Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians

[Tilly]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Really? Does this sound like religious freedom to you? You see, shariah law runs side by side and is is enforced so this is what you actually get:

KUALA LUMPUR - Lina Joy, the Malay lady who converted from Islam to Christianity, has lost her long battle to have her new religion legally recognized. On May 30 the Federal Court, which is the highest civil court in Malaysia, decided that only the Islamic Court may remove the word "Islam" from her identity card.



Without this change, Ms Joy cannot marry the man she loves, an Indian Christian. Of the three judges called to hear her appeal, one (Richard Malanjum) was in favour, two (Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Federal Judge Alauddin Mohd Sheriff) against.



The verdict came after a long wait and much heated public debate, pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and death threats against the woman and her lawyers.



Azlina Jailani, 42, born Malay and therefore regarded as Muslim, began attending church in 1990. In 1998 she was baptized and took on the name Lina Joy. In 2000 she applied first to the National Registration Department (NRD) and then the Court of Appeal to remove the designation "Islam" (as her religion) from her identity papers.



It is only by having this change made that she be would be able to marry her Christian boyfriend of Indian origin because a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. Both the requests to the National Registration Department and to the Court of Appeal were refused. This led Ms Joy to appeal to the Federal Court.



She was refused in both earlier requests on the grounds that she was ethnic Malay. In Malaysia that made her legally a Muslim and being a Muslim she "could not change religion" and therefore the identification "Islam" could not be removed by the civil authorities. Religious issues involving Muslims fall under the jurisdiction of Islamic courts. Thus, two legal systems in the country: one based on Sharia (Islamic law); the other on the Constitution.
Lina Joy's conversion to Christianity not accepted by Malaysian court

Religion at work. The fix, liberalism.

OK. How would you implement the fix?

Slowly and painfully, just as we did with the Christians and the Jews.

And the first step, everyone standing up for the bloody thing not working for ISIS fighting a Holy War.

Can you be more specific. How would you impose liberalism on Muslims?

 

[PaintMyHouse]

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Really? Does this sound like religious freedom to you? You see, shariah law runs side by side and is is enforced so this is what you actually get:

KUALA LUMPUR - Lina Joy, the Malay lady who converted from Islam to Christianity, has lost her long battle to have her new religion legally recognized. On May 30 the Federal Court, which is the highest civil court in Malaysia, decided that only the Islamic Court may remove the word "Islam" from her identity card.



Without this change, Ms Joy cannot marry the man she loves, an Indian Christian. Of the three judges called to hear her appeal, one (Richard Malanjum) was in favour, two (Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Federal Judge Alauddin Mohd Sheriff) against.



The verdict came after a long wait and much heated public debate, pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and death threats against the woman and her lawyers.



Azlina Jailani, 42, born Malay and therefore regarded as Muslim, began attending church in 1990. In 1998 she was baptized and took on the name Lina Joy. In 2000 she applied first to the National Registration Department (NRD) and then the Court of Appeal to remove the designation "Islam" (as her religion) from her identity papers.



It is only by having this change made that she be would be able to marry her Christian boyfriend of Indian origin because a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. Both the requests to the National Registration Department and to the Court of Appeal were refused. This led Ms Joy to appeal to the Federal Court.



She was refused in both earlier requests on the grounds that she was ethnic Malay. In Malaysia that made her legally a Muslim and being a Muslim she "could not change religion" and therefore the identification "Islam" could not be removed by the civil authorities. Religious issues involving Muslims fall under the jurisdiction of Islamic courts. Thus, two legal systems in the country: one based on Sharia (Islamic law); the other on the Constitution.
Lina Joy's conversion to Christianity not accepted by Malaysian court

Religion at work. The fix, liberalism.

OK. How would you implement the fix?

Slowly and painfully, just as we did with the Christians and the Jews.

And the first step, everyone standing up for the bloody thing not working for ISIS fighting a Holy War.

Can you be more specific. How would you impose liberalism on Muslims?

