Rock Star Syndrome

Obama’s “Sudden Political-Rock-Star Syndrome”

We are not only dealing with FBI’s renaming Jihadist terrorist acts committed in the United States as “Sudden Jihad Syndrome”, but also with Senator Barack Hussein Obama’s current persona as a political rock star. George Clooney calls him a “true rock star” presence.

Let me define the “Sudden Political Rock Star Syndrome” as a condition where a politician thinks his charming personality will overcome his lack of experience, absence of well articulated positions on critical domestic and global issues except one that may be dominant in public discussions (such as Iraq) and an Islamic heritage despite the nasty role being played by that religion in the current global turmoil.

Signs of Rock Star Syndrome

Here is what Ben Wallace-Wells said in his very interesting February 7^th Rollingstone article, The Radical Roots of Barack Obama: “Obama is trying to pull a less-conventional trick: to turn his own person into a movement…What Obama stands for, if anything, is not yet clear…Everywhere he goes he is greeted by thrilled crowds, trailed constantly by a reporter from The Chicago Tribune who is writing a book about the senator with a preliminary title so immodest that it embarrassed even Obama’s staff: The Savior.” He adds: “The danger here is that the public has committed the cardinal sin of political love, forcing Obama onto the national stage before knowing him well enough to gauge whether he’s ready for it.”

He also reports that preliminary polls show that “women responded more intensely and warmly to Obama than did men…His advisers, assuming they would pick up a healthy chunk of black votes, honed in on a different target: …women, nearly all of them white.” “There is an amazingly candid moment in Obama’s autobiography when he writes of his childhood discomfort at the way his mother would sexualize African-American men…Obama’s political career now depends, in some measure, upon a tamer version of this same feeling, the complicated dynamics of how white women respond to a charismatic black man.” On this point, Obama’s problem is he would have to demolish Hillary Clinton to get the nomination, which may not sit well with white women voters at all.

According to recent polls, Obama has surged over Clinton among black voters, but lags behind her in national surveys. A March 7^th Quinnipiac University poll found Obama behind Republican Giuliani in Florida (48%-36%), Ohio (48%-40%), and Pennsylvania (48%-36%). Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania are critical states in presidential elections because no candidate since 1965 has taken the White House without taking at least two of these swings states. The Quinnipiac poll also found that 4 in 10 voters haven’t yet formed an opinion of Obama, leaving the possibility of sudden fall from the current stardom heights as they discover more about his Muslim heritage and policy positions. Giuliani had an impressive lead over his Republican opponents and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Obama.

Hollywoods’s rich Jewish luminaries are throwing parties for him, but it remains to be seen how long this love affair lasts once the senator details his positions on Hamas, Hizbollaha, Darfur and other issues involving Islam. His spiritual mentor Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, senior pastor of Afrocentric Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago thinks: “When his enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli to visit Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi with Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell.”

According to the March 6^th New York Times article, Rev. Wright was suppose to have delivered the invocation when Senator Obama announced his candidacy on February 10^th, but that invitation was rescinded a day before the event. This may be a reflection of the depth of his Christian religious convictions and increases the suspicion that he is really a Muslim masquerading as a Christian to serve Islam. Or it could be an attempt not to raise the ire of his rich Jewish promoters.

At some point Obama will have to detail his positions on issues involving Islam. If he tries to finesse them he will surely displease his Jewish supporters, and if he attacks the Islamic views he may not be able to visit his grandmother in Kenya, who as a good Muslim will be surely obliged to slit his throat.

I can see why Republicans may be praying that Democrats name him as their candidate.

Modernize Islam

Senator Obama: You Can Help Modernize Islam

Thomas Friedman’s March 2^nd New York Times article, The Silence That Kills, was particularly interesting because Senator Obama remains silent regarding his Muslim ancestry and its impact on his policy positions. Senator Obama has yet to publish position papers on Israel, dealing with Hamas and Hizbollaha, Iran and other topics.

