It’s conceivable that there are those in the Arab world who say to themselves, “This is a guy who spent some time in the Muslim world, has a middle name of Hussein, and appears more worldly and has called for talks with people, and so he’s not going to be engaging in the same sort of cowboy diplomacy as George Bush,” and that’s something they’re hopeful about.As if Hamas were just some random collection of Arabs in a hookah bar. Then there's this.
On the flip side, ninme (got to it first, curses) links to an interesting wrinkle suggesting the Hamas-Obama love affair may not outlast inauguration day.
Obama was born to a Muslim father and converted to Christianity. That conversion, writes Luttwak, “was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is irtidad or ridda, usually translated from the Arabic as ‘apostasy’, but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).snip
Luttwak, a military strategist known for his maverick views, concedes that no Muslim government is likely to prosecute a President Obama for apostasy – but Islamic law prohibits punishment for any Muslim who kills an apostate. Luttwak’s conclusion: “At the very least, that would complicate the security planning of state visits by President Obama to Muslim countries, because the very act of protecting him would be sinful for Islamic security guards.”snip
“More broadly, most citizens of the Islamic world would be horrified by the fact of Senator Obama’s conversion to Christianity once it became widely known — as it would, no doubt, should he win the White House. This would compromise the ability of governments in Muslim nations to cooperate with the United States in the fight against terrorism, as well as American efforts to export democracy and human rights abroad.”Obama as walking icon of religious liberty? I might have to vote for him.