You don't impose it. You defend it, you promote it nonstop, and you let it undermine the faith.

 

[TheOldSchool]

UN says 75% are men

Yeah, I thought that was the case. The fact checker site cited by numb nuts is probably an ideologically driven hack site.

Lol this is why it's so hard for me to be civil on this site.

Hey you fucking retards, the numbers you're hearing from your partisan talking heads are total bullshit. Read my link. The refugees coming here are not your dumb catchphrase of 72% "military aged males." You may believe that, but to deny reality is embarrassing.

So, your beloved UN is lying and your partisan hack site is reliable and correct?

Omg click the link idiot.

I did. Just because you come across a nugget you agree with on the internet does not necessarily make it the gospel truth. There can be questions about methodology and bias. Clearly someone like you cannot be trusted to provide unbiased corroboration.

If you don't believe the UN's numbers about Syrian refugees coming here, why do you believe their numbers about non-Syrian refugees that aren't coming here?

 

[Tilly]

Really? Does this sound like religious freedom to you? You see, shariah law runs side by side and is is enforced so this is what you actually get:

KUALA LUMPUR - Lina Joy, the Malay lady who converted from Islam to Christianity, has lost her long battle to have her new religion legally recognized. On May 30 the Federal Court, which is the highest civil court in Malaysia, decided that only the Islamic Court may remove the word "Islam" from her identity card.



Without this change, Ms Joy cannot marry the man she loves, an Indian Christian. Of the three judges called to hear her appeal, one (Richard Malanjum) was in favour, two (Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Federal Judge Alauddin Mohd Sheriff) against.



The verdict came after a long wait and much heated public debate, pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and death threats against the woman and her lawyers.



Azlina Jailani, 42, born Malay and therefore regarded as Muslim, began attending church in 1990. In 1998 she was baptized and took on the name Lina Joy. In 2000 she applied first to the National Registration Department (NRD) and then the Court of Appeal to remove the designation "Islam" (as her religion) from her identity papers.



It is only by having this change made that she be would be able to marry her Christian boyfriend of Indian origin because a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. Both the requests to the National Registration Department and to the Court of Appeal were refused. This led Ms Joy to appeal to the Federal Court.



She was refused in both earlier requests on the grounds that she was ethnic Malay. In Malaysia that made her legally a Muslim and being a Muslim she "could not change religion" and therefore the identification "Islam" could not be removed by the civil authorities. Religious issues involving Muslims fall under the jurisdiction of Islamic courts. Thus, two legal systems in the country: one based on Sharia (Islamic law); the other on the Constitution.
Lina Joy's conversion to Christianity not accepted by Malaysian court

Religion at work. The fix, liberalism.

OK. How would you implement the fix?

Slowly and painfully, just as we did with the Christians and the Jews.

And the first step, everyone standing up for the bloody thing not working for ISIS fighting a Holy War.

Can you be more specific. How would you impose liberalism on Muslims?

You don't impose it. You defend it, you promote it nonstop, and you let it undermine the faith.

I see. How many decades/centuries do you think that would take? And these libs don't seem to be having much success. The country seems to be moving backwards rather than forwards, for example a recent ruling bans non Muslims from uttering the word 'allah', i guess thats to impede peoples abilities to discuss islam etc. They also recently imprisoned the opposition leader on false charges of sodomy. Libs are equated with hoosexuality and 'deviancy'. There is so much more. Anyway, maybe you could give these poor chaps some pointers.
FEATURESPOLITICSSOUTHEAST ASIAMALAYSIA

Image Credit: REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad
Malaysia’s Helpless Liberals
The opposition response to scandals and growing repression has been weak.

By Shaun Tan
August 17, 2015
2.0k
4
2.0k Shares
16 Comments
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” So goes the poem by William Butler Yeats, a line that could easily be used to sum up the state of affairs in Malaysia.