Friedman’s article described how a suicide bomber killed 150 people gathered to open an emergency ward in Afghanistan and a female suicide bomber killed 40 students in Baghdad. He says: “Stop and think for a moment how sick this is. Then stop for another moment and listen to the silence. The Bush team is mute…Europeans are mute…But worst of all, Muslims, the very people whose future is being killed, are also mute…the Arab-Muslim village is largely silent. The best are indifferent or intimidated; the worst quietly applaud the Sunnis who kill Shiites.” He quotes Mamoun Fandy, director of the Middle East program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies: The world worries about highly enriched uranium, but “the real danger is highly enriched Islam.”

According to Friedman: “One result: there’s no legitimate, decent, accepted source of Arab-Muslim authority today, no center of gravity “for people to anchor their souls in.” In this welter of confusion, the suicide bombers go uncondemned or subtly extolled.”

So, here is your chance Senator Obama to provide real leadership to moderate and modernize Islam: Please help create an authoritative institution of progressive thinkers that provides a peaceful interpretation of Quran based on its many benign verses and condemns the acts of violence as dictated by Quran’s 7^th-century dogma. Such an institution created under your leadership can become a source of global peace.

Sudden Jihad Syndrome

Terrorism’s New Name: “Sudden Jihad Syndrome”

Investor’s Daily of February 20, 2007 reported that the FBI calls incidents of violent attacks by Muslim youths in the United States as “Sudden Jihad Syndrome” and does not consider them as “terrorist” acts. Sudden Jihad Syndrome is defined as a condition in which normal-appearing American Muslims abruptly turn violent. It seems the FBI is trying to hide jihadist acts of terror committed here, in America, in the guise of political correctness?

The ID has a long list of such incidents, but here is a sample for your consideration.

The Salt Lake City mall attack, in which five innocent shoppers were shot dead and four others were wounded, was launched by an 18-year old Bosnian Muslim immigrant, Sulejman Talovic, who had enough ammo to kill dozens of victims-and he would have, if an alert off-duty cop hadn’t returned fire and stopped him. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Talovic attended Friday prayers at a mosque about a block from the mall.

A 22-year old Iranian honors student, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, deliberately rammed his SUV into a crowd at the University of North Carolina to “punish the government of the United States” for invading Iraq and other Muslim nations. He wrote a letter to a TV station citing Quranic verses justifying his attacks and told a detective that Muslims “all over the world are being killed, and now it is the people in the United States’ turn to be killed.”

A bearded 21-year-old student, Joel Hinrichs, who blew himself up with a backpack filled with TATP (the explosive of choice in the Mideast) outside a packed Oklahoma University football stadium not long after he started attending the local mosque.

Caroline Glick of Jerusalem Post also pointed out in her February 26^th article (Our World: Jihad’s campus collaborators) that a Muslim named Derrick Shareef was arrested in early December for plotting to carry out a similar [to Salt Lake City] attack at a shopping mall in Illinois just before Christmas, after he told FBI informants of his plans to murder Jews specifically and Americans in particular for Allah. Glick adds: “The general tendency of Westerners is to view global jihad as a foreign policy issue. But today it is clear that it is also a domestic policy issue.”

Former NYC mayor Ed Koch wrote in his February 27^th JP blog: “When the US leaves Iraq, as the Democrats promise they will force President Bush to do, will we face the prospect of emboldened Jihadists, with the cry of “God is Great” on their lips, blowing Americans up here in the States?” He added: “Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the leaders of al-Qaeda, bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, have publicly stated all our sins will be forgiven if we convert and urged President Bush to lead the way with his personal conversion.”

Koch reminded that: “There were many who believed they could tame Hitler…And yet, despite all the horror and carnage of the past, we don’t appear to be learning from history. We don’t seem to remember that appeasement never works. It didn’t work at Munich in 1938 with Chamberlain’s infamous statement that we had achieved “peace in our time” with Hitler. It won’t work now.”

