The American Thinker features this article by Peter Barry Chowka that illustrates conservative bigotry and the Obama Derangement Syndrome. Presumably this article is intended to be a commentary on Obama's speeches aimed at improving our relationships in the Middle East. This deceptive statement is what passes as the thesis in the opening paragraph:
The home page, and especially its compelling large image, appeared to visually suggest the America that Obama has been describing recently -- a country that is not a Christian nation, nor a Jewish nation, not even a pluralistic nation, but "one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."
From there it goes on to make disparaging comments about a video describing Muslim Americans who work in the federal government. Stop the presses. Yikes. Cue up the Islamofascist terrorist-sympathizer blather.
Chowka seems desperate to portray Obama as somehow playing faith favoritism. It is unclear whether it was illiteracy, dishonesty, or the Obama Derangement Syndrome that caused him to pick a few phrases out of context to change the meaning and pander to the conservative bigots who equate Islam with terrorism. Here is what Obama said:
That's something that's very important to me. And I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is -- although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.
Source
Obama said that Americans have shared ideals and values that transcends any specific religious tradition. According to Chowka, Obama said we are not a Christian or Jewish nation. That sure sounds like faith-baiting the conservative Christian too lazy to look up what Obama actually said. Chowka is supposedly a journalist, but is incapable of understanding the meaning of "we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation."
The faith-bating comes to a crescendo with the butchered construction that has Obama calling America "'one of the largest Muslim countries in the world." So we are not Christian or Jewish, but Muslim? Obama actually said that the number of Muslims in America constitutes one of the largest Muslim populations in world. Way to faith-bait, Chowka.
Now, the flip side is I think that the United States and the West generally, we have to educate ourselves more effectively on Islam. And one of the points I want to make is, is that if you actually took the number of Muslims Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. And so there's got to be a better dialogue and a better understanding between the two peoples.
Source
From that inglorious beginning, Chowka goes on whine mightily about this video on the White House website. His implication that the three people in the video are "Muslim Proselytizers."
Muslim Americans working in the government? Oh my Allah. This must be the proof that Obama is a closet Muslim and terrorist sympathizer.
Much of the Chowka's innuendo is focused on the Afeefa Syeed, the first person in the video. He dredges up the fact that in her previous job Syeed took Muslim children to a public school at the invitation of a teacher to talk about Ramadan.
During the next few weeks, multicultural trainer Afeefa Syeed will bring third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students from a Muslim academy in Herndon, Va., to nearby public schools to share the practices and beliefs of their holiest month, Ramadan.
The story was elevated to an accusation of proselytizing by the conservative rag FrontPageMag. Syeed attempted to respond to the distortions of her original interview with a Kansas City newspaper. Here a portion of her response.
The presentations are celebratory about cultural traditions and are aimed to highlight the commonness between us all. No one is told that Islam is a better religion; no one is asked to accept Islam as the “true path.” In fact, proselytizing is not an objective of these presentations, and is not fundamental to our practice of the faith.
We go to classrooms in area schools as invitees of teachers who are sincere in their efforts to teach. Many times they are not knowledgeable themselves about Ramadan and appreciate having us there to talk about our traditions.
Chowka next focuses on the poster in Syeed's office.
Eighteen seconds into the June 4, 2009 White House video, a poster presumably decorating Syeed's government office is shown. It's a takeoff on the patriotic and iconic World War II Rosie the Riveter painting by J. Howard Miller, changed to show the female as a covered Muslim with the classic WW II home front slogan, "We can do it."
The male in the video does not attract much Chowka attention:
The second person in the White House video is Rashad Hussain, appointed on January 28, 2009 as deputy associate counsel to President Barack Obama.
The third person in the video, a female, gets the full innuendo treatment as she is guilty of two sins - how she refers to her father's birthplace and making a claim that American Muslims share a common set of values with Muslims in other parts of the world.
In the video, Bashir says her father was born in "Northern Palestine." Since a country named "Northern Palestine" does not, and has not, exist(ed), it is presumed that she is in fact referring to northern Israel. The fact that she apparently cannot bring herself to say the word "Israel" is disturbing enough by itself.
Another curious Bashir comment in the video: "The ideals that we hold as American Muslims are not that different from what they - from what Muslims around the world also hold."
I wonder if it occurred to this "investigative journalist" that the area in question is not part of Israel but part of the area administered by the Palestinian Authority? It is funny how her reference is somehow twisted into a rejection of Israel. And I wonder if I were to say that the ideals held by American Christians are not different from what Christians around the world also hold, would I have violated some Chowka rule? Or how about American Jews holding the same ideals as Jews around the world hold? Would those be grounds for attributing some nefarious purpose?
The 64 comments to the article indicate the Chowka's Obama Derangement Syndrome and bigotry hit the mark. Here is a small sample:
Posted by: DaveOregon
Jun 05, 10:47 PM
Thanks for bringing this to AT readers. Frankly, I'm in shock. I really can't express my dismay, anger, frustration, and gut rolling about this man, the Congress that is allowing him to get away with it, and why the people of this country are not protesting in the streets daily!
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Posted by: Rick Johnson
Jun 06, 06:00 AM
This latest trip by The Platitudinal One has convinced me that he is a Muslim. Let's get this joke out of office before he destroys the entire country!
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Posted by: Bear1909
Jun 06, 04:46 AM
We must bring closure to the birth certificate issue. It is the simplest way to throw his disgusting perversion of the Presidency out onto the curb.
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Posted by: Linda B.
Jun 06, 08:28 AM
Islam is in no hurry to convert this country. Our president has already proclaimed this one of the largest muslim countries in the world. This was the signal of a beginning of conversion. A next step would be to get sharia law incorportated into our legal system. Another may be to take away the tax exemption of our Christian churches. It's coming, but the one thing they don't count on is the American people coming together to stop it. We must find and elect conservatives with some common sense in 2010 and 2012.
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Posted by: JSteeves
Jun 06, 10:07 AM
Why is the " Mighty O " pushing Islam? Anyone who knows anything about Islam knows that it is not a system that is in the least bit tolerant. It is the way of Islam or nothing. You can't even leave the religion if you choose to.
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Posted by: Descans
Jun 06, 02:41 PM
Was anyone capable of rational thought sufficiently deluded before the election to believe that Obams isn't an ethno-centric Moslem with an intellectual bias in favor of totalitarian politics and coercive culture control? How in the world could so many people of good will be so deluded? Wake up, people, you have everything to lose, including your country and your freedom!
Should Chowka and his conservative brethren take exception to being called bigots, then they should clarify why they feel the need to vilify the practice of the Muslim faith, including those who want to practice their faith as Americans. And before you accuse Islam of inspiring violence, you would do well to remember your own lust for violence in supporting the war of choice in Iraq, torture, and inhumane treatment, all directed at Muslims. Do you recognize this? "See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people."