The Malaysian liberal can be a curious character. Holding views considered liberal when compared against many of his countrymen, but which may well run into the conservative in Western societies, he (or she) is a tragic figure, his way of life often under attack by his country’s ruling party and the groups aligned with it.

For news, he eschews the government-controlled press – the vapid broadcasts of RTM, the propaganda sheets of Utusan or The New Straits Times – looking instead to more independent media outlets. He listens to BFM 89.9 and reads The Edge and The Malaysian Insider, or foreign publications like the BBC, The New York Times, or The Wall Street Journal. He learns about the latest crackdown or the latest Malaysian fiasco to grab international headlines and he fumes or laughs in disgusted disbelief. He decries it later with his friends and acquaintances over supper at a mamak stall, or dinner at a restaurant, or drinks at a country club.

If he’s young, he often expresses this discontent online. Apart from the usual photos and status updates, his Facebook wall features incredulous posts charting Malaysia’s slide deeper into tyranny. He posts and shares and likes, he pulls up dumb statements by the country’s ministers and tweets sarcastic rejoinders.

Speak to him, though, and he seems eminently reasonable, strangely mild in the face of all that’s happening. What does he want for the country? A variety of things, of course, but ultimately for people to be left free and in peace. How to get it? By eschewing confrontation, spreading awareness, building bridges, dialogue, and so on. He loves his country – still does – with the weary resignation of someone who’s been disappointed by the thing he loves and expects to be disappointed again. He is affable and temperate, cautious and considerate. He is also indisputably, utterly, helpless.

Any foreigner observing the rampant spread of corruption and Islamic extremism in Malaysia could be forgiven for asking how it’s come to this, how it’s been allowed to come to this. It’s a question many Malaysians ask themselves.

Over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB – a state investment fund) corruption scandal alone, for example, Prime Minister Najib Razak has sacked the attorney general who was meant to be investigating him, had the offices of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission raided to hide evidence of his crimes, suspended The Edge (a local paper) and blocked The Sarawak Report (a whistleblowing website) for reporting on it, and claimed that the $700 million transferred to his personal bank account was a donation. How, many ask, could someone who has so blatantly betrayed the public’s trust remain in power?

For that matter, how could Malaysia’s government get away with jailing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (whose coalition won the popular vote in the last election) over trumped-up sodomy charges? How could its courts get away with a ruling as ludicrous as banning non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”?

Much of the reason for this lies with Malaysia’s liberals – those you’d expect to check such abuse.

Liberal Response

I can tell you about them. There was the public intellectual and think tank director who tried to convince me that the best way to stop the government from censoring unflattering news online was to write a research paper on the benefits of a free internet. There were the civil society leaders who responded to the government’s use of the draconian Sedition Act to round up their critics by submitting a petitionagainst it. There was opposition leader Anwar himself, who, when charged with sodomy, meekly submitted to the legal charade, and even expressed confidence that the Federal Court judges would be fair enough to acquit him, despite knowing full well they were the ruling party’s puppets – two weeks before those judges declared him guilty and sentenced him to jail.

The liberal response to the 1MDB fiasco has been similarly weak.

The leaders of the opposition parties issue statements and questions on the matter, which the government simply ignores.

The most tangible response is Bersih 4.0, a rally planned for the end of the month. Although it aims to gather hundreds of thousands of Malaysians together to protest in three of the country’s cities, its organizers intend to disperse it after two days, even if its demands for Najib to step down and for the implementation of institutional safeguards against corruption are ignored, which they probably will be. It is not expected to change anything.

Though suggestions have been made to expand the two-day rally into a mass civil disobedience movement – one that provokes confrontation with the authorities and occupies key areas in the major cities until its demands are met (probably the only strategy under the circumstances with a chance of success) – Bersih’s organizers seem to have rejected them, asserting instead that the purpose of the rally is to “send the government a message.” That the ruling party has ignored the message of previous Bersih rallies with impunity has not prompted a strategy rethink.

Those people I mentioned are good, courageous, earnest men and women who represent much of what is best in the country, which makes their helplessness all the more unfortunate.