So, to Hollywood Jewish billionaire supporters of Senator Barack Hussein Obama: Learn from history and seek clear statement of policy and faith before jumping on Senator’s bandwagon. Here is a British poll that should give you second thoughts: Thirty-seven percent of British Muslims between the ages of 16-24 would rather live under Shari’a law than under British Common Law; 36% think Muslims should be killed if they convert to another religion; 13% admire al-Qaeda and similar terror groups; and 74% believe women should wear veils.

Obama Militia

Obama’s Militias

Strange things are happening.

Hollywood Jewish luminaries are falling over each other to show their support for Obama without concern for his Muslim ancestry, while the Black Establishment seems to think Obama ancestors were not slaves here or “have themselves experienced the trauma of this country’s racial history (Marjorie Valburn in WP, Black Like Me?)”, and therefore question his suitability to represent the black community. As I previously reported, Rev. Sharpton, who sought nomination in the last presidential election, has already indicated Obama is not black enough for his taste.

It is interesting to note that Eugene Robinson writing in the February 20^th WP implied that Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are trying to “convince people that Obama somehow isn’t black enough” without mentioning Sharpton, and ignoring the fact hat Clinton and Edwards have never made such assertion directly or indirectly.

One of the Jewish luminaries, music mogul David Geffen, was not content with hosting the fundraiser for Obama, which netted $1.3 million, and had to tell awful things about Bill and Hillary Clinton to Maureen Dowd, perhaps to prove how much he hates Bill and Hillary, his old friends, and perhaps to prove to Obama his loyalty more than what might have been earned by his DreamWorks partners, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who co-sponsored the Hollywood soiree. Who knows? May be he would like to be appointed ambassador to Israel so that he can atone for his sins at the Western Wall. Or one of his close friends needs a pardon. He still resents that Bill did not grant last minute pardon to his friend Leonard Peltier, a native American serving life sentence for the 1975 murder of two FBI agents. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is a declared candidate, said of Geffen’s comments: “I think these name-callings are not good.”

The Jewish community, including the above Hollywood honchos, should keep in mind the following comment posted on a ABC news Brian Ross report on the function (Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?) by someone named Jihad Jane on February 20^th: “Muslims will rule the world. Go Barak Husein Obama! We are in the Senate, we will run your country, and you will pay for your insolence.” Recently, several American Muslim youths from Chicago area were indicted in connection with a suspected plot to carry out a holy war against American troops in Iraq and for providing material support to terrorists.

One of the most cherished gifts of our nation to its citizens is their freedom to practice their religion, but this does not mean we don’t ask questions regarding the religious beliefs of our political leaders and those aspiring to lead us. Questions were raised regarding the catholic faith of John Kennedy and Orthodox Judaism of Joe Lieberman. People are talking about the Mormon faith of Republican candidate Mitt Romney. And it is absolutely important we explore the views of Barack Hussein Obama on Islam as it is practiced today.

We have nineteen hundred year history of Islam, which clearly shows its brutal nature.

Even a cursory look at the Taliban period in Afghanistan or the al-Queda declarations and decapitations in Iraq, or the Hamas view of Israel, should give liberals, particularly Jews, second thoughts. As Theodore Dalrymple summarizes in When Islam Breaks Down (City Journal, Spring 2004): “The indivisibility of any aspect of life from any other in Islam is a source of strength, but also of fragility and weakness, for individuals as well as for polities. Where all conduct, all custom, has a religious sanction and justification, any change is a threat to the whole system of belief. Certainty that their way of life is the right one thus coexists with fear that the whole edifice-intellectual and political-will come down if it is tampered with in any way. Intransigence is a defense against doubt and makes living on terms of true equality with others who do not share the creed impossible.”

