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September 19, 2008 Our Allies Want McCainBy Richard L. BenkinThe
Obama campaign and Democrats in general point to the cheering European
crowds that greeted their presidential nominee, Barack Obama, as
evidence that he would “win back” the admiration and cooperation of
world opinion. They could also point to the headline in London’s Guardian the day after George W.Bush’s re-election. Citing the Bush victory, the Guardian wondered
if Americans were “that stupid.” And we know that survey after
survey shows that respondents in every single country, save Israel,
want us to elect Barack Obama President. This
is not the first time we have heard this. How many people
remember US Senator John Kerry’s “global test” remark? During his
unsuccessful bid for the presidency, Kerry said that US troops must be
used only if “that passes the global test…and you can prove to the
world that you did it for legitimate reasons.” To be sure, the comment
was one of many that Kerry made that showed just how out of step he was
with American voters—and he paid the price at the polls. But more
importantly, it was a comment that was not his alone but stemmed from
one of the basic articles of liberal faith: that under President
George W. Bush, the United States has lost its standing and moral
authority in the world. It is an article of faith that 2008
presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama return to
again and again. It is, however, a fallacy that shows American liberals are as far removed from reality today as their 2004 standard bearer was. For the most part, when they speak of us “losing the rest of the world,” they are referring to Western Europe. To be sure, there is a certain compelling logic to it since Europe has been seen as a great ally over the last century and in two world wars -- wars fought in large part against Europeans. But the strength of the argument is only apparent. It is a vestige from a “white man’s burden” world; one in which Europe was seen as the only arbiters of taste and international politics; a world that no longer exists, except in the minds of some European chauvinists. A world that still sees relevance in vestigial racial and cultural ties, and an argument that reflects the elitist and racist perspective of those (primarily on the Left) who make it. Moreover, our interests and Europe’s have been diverging ever since the end of the Cold War. The primary arena is economic competition, but it also shows up in geopolitical issues as well as issues of culture, religion, and morality. Poll after poll shows that respondents in every European (and Muslim) country want us to make Barack Obama president in November. On the other hand, those people who are on the front lines of our war against Islamist extremism feel just as passionately that an Obama victory will undermine their efforts. No
matter whom Americans support or their position on this war, they
overwhelmingly recognize that victory requires active international
participation and not only action by the United States. Among
those international allies out there fighting this war, there is
resounding support for a John McCain victory in November. The
European crowds that swooned before Obama are marginally important in
this war on terror. These are the same people who say in survey
after survey that the United States (along with Israel) is the greatest
threat to world peace; who have tried to prosecute our military leaders
in their courts and call our troops war criminals. As British
journalist Melanie Phillips and other observers have described, they
are more likely to follow their grandparents’ example at Munich in 1937
and try to appease today’s Adolph Hitlers rather than they are to stand
with us and fight. Salah
Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Muslim journalist who was arrested and
tortured for exposing the rise of Islamists in his country of
Bangladesh and especially their use of Muslim schools for this
purpose. He is openly pro-Israel and pro-US, and has urged his
Islamic state to recognize Israel. Shoaib Choudhury continues to
publish his weekly paper with articles that criticize the government,
expose Islamists, and praise the United States and Israel. He is
now on trial for “sedition, treason, and blasphemy.” When
I was attempting to free him in 2003, I approached about 15 percent of
the House and almost a dozen US Senators. Every one of them --
Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, and moderate -- gave their
support and took action; every one of them, that is, except Barack
Obama. Choudhury’s Weekly Blitz tried to educate
Bangladeshis about “the real Barack Obama, not the fantasy in the
media,” he told me; and asks regularly if “our Senator John McCain will
be victorious.” He and others who are trying to block an Islamist
takeover of their country pray daily for that outcome. Bikash
Halder is not a wealthy man; he is not an influential man; but he is a
tireless activist committed to stop the ethnic cleansing of Bangladeshi
Hindus. A citizen of West Bengal, India, he is also active in
helping to expose the connection between Islamists and West Bengal’s
communist government. Earlier this year, he was dragged from a
bus and beaten by more than a dozen Communist and Islamist supporters
as he was on his way to a meeting. He has had to sell some of the
tiny bit of land he has; and he led me through over a dozen refugee
camps near the India-Bangladesh-Nepal border not without danger of
attack. Since the spring, he has sent out countless emails to his
fellow Indians asking them to convince their friends and family in the
United States to vote McCain in November; that Obama would let the
brutalization of their people continue. Halder and his growing
number of allies contact me on a near daily basis and ask what they can
do help elect McCain. They, too, pray daily for his success. Amitabh
Tripathi abandoned his career as a freelance journalist to become a
full-time activist; so seriously threatened does he believe his country
of India is. He has been organizing “alternate media,” organizing