Why do Malaysian liberals persist with methods they know to be so ineffective? Why do they continue to play by the rules of a game that’s hopelessly rigged against them?

A Malaysian psychologist I once spoke to described this phenomenon as “learned helplessness.” Malaysians, so habituated to oppressive rule, ignore obvious methods of resistance, thinking within the framework the government has set, beseeching the very authorities that are abusing them to save them from abuse.

Anyone can fall victim to this affliction of course, but it’s a particularly liberal failing to forget that ultimately it’s a question of power, and that power is seldom given up – it has to be taken. This is something the hateful fascist groups in the country, like Perkasa, never forget.

Last year, I attended a talk at a country club on the damage Islamic extremism was doing to freedom in Malaysia. I asked the panel how the spread of extremism could be stopped. Among the panelists who replied was Ambiga Sreenevasan, former Chair of Bersih and one of Malaysia’s greatest civil society leaders.

She responded that the solution was to send people to educate and spread awareness amongst the country’s rural Muslims. Even as the rest of the audience applauded, I was skeptical – even if we could educate Malaysia’s Muslims faster than the rabid imams could indoctrinate them (unlikely), something like that would take generations to yield results, generations the country cannot afford.

The strategy sounded hollow then. It sounds even hollower now.

Perhaps Malaysia’s liberals are too genteel to provoke confrontation, too diffident to risk chaos – the creative disruption necessary for real change.

Perhaps they console themselves with the notion that the ruling party’s moves against its critics are signs of weakness and desperation, that its bullying will only harm its position.

If so, they have some unlearning to do, and they’d best do it fast. They’re running out of time.

Shaun Tan is a freelance writer. Contact him at [email protected]

 

[beagle9]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Freedom of what religion?

Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and a variety of folk religions. I don't think there are any Malaysian Jews.

Which one is the minority religion, and how are they who practice it treated in Malaysia ?

I thought when the sanami hit that area, that they didn't want America helping them much, and that was because of their beliefs over there or something ? Wasn't it over there that the sanami took place a good while back ?

I must admit that I'm not to educated about the complexities of it all.

 

[tyroneweaver]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

Since when has the moon been known to persecute Christians.....dork.

 

[tyroneweaver]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

Obama is letting it all hang out. Not surprised. He's just poking his thumb in his dis tractors eye. No worry
obama is like the game you played wear you beat a team 95-5, and they blame their loss on the refs.

 

[beagle9]

Are Christians persecuted in Malaysia or where ever it was that Obama went when he spoke about the continuing crisis in the world?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Freedom of what religion?

Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and a variety of folk religions. I don't think there are any Malaysian Jews.

Which one is the minority religion, and how are they who practice it treated in Malaysia ?

I thought when the sanami hit that area, that they didn't want America helping them much, and that was because of their beliefs over there or something ?

I must admit that I'm not to educated about the complexities of it all.

Malaysia is a majority Muslim country, with Buddhists making up the largest minority group, followed by Christianity. There have been instances of religious violence and vandalism, but there is no government or institutional persecution of non-Muslims.

 

[Tilly]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Freedom of what religion?

Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and a variety of folk religions. I don't think there are any Malaysian Jews.

Which one is the minority religion, and how are they who practice it treated in Malaysia ?

I thought when the sanami hit that area, that they didn't want America helping them much, and that was because of their beliefs over there or something ?

I must admit that I'm not to educated about the complexities of it all.

Malaysia is a majority Muslim country, with Buddhists making up the largest minority group, followed by Christianity. There have been instances of religious violence and vandalism, but there is no government or institutional persecution of non-Muslims.

the law prevents muslims converting to Christianity from having muslim status removed from their documents, therefore they cannot marry a Christian man but only a muslim man. This was ruled in a court of law as I posted earlier - that is is governmental and institutional persecution of Christians.

 

[beagle9]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The Malaysian government does not persecute Christians. Malaysia has freedom of religion enshrined in it's Constitution.

