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Goodwill on a collision course with hostility.

Reader comment on item: Obama, "Respect" and Muslims
in response to reader comment: Ah - the mutual respect!!!

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), Feb 6, 2009 at 15:06

Oh, what times in which we live! I write as a Republican who is sincerely offering prayers for the Obama administration!

Obama probably sincerely wishes a rapprochement with the Islamic world, and sincerely wants to back away from a stance of confrontation. Unfortunately, Dubya Bush also wanted peace with the Islamic world, and tried to take aim only at Al-Qaeda and those who expressed hostility towards the USA in those days after 09/11/01--and said quite plainly that we were not at war with Islam per se. Indeed, it was on Dubya Bush's watch that the USA mended fences with Libya; and during which problems between the USA and Turkey were entirely on Turkey's side (the USA never ceased viewing Turkey as an ally and continued to support her entry into the EU). Further, I have seen nary a peep from the younger Bush's administration supporting Communist CHina's suppression of Muslims in places like Yunnan, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Henan, and other Chinese provinces where they live; I have heard nary a peep of an apology to the Serbs for supporting Bosna and Kosova from the Bush administration. Indeed, it was with the help of US troops that Iraqi Shi'ites were able to reclaim hundreds of thousands of their dead whom Sodom Hussein made to disappear in anonymous mass graves.

Herein hangs a tail for the Obama administration: we may desire peace and see nothing wrong with America having a vibrant Muslim community, but it is clear that people like al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Iranian mullahs, Sadr, and others will still see us as the Great Shaitan as much for who we are as for what we say and do. Indeed, such folks probably hate the idea of Muslims and non-Muslims sharing mutually acceptable food at a party more than they hate the thought of the IDF pushing all of the Gaza Strip into the Med.

I am a little heartened that the look on Obama's face after his first intelligence briefing seemed to be that of somone suddenly sobered up. Maybe he now knows that it takes two to make peace, just as it takes two to tangle, and that a US charm offensive will not be enough.

Jaladhi, your points on the bad old days are well-taken.

I write as a Christian who has often prayed that God will spare us inter-civilizational war (of the sort prophesied by the late Samuel Huntington), for I love grace and peace rather than punitive judgment (in Christianity, the salvation given in the death of Jesus the Messiah is also a vicarious judgment on those who believe, whereby the righteous one took on the sins of the unrighteousness) and war and war--itself, I believe, a dreadful providential judgment. Yet so far, I believe that God is probably still telling me "no" (His right)--and I fear that the Obama administration may have to wake up to the same mournful conclusion that I have (may I be proven wrong).

Submitting....

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Reader comments (32) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Respecting Islam [104 words]Janusz LowalikMar 20, 2010 20:30170455
You are very correct Janusz [132 words]stasApr 6, 2012 01:39170455
OBAMA RESPECTS ISLAM, BUT WHERE IS THE QUID PRO QUO? [180 words]JERRY BORISMar 14, 2010 04:19170112
no respect [12 words]DavidJan 24, 2010 14:10167834
respect [21 words]b soetoroJan 23, 2010 20:48167797
Our dear Bary is saying that if a religion does not respect other religions then such religion must be questionable [202 words]dhimmi no moreFeb 15, 2010 18:27167797
talk the talk with respect [45 words]mythJan 20, 2010 18:19167623
"Respect" not enough [168 words]Amy WatkinsApr 13, 2009 12:54153815
Obama's Speech [180 words]SvetApr 12, 2009 12:17153782
Respect? [563 words]mariaha_13Apr 11, 2009 18:12153747
islam is not respectful of anyone but themselves, sometimes not even then. [111 words]Phil GreendApr 9, 2009 00:52153622
The bow. [185 words]donvanApr 7, 2009 22:49153548
Signal Weakness [100 words]Jonathan WilliamsApr 5, 2009 23:45153375
Point out Islamic hypocrisy with respect. [275 words]Pradeep MohantyApr 5, 2009 16:03153360
islam [141 words]joe paluchApr 5, 2009 23:37153360
Spoken like a True Dhimmi [52 words]NesivosApr 5, 2009 15:49153358
Respect or kow-towing? [107 words]Rebecca MouldsApr 5, 2009 11:12153347
respect is a one-way street [79 words]chubba wubbaApr 6, 2009 02:03153347
It is talking out of both sides of your mouth. [124 words]LynnApr 5, 2009 09:29153344
This is not a Jihadist from Iran but a professor from Kuwait: [73 words]JumassApr 4, 2009 13:45153313
Why RESPECT failed [102 words]sheik yer'mamiFeb 25, 2009 18:22151172
Thanks for your Blog, Sheik [19 words]CarluczApr 4, 2009 13:33151172
Obama is breathing life into Islam: He is a product of Chicago's Nation of Islam: Sundays with Louis [64 words]Josephine Amanda SabbyFeb 19, 2009 19:04150816
Chamberlain and Carter showed us that Appeasement does not work [281 words]fishydudeFeb 15, 2009 08:23150491
1Muslim appeasement in the US too! [646 words]B.N.GururajFeb 12, 2009 23:12150362
Respect. [168 words]donvanFeb 11, 2009 12:51150246
Obama said about the mutual respect. [77 words]neetugarg37Feb 9, 2009 02:27150075
Freedom is being lost in RESPECT! [197 words]SenatorMark4Feb 7, 2009 14:19150004
Here's What Obama Should be Singing [57 words]AlexFeb 6, 2009 11:29149934
Ah - the mutual respect!!! [191 words]JaladhiFeb 5, 2009 11:53149880
Goodwill on a collision course with hostility. [492 words]Peter HerzFeb 6, 2009 15:06149880
One sided "goodwill" does not work!!! [125 words]JaladhiFeb 9, 2009 16:45149880

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