allied groups all across his 1.1 million square mile country. He
has translated pro-US and pro-Israel articles into Hindi for greater
circulation; visited the Israeli embassy for help in fighting
Islamists; and brought together people from various Indian
communities. He also helped me develop contacts who would support
my efforts to stop ethnic cleansing in West Bengal and
Bangladesh. Tripathi is so concerned about a possible Obama
victory that he has translated articles about Obama into Hindi and
distributed them; has organized meetings; and has written articles and
given interviews about the danger of an Obama presidency. When
Obama said he supported Jerusalem as Israel’s unified capital, then
backed off a few hours later after Arab pressure; Tripathi was
livid. “If he changes so quickly on an issue so important to US
voters…how can we believe that he will be strong and not let Islamists
overtake India?” Tripathi has been sending me information and
contacts that he believes will help McCain carry the Indian-American
vote. In a recent interview, he said called an Obama victory “a
big setback in our fight against Islamism,” especially those who have
found their way by legal means into various South Asian government. Each
one of these men has dedicated their lives to fighting radical Islam;
each one has done so despite the danger; and each has suffered for
it. They also have become leaders in this effort and reflect the
opinions of numerous other freedom fighters. South Asia with over
one in five human beings will be the critical battleground in the war
on Islamist extremism. For some time, opponents have been
stepping up their efforts and become more public about it. And
whether the Obama welcomes their endorsement, those on the anti-US side
of the fight uniformly hope he is elected in November. Our most
fervent allies, who have been willing to face attack and privation for
that stance, just as uniformly pray for a President John McCain.
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Comments
Richard, Please explain: When I was attempting to free him in 2003, I approached about 15 percent of the House and almost a dozen US Senators. Every one of them -- Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, and moderate -- gave their support and took action; every one of them, that is, except Barack Obama. In 2003 Obama wasn't a US Senator. I think this should be clarified. Why would you ask him for his support. He was a nobody community organizer/IL state senator.
Posted by: Rob Z | September 19, 2008 12:53 AM
Fear not. It matters little what the great unwashed masses in Western European capitals think. It's what their governements do and say that counts. France, Italy, Germany and (soon to be) Britain, represent the core of "Old Europe". Ideologically, they mesh with McCain's world view than with Obama's. Likewise with "New Europe".
Posted by: Mike | September 19, 2008 01:16 AM
Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist because they have been mis-educated and de-educated by the British schooling. Muslim children are confused because they are being educated in a wrong place at a wrong time in state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. They face lots of problems of growing up in two distinctive cultural traditions and value systems, which may come into conflict over issues such as the role of women in the society, and adherence to religious and cultural traditions. The conflicting demands made by home and schools on behaviour, loyalties and obligations can be a source of psychological conflict and tension in Muslim youngsters. There are also the issues of racial prejudice and discrimination to deal with, in education and employment. They have been victim of racism and bullying in all walks of life. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistanis and 54% of Bangladeshi children has been victims of bullies. The first wave of Muslim migrants were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education. Than little by little, the overt and covert discrimination in the system turned them off. There are fifteen areas where Muslim parents find themselves offended by state schools.
The right to education in one's own comfort zone is a fundamental and inalienable human right that should be available to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or religious background. Schools do not belong to state, they belong to parents. It is the parents' choice to have faith schools for their children. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim teacher or a child in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. An ICM Poll of British Muslims showed that nearly half wanted their children to attend Muslim schools. There are only 143 Muslim schools. A state funded Muslim school in Birmingham has 220 pupils and more than 1000 applicants chasing just 60.
Majority of anti-Muslim stories are not about terrorism but about Muslim culture--the hijab, Muslim schools, family life and religiosity. Muslims in the west ought to be recognised as a western community, not as an alien culture.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Posted by: Iftikhar Ahmad | September 19, 2008 09:45 AM
Rob Z asked me to clarify why I would approach Barack Obama in 2003. Good question. I was doing this from 2003 through 2005 when we finally forced Shoaib Choudhury's release. I first approached Obama in early 2005. He was a US Senator by then, and one of two representing my state of Illinois. As the struggle continues even after Shoaib's release, I approached him again in 2005 and in 2006 with the same result.
By the way, Obama was the only one of my three Capital Hill representatives who passed on acting. My other (very liberal) Senator Dick Durbin responded in several positive ways. My Congressman, Mark Kirk (R)--who is also my personal Washington hero and an amazing individual--took on the case as a personal fight and is still working with me on this and similar issues involving human rights and our existential battle against terrorism.
Posted by: Richard Benkin | September 19, 2008 01:43 PM