wahhabism. The two leaders set up a madrassah at Deoband (a small town about 70 miles north of Delhi). The teacher was Mullah Mahmoud Deobandi. This is the beginning of the Deobandi movement. Soon after the term salafi came to mean following tradition of the 'original' Islam. This was taken from the book 'God's Terrorists' by Charles Allen.
Salaf means 'predecessor'. Salafiyah or those who follow the predecessors.
To counter them? You can't appease them, that's for sure.
"If Obama wanted to address the Muslims of the world, Cairo was the wrong place from which to seek to do so. There was a time when Egypt was seen as the beacon of the Arab world. It is no longer so. Al Qaeda and pro-Al Qaeda organizations project Egypt and its leaders as apostate. President Hosni Mubarak is a very unpopular Arab leader. Obama going to Cairo to deliver the address is seen by large sections of pro-Al Qaeda and pro-Taliban leaders as a leader of the American infidels traveling to the country of apostates to deliver an address to the Muslims from a platform provided by the apostates. "
obama only went to Egypt so that he could see the pyramids on the taxpayers dime without causing a stink.
He is so egomaniacal that he even pointed out a figure on an ancient wall and said it looked like HIM. I guess he wanted them to think that he was some great king who had returned. How does his wife stand him. I could NEVER live with someone who had an ego the size of Texas.
Funny at the same time that Obama is trying to get murders and thugs to like us, he is pissing off England, Germany, and Israel.
This is a good thing, right?
Obama just loves falling down at the feet of these people…And bowing to them…
My theory is that Obama has totally identified with the Africa of his father and (as Rev. Wright calls them) "the sun people".
Thus he is antipathetic to the "ice people" (Europeans) who colonized Africa (Britain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, etc) or enslaved his forefathers (America).
For the past twenty years, Sub Saharan Africans have embraced the North African Muslim nations, especially Egypt and Arabia, having no idea that the Arabs were as bad or worse slave traders as European Christians ever were. But hey, that's what propaganda is for — to rewrite the history books and change the present information. Our media here does it very well. For instance, anyone who fights in a Muslim land is a "crusader" but no mention that crusading Muslims took over this land from the Jews, Christians, Zorastrains etc in the 7th century. Why is it wrong for those people to want to take it back? Who says conquest only ends when the conquistador follows Allah?
It does not surprise me in the least that Obama bowed to the King of Saudi, kissed up to Iran and its Mullahs, apologized to anyone with a gripe against America and is about to sell Israel down the river. I don't think he gives a rip what the UK, Germany, France or any other European nation thinks. What's amusing is how much the useful idiots in Europe love him.
He mentioned Obama quoted from the Koran. Did anyone read the next paragraph after his quote in the Koran?
"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;"
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/06/obama...
"Think! I don't have to think, dimwit, I just have to hold my chin up at an elevated slightly tilted manner and enunciate."
You could probably include a whole lot of Americans in with that group!
I don't think he gives a rip what anyone thinks, period. Barack Husseing Obama is just another marionette, albeit one with teleprompters!
Presidente Zero ignores history and presents a construct that is both false and simplistic. While doing this he offers the usual strawman arguments and false options.
Why is watching this man akin to undergoing root canal work without pain killers? Does he believe his brand of snakeoil will cast some magic spell over those who hear his never ending lies and falsehoods.
I hope about 70M. I think that is the magic number.
I hate to pile on Obama but once again he continues to "revise" history in light of what "he" thinks it should be. If Islam and the Arabic Culture where and are so influential on the stage of world history than why is western civilization more advanced?
Pandering to the Islamic and Arabic people is bad in itself but false precepts and the "revising" of history is irresponsible and reckless. I never thought in my lifetime I would ever see a President who not only is weak but ignorant as well.
Thanks again Mr. Davi, another post that needs to be read by more than just the people who visit this site. Looking forward to your next post.
Was not Sancho the sane one that tried to keep Don out of trouble? If that is the case we are in deep trouble. Since that is a legend I have heard about but never actually read the story, I shall hope I am wrong about that.
Sancho was sane, but simple minded, the village idiot.
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