Yes, one can find some benign verses in Quran, but those who have tried to bring moderation to this religion on that basis have been ostracized and the religion continues to be governed by verses that demand violent acts against non-believers, particularly the Jews. Just the other day an Egyptian court convicted a blogger in 5 minutes to three years in prison for insulting Islam and inciting sedition because he called al-Azhar “the university of terrorism” and accused it of suppressing free thought. The blogger was a student at Al-Azhar, which is one of the most revered institutions in the Islamic world, and was expelled for his views. Chapter two in Paul Barrett’s recently published American Islam documents the life story of Abou El Fadl who tried to present a peaceful version of Islam based on benign Quran verses and how he is shunned by the mainstream Islamic establishments. I have already mentioned in my earlier blog, Iraq Conundrum, Ms. Ayann Hirsi Ali’s recently published biography, Infidel, describing the awful aspects of Islam as it is practiced today.

In Europe, according to Nick Cohen (An Upside-Down World, WSJ, February 23, 2007), things are much worse: “Beyond the contortions and betrayals of liberal and leftish thinking lies a simple emotion that I don’t believe Americans take account of: an insidious fear that has produced the ideal conditions for appeasement. Radical Islam does worry Europeans but we are trying to prevent an explosion by going along with Islamist victimhood. We blame ourselves for the Islamist rage, in the hope that our admission of guilt will pacify our enemies. We are scared, but not scared enough to take a stand.”

So, Senator Obama tell us your views on Islam and how your Muslim heritage will influence your policies. Where are your position papers on Israel, dealing with Hamas, Hizbullaha and Darfur? We have a right to know these things before we consider you a serious candidate for U.S. presidency.

Obama Fizzling

Obama Fizzling?

According to the February 13^th Drudge Report “NY Times edit queen Maureen Dowd unloads on Barack Obama in her Wednesday filing… Dowd describes Obama as a “tad testy” as he was “traipsing around desolate stretches of snowy – and extremely white – Iowa. Obama had “ moments of looking conflicted”…Dowd snaps: “He poses for the cover of MEN’s Vogue and then gets huffy when people don’t treat him as Hannah Arendt”.”

A reading of the article in the February 14^th NYT suggests questions are being raised regarding lack of substantive Obama positions besides withdrawal from Iraq by March 2008. Dowd writes: “After talking to high school journalists, he took a sniffy shot at the loutish reporters who were merely whispering where’s the beef: “Take some notes, guys, that’s how it is done.”…”For a man who couldn’t wait to inject himself into the national arena,…., the senator is oddly put off by press inquisitions.”

Salon.com’s Camille Paglia wrote on February 14^th: “I love the way Barack Obama has nimbly upstaged the ponderous Hillary machine…But Obama’s effusive gusts of generalities irritate me; it’s all sizzle and no steak right now. He needs seasoning: 2012 may be his year.”

Senator Barack Hussein Obama has had a bad week since he formally announced his candidacy. He undiplomatically snubbed Australian prime minister because of his criticism of Obama’s Iraq position and called the death of more than 3000 American in Iraq a “waste”. He later apologized for his “waste” comment. If he continues on this track he is likely to transform the Dutch and other nations who have small contingents in Iraq into our enemies. On the positive side, Virginia governor may endorse him.

I also do not understand why the senator does not use his middle name Hussein. Is it to hide his Muslim ancestry? Actually, Barack is also a Muslim name but it is not recognized as such like Hussein, Mohammed and Osama. For a more detailed discussion of my views on this topic see my Iraq Conundrum write-up and its Obama Controversy section.

Since Senator Obama has chosen to follow his mother’s Christian religion and forsake his father’s Muslim faith, he is an apostate for most Muslims, particularly for “true believers”. Apostates are treated very harshly in Islam. As Theodore Dalrymple points out in his brilliant article, When Islam Breaks Down (City Journal, Spring 2004): “…the punishment for apostasy in Islam is death: apostates are regarded as far worse than infidels, and punished far more rigorously.”

For those who are curious, I am a naturalized American from India and my name in based on Hindu monkey God Lord Hanuman. I never had any problems professionally or socially. We live in a relatively affluent neighborhood and recently a Nigerian family bought a house. His name is Olu (for short), which does not seem to bother anyone. In casual conversation it became clear they were a Christian family who migrated from the southern part of that country; Muslims mostly live in the north.

