American Ideological Society - The art of sugaring words

"In brief, he [Obama] broke little new ground but raised to new heights the art of sugaring words in ways appealing to Islamists."

Assessing Obama's Cairo Speech

by Daniel Pipes

Barack Obama's mention of "seven million American Muslims" in the course of his rambling and complex six-thousand-word address to the Muslim world from Cairo symbolizes the whole message. Continued...

Study after study has found that demographic figure about three times too high. But Islamist organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Society of North America relentlessly promote the notion of seven or even ten million American Muslims. Obama's accepting their version amounts to a giveaway, a cheap way to win the approbation of Islamists who so widely influence Muslim opinion.

"Giveaway," indeed, defines the whole speech – inexpensive nods, tips of the hat, and salutations to win Muslim favor without initiating new approaches or embarking on new policies. The speech confirms Obama's personal efforts (note how, in keeping with his past practice, he uses the word "respect" ten times in this speech) as well as the established practice of American political leaders to promote Islam, tell Muslims what their religion really means, avoid references to radical Islam, and excoriate violent Islamism while accepting the non-violent variety.

On other issues too – Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Arab-Israeli conflict, democracy – Obama reiterated his known policies.

In brief, he broke little new ground but raised to new heights the art of sugaring words in ways appealing to Islamists.

Assessing Obama's Cairo Speech - Daniel Pipes Blog

President Obama in his speech in Cairo said: "The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."

Comment by Mladen Andrijasevic:

I really find it odd that neither President Obama nor any of his advisors did not realize that the meaning of verse 5:32 is not clear until it is quoted together with verse 5:33 which follows it:

005.032

YUSUFALI: On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land

005.033

YUSUFALI: The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;

American Thinker Blog: Obama quotes verse 5:32, omits 5:33

President Obama in his Cairo speech said: "I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Comment by Boris Tiraspolsky:

I wonder, who gave THAT "responsibility" to president Obama. It certainly does not derive from the Constitution of the United States:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

President Obama in his Cairo speech just repeated one of the principles of Islamic jihad, or rather "jihad by the tongue".

The latter is a struggle of good represented by Islam against evil - "negative stereotypes of Islam" waged by writing and speech, political or military propaganda.

Comment by Jeffrey Imm:

"America continues to face a reality truly stranger than any possible fiction... a bad dream from which our nation desperately needs to awaken. Don't You Know There's A War On? Indeed, they don't - certainly not a global war by Jihadists. That remains the problem. That is why we can't identify the enemy as more than "extremists," and that is why we can't get government leadership to develop a global strategy against Jihad. When it comes to Jihad and its ideological basis, they just don't know there's a war on."

The state of mass denial about Jihad

Comment by Frank J. Gaffney Jr. :

"Obama administration seems keen to embrace those in the Muslim Brotherhood and like-minded Islamist organizations who seek to impose the toxic theo-political-legal program authoritative Islam calls Shariah on distant populations - and insinuate it into our country."

Encourage our enemies