Freedom of what religion?

Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and a variety of folk religions. I don't think there are any Malaysian Jews.

Which one is the minority religion, and how are they who practice it treated in Malaysia ?

I thought when the sanami hit that area, that they didn't want America helping them much, and that was because of their beliefs over there or something ?

I must admit that I'm not to educated about the complexities of it all.

Malaysia is a majority Muslim country, with Buddhists making up the largest minority group, followed by Christianity. There have been instances of religious violence and vandalism, but there is no government or institutional persecution of non-Muslims.

Well there is no alledged government or institutional discrimination here against Christianity, but there is government support for those who operate to destroy Christianity here, and I'd be willing to bet that over there it is no different.

 

[LoneLaugher]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

So your saying it didn't happen ?

What happened?

 

[beagle9]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

So your saying it didn't happen ?

What happened?

That Obama didn't speak down to Americans while abroad ?

 

[LoneLaugher]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

So your saying it didn't happen ?

What happened?

That Obama didn't speak down to Americans while abroad ?

Of course he didn't. You are a nut.

 

[beagle9]

And where was he? Malaysia, a Muslim country that persecutes Christians and other non-Muslims. Is there no end of this man's arrogance?

"Societies that are divided ethnically and racially are almost never successful over the long term," Obama says.

Thus says the Divider-in-Chief. Read more of this piece @ Obama Calls US Racist in Muslim Country that Persecutes Christians before you start spouting your ignorance in defending him.

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

So your saying it didn't happen ?

What happened?

That Obama didn't speak down to Americans while abroad ?

Of course he didn't. You are a nut.

I don't know about that, because I sure saw some clips of him speaking abroad, and I sure didn't like what he was saying or the way he was saying it. I mean to put down Americans while abroad because of some Petty fued or rilvary going on back here is just unacceptable behaviour..

 

[EverCurious]

I'd have to agree with that, regardless of ones political disagreements in office, when out and about in the world Obama should be representing the US as a united front.

 

[LoneLaugher]

President Obama has represented the country with absolute class while abroad and at home. ODS notwithstanding.

 

[LoneLaugher]

The US is racist, he could be standing on the moon when he says it and that would still be true.

And religious freedom comes from liberalism, nothing else.

And next time, find a source that isn't propaganda...

So your saying it didn't happen ?

What happened?

That Obama didn't speak down to Americans while abroad ?

Of course he didn't. You are a nut.

I don't know about that, because I sure saw some clips of him speaking abroad, and I sure didn't like what he was saying or the way he was saying it. I mean to put down Americans while abroad because of some Petty fued or rilvary going on back here is just unacceptable behaviour..

You said the following. You are definitely a nut.

"Personally I think that Obama should be ousted like the president of Egypt was myself... He has got to be a sympathizer of some of this stuff, I mean there........."

 

[Tilly]

He seems to do apology tours. I personally think it is a little embarrassing at times and undermines the US. Here's an interesting article, I don't necessarily agree with all of:

Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D. and Morgan Lorraine Roach

157Print PDF












A common theme that runs through President Obama's statements is the idea the United States must atone for its past policies, whether it is America's application of the war against Islamist terrorism or its overall foreign policy. At the core of this message is the concept that the U.S. is a flawed nation that must seek redemption by apologizing for its past "sins."

On several occasions, President Obama has sought to apologize for the actions of his own country when addressing a foreign audience--including seven of the 10 apologies listed below. The President has already apologized for his country to nearly 3 billion people across Europe, the Muslim world, and the Americas.

The Obama Administration's strategy of unconditional engagement with America's enemies combined with a relentless penchant for apology-making is a dangerous recipe for failure. The overall effect of this approach has been to weaken American power on the world stage rather than strengthen it.

President Obama's personal approval ratings across much of the world may be sky high, but that has not translated into greater support for U.S.-led initiatives, such as the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which is heavily dependent on American and British troops. The U.S. is increasingly viewed as a soft touch internationally, which has encouraged rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran to accelerate their nuclear and missile programs.

