On Obama’s Cairo declaration
By HAMISU GUMEL and Sani Bala Shehu
"The east is east and the west is west and never the twain shall meet"- Rudyard Kiplin

With the import of the above verse, coupled with Samuel P. Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations," one could not fail to decipher the implausibility in President Obama's so-called speech to the Muslim world given the deep-rooted historical animosity against everything Islamic ingrained in the psyche of Americans and Western people in general. Huntington, for example, singles out "the Muslim propensity for violent conflict" as a major challenge to the American power. And another fellow American, Francis Fukuyama, in his book "The End of History and The Last Man," described Islamism as an "inherently parochial phenomenon" that inevitably stands against America's interest in the world.
So, in the first place, the questions to ask are: Was Obama really sincere about his desire to reconcile with the Muslim world? Or is this an attempt to save face, thereby saving America from the brink? If he is serious, is he also willing to break free from the shackles of Zionism?
If Obama was sincere, his speech on peace mission to the Muslims is the least way of going about it; let him start with concrete action and the Muslim world would understand and appropriately reciprocate. But rhetoric (with no substance) can only be seen as another ploy to lure the Muslims into the trap of American barbarism. The Muslims are not foolish. We did not start the conflict, they did. And they will be the ones to start righting the wrongs, not with rhetorical speeches, but actions. In fact, Obama should have started by apologising to the Muslim world for the decades of plunder and killing of our loved ones. After all, they were the ones who travelled thousands of miles away from their lands to come and kill us "heathens" – and still call themselves civilized!
Righting the wrongs in the US foreign policy is a near impossible task for an Obama to execute, especially when the Hawks, ably controlled and financed by global Zionism are still relevant in his government. The focal point of America's foreign policy is aggression against the weaker, especially Muslim nations. Is the US under Obama, ready to stop imposing unpopular dictatorial regimes on Muslim countries and also stop demonizing and emasculating popular governments voted by the people?
A case study at hand is Palestine. With all its claims to spreading and upholding democracy, America was the first to disregard a democratically elected Hamas government and even helped the Zionist regime to exterminate the Gaza people because of their choice! Unless Obama will show action in recognising the Hamas government and ordering the Zionist forces out of the Palestinian land, no sane person could believe his rhetoric.
He must also stop aiding blasphemy and blackmail against Islam. Today, America serves as an automatic sanctuary for anyone harbouring evil intent against Islam and Muslims. When the apostate, Salman Rushdie, used his pen to spew poison on Islam's sacred symbols, America shielded and supported him.
The Muslims are not against the American people, who are vastly misinformed and are led like a flock of sheep. But we are against their marionette government, being controlled by Zionists who reap from the plunder and massacre of others.
One of the simple ways to "end the circle of suspicion and discord" is for America to renounce its habit of double standard whenever it comes to dealing with the Muslim world. What is good for the goose, they say, is also good for the gander. Therefore, he must view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (for instance) with an objective eye. For, you cannot convince the Palestinians that you support their struggle for homeland while at the same time you are aiding Israel (with weapons and moral backing) to continue killing them and razing their dwellings.
Obama was economical with the truth when he said America "was never at war with Islam." Because he knew well they are out there killing us in every part of the world. Since the White House-engineered attacks of 9/11, anti-Islam hysteria has grown much bigger in America and Europe as even mere talks about Muslims right cannot be tolerated. The 9/11 was the least excuse they needed to start running amok – spilling innocent blood in the pure soils of Muslim lands. It has reached the stage that a mention of the word "Islam" is enough to attract America's wrath on any country or organisation. Examples abound in Somalia where, in spite of the several years of atrocities by warlords without America's intervention, the taking over of Mogadishu by the Union of Islamic Courts brought about bombardments by US marines and pushing of Ethiopian troops into the war-ravaged nation; and in Philippines where Muslims fighting for their freedom where termed terrorists by the US government, plus many other instances.
If, for instance, Alqaeda killed 3,000 people on 9/11, as claimed by Obama, then how many thousands of innocent lives did the American troops kill (and are still killing) across the Muslim world in their so-called reprisal attacks? Or are those innocent people killed not human beings like the Americans he swore to protect?
Another area of contention is that of cultural imperialism. America and the West regard their culture as superior and only deserved way of life, and while disregarding and demeaning the Muslims’ culture, they also portray those who stick to their tradition as extremists and fundamentalists, in a very negative way. It seemed therefore, for the Muslims to be accepted by the West and America, they must abandon their culture and wholly assimilate into the hackneyed lifestyle.
When Obama spoke of extremists among Muslims, I saw double standard. In balance, he should have talked about the gangs of extremists and Muslim-haters in America and Europe. People like Geert Wilders, a member of Dutch Parliament and producer of a blasphemous documentary against Islam, which recently raised uproar in the Muslim world. He has been known for his scathing attacks on Islam and its symbols. He once called the Qur’an "a fascist book that incites violence." So, why only Muslim extremists and not American or Western?
Walt Disney is a film outfit that specializes in producing anti-Islam films, mostly sponsored by the American government and Zionist groups. Will Obama stop that? The extremists were sometimes, the real Muslims who, because of their choice to tenaciously adhere to their religious principles, were dubbed such names as fundamentalists and extremists.
The wounds inflicted by America's atrocities are still fresh with us. The holocaust in Bosnia; the genocide in Palestine; the invasion and massacres in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. Now, how can all these healed by a hollow speech? Obama should know that the Muslims did not just wake up one day and start feeling hatred toward America. No, it was inflicted and caused. So, unless the root causes of the problem are addressed, there will never be peace between these two worlds. And the Samuel Huntington's clash of civilizations dream will be fulfilled.


HAMISU GUMEL and Sani Bala Shehu - Civil Liberties Organasation(CLO), Northwest Zone, Kano.