In a time of great political upheaval in the United States, it is oddly comforting to know that some things always stay the same.
Just days ahead of President Obama’s much anticipated speech in Egypt, a voice from the not so distant past has appeared on the world stage. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say this voice appears from stage left, denoting that the speaker is conveniently out of sight, but this lack of appearance can hardly be surprising given the locutor’s current status in the eyes of the United States Armed Forces.
This disembodied voice belongs to perennial boogeyman Osama bin Laden, and it underscores exactly how little the perception of America has changed in the eyes of Muslim extremists despite the election of Barack Obama.
“Obama has followed the footsteps of his predecessor in increasing animosity towards Muslims and increasing enemy fighters and establishing long-term wars… So the American people should get ready to reap the fruits of what the leaders of the White House have planted throughout the coming years and decades.”
Just switch the surname Obama with Bush and you’ll have a delightful little trip back in time. I doubt President Obama would appreciate the comparison, but he might find it grimly illuminating.
While the mainstream Muslim world (which constitutes the vast majority of this religious group) has an unprecedented approval rating of the current president the depressing truth is that a sizable minority will be openly plotting to us. This comes from certain fundamental differences in the way American and arch-conservative Muslim societies function. Because we do things like conduct openly critical epistemological examinations of our religious institutions, allow women to speak in public, watch TV, etc. America will always be at openly hostile odds with some sections of the Muslim world.
The fact of the matter is there is no way to persuade some Obama loyalists that the much vaunted (and annoyingly repeated) mantra of ‘change’ has had no effect on the diehards like the Taliban and Al-Qaida. Osama bin Laden doesn’t care that we’ve elected a new president, one who campaigned extensively on the premise that he would do everything radically different than his Republican predecessor. All they see is that, gosh darnit, The United States hasn’t handed over Afghanistan to Mohammed Omar and his petty thugs and we are doing everything we can to get Pakistan to unseat the Taliban government they so shortsightedly let come to power. Their war is against the whole idea of the United States, not just the current figurehead.