As President Obama embarks this week on his second major overseas tour, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany, and France, the world does not need yet another apology from the President. Rather, it is looking for strong and principled leadership from the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. American leadership is not a popularity contest, nor should it be an exercise in self-loathing. Rather, it is about taking tough positions that will be met with hostility in many parts of the globe. Above all, it demands the assertive projection of American power, both to secure the homeland and to protect America's allies.

The following is a list of the 10 most significant apologies by the President of the United States in his first four months of office as they relate to foreign policy and national security issues.

1. Apology to France and Europe ("America Has Shown Arrogance")

Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[1]

So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years we've allowed our Alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

2. Apology to the Muslim World ("We Have Not Been Perfect")

President Obama, interview with Al Arabiya, January 27, 2009.[2]

My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that.

3. Apology to the Summit of the Americas ("At Times We Sought to Dictate Our Terms")

President Obama, address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009.[3]

All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration.

The United States will be willing to acknowledge past errors where those errors have been made.

4. Apology at the G-20 Summit of World Leaders ("Some Restoration of America's Standing in the World")

News conference by President Obama, ExCel Center, London, United Kingdom, April 2, 2009.[4]

I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world. And although, as you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's leadership.

I just think in a world that is as complex as it is, that it is very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions. Just to try to crystallize the example, there's been a lot of comparison here about Bretton Woods. "Oh, well, last time you saw the entire international architecture being remade." Well, if there's just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy, that's an easier negotiation. But that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that we live in.

5. Apology for the War on Terror ("We Went off Course")

President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[5]

Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. I believe that many of these decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people. But I also believe that all too often our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight; that all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And during this season of fear, too many of us--Democrats and Republicans, politicians, journalists, and citizens--fell silent.

In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach--one that rejected torture and one that recognized the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

6. Apology for Guantanamo in France ("Sacrificing Your Values")

Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[6]

Our two republics were founded in service of these ideals. In America, it is written into our founding documents as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In France: "Liberté"--absolutely--"egalité, fraternité." Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values in our nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for expedience's sake. That's why I've ordered the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. That's why I can stand here today and say without equivocation or exception that the United States of America does not and will not torture.

In dealing with terrorism, we can't lose sight of our values and who we are. That's why I closed Guantanamo. That's why I made very clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I don't believe that there is a contradiction between our security and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less secure.

7. Apology before the Turkish Parliament ("Our Own Darker Periods in Our History")

Speech by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament, Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009.[7]

Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That's why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. That's why we prohibited--without exception or equivocation--the use of torture. All of us have to change. And sometimes change is hard.

Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history. Facing the Washington Monument that I spoke of is a memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans.

Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future.

8. Apology for U.S. Policy toward the Americas ("The United States Has Not Pursued and Sustained Engagement with Our Neighbors")

Opinion editorial by President Obama: "Choosing a Better Future in the Americas," April 16, 2009.[8]

Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security.

9. Apology for the Mistakes of the CIA ("Potentially We've Made Some Mistakes")

Remarks by the President to CIA employees, CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, April 20, 2009.[9] The remarks followed the controversial decision to release Office of Legal Counsel memoranda detailing CIA enhanced interrogation techniques used against terrorist suspects.

So don't be discouraged by what's happened in the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be President of the United States, and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA.

10. Apology for Guantanamo in Washington ("A Rallying Cry for Our Enemies")

President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[10]

There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America's strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law. In fact, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond the law--a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.

So the record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies.

Nile Gardiner is the Director of, and Morgan Roach is Research Assistant in, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation.

 

[ogibillm]

If you look at what’s happening in the Middle East right now, those countries are in chaos, so many of them, because of this notion that somehow if somebody worships God differently than you, that they’re less than you. And people are slaughtered based on that idea. And the countries can’t grow. Businesses can’t start. So of all the things to guard against, I think that’s the biggest.