The point is: we are a multiracial society and there is no need to hide the racial or religious heritage unless you want to fool people into believing something different than what you really are. Is Mr. Obama a secular-Christian as he proclaims or deep in his heart, because of his heritage, he is a really a Muslim? This is a reasonable question to ask as Mr. Obama seeks the highest and most powerful office in the country. Mr. Obama has done well as an American and he should try not to hide his Muslim heritage from Americans and should clarify his religious beliefs. I have not received any replies to my e-mail inquires from his office or his church, the Trinity United Church of Christ, regarding the influence of Mr. Obama’s Muslim heritage on his Iraq and Darfur positions and his current religious beliefs.

Al-Qaeda Praying for Obama

Al-Qaeda Praying for Obama?

Senator Barack Hussein Obama reiterated that U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by March 2008 if he were elected president of the United States. As I mentioned in the Iraq Conundrum write-up, this is the earnest hope of Islamic extremists who are fond of showing Arab television viewers U.S. troops leaving Beirut in 1983, Mogadishu in 1993 and Vietnam in 1975. Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard said on Sunday, February 11^th: “If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008, and pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats.”

My question for Senator Obama is: Would you also refuse to intervene in Darfur where Sudanese Arab militias are slaughtering African Muslims? Or would you send American troops there even when European and African countries are unwilling to commit their forces to stop the genocide?

The point is: it is easy to announce a troop withdrawal policy and exploit the current public sentiment than to have a vision of American role in the unfolding global environment. What is your vision of the unfolding world situation Mr. Obama? Do you see the Sunni-Shia conflict subsiding? That seems unlikely and the sectarian conflict is likely to engulf not only Iraq but the whole Middle East if U.S. troops are withdrawn abruptly. Here is what a Sunni cleric Abdul Rahman al-Barak, who is close to Saudi royal family said about Shias: “infidels, apostates and hypocrites.”

Lately, the pacifist drumbeat is being presented as well though out views of trained soldiers. Consider the February 10^th article in the Washington Post, Victory Is Not an Option, by retired army lieutenant general William E. Odom. There are so many questionable statements in it but one of the four myths, number 4 to be exact, underscored by Mr. Odom is outrageous and implies we should ask soldiers if they want to stay and fight and should withdraw if an increasing number of soldiers are unhappy with the war. Although the biographical blurb with the article does not mention it, Mr. Odom wrote “U.S. Should “Cut and Run” From Iraq” in October 4, 2005 Democracy Now!’ issue. He was of course part of the Carter team that gave us the Iran disaster.

Senator Obama is a good man but he is not ready to lead America and the world.

Joe Lieberman Choke-hold on Senate Democrats

Joe Lieberman

In my Iraq Conundrum essay I mentioned the critical role played by Senator Joe Lieberman in providing Democrats a majority in the Senate. This point was clearly articulated in the February 12^th New Yorker article by Jeffrey Goldberg, titled The Lorax: “ Lieberman’s Democratic colleagues know that if he switched parties they would lose their majority, and so they tend to indulge him, unless they are speaking to reporters off the record.”

Joe Lieberman is a strong supporter of Bush Iraq policy. He told Goldberg: “So why do I trust President Bush in spite of the mistakes that were made, consequential mistakes? Because having watched him, having talked to him, I believe that he understands the life-and-death struggle we are in with the most deadly and unconventional enemy, Islamic extremism. And that he has shown himself, notwithstanding all these mistakes, willing to go forward with what he believes is right for the security of the country, regardless of what it has done to him popularity.”

The article also mentions that he is reading “America Alone” by Mark Steyn, which argues that Europe is succumbing, demographically and culturally, to an onslaught by Islam, leaving America friendless in its confrontation with Islamic extremism.

It should be clear from this that Senate Democrats will never dare to rock the boat.