Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Bush has no clue!	excon	09/30/05
Hello experts: Here’s a good example of why we are in deep, deep doo doo in Iraq. The president's confidante, Karen Hughes, has been on a "listening tour" of the Middle East. After meeting with Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, the academic center of Sunni Islam, she said it was a "wonderful meeting," because the two of them were able to talk "about the common language of the heart." Hearing Hughes talk about Sheikh Tantawi, you could almost forget what he said in 2002, as translated from a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), when he called on Palestinian Muslims to "intensify the martyrdom operations against the Zionist enemy" — men, women and children — and described the barbarous slaughter as "the highest form of Jihad operations" and "a legitimate act according to (Islamic) law." Maybe that's the "spirit of love" Hughes was gushing about. Then there was what Sheikh Tantawi said in 2003, also reported by MEMRI, when he called for jihad against U.S. forces in Iraq. "Jihad is an obligation for every Muslim when Muslim countries are subject to aggression," he explained. "The gates of Jihad are open until the Day of Judgment, and he who denies this is an infidel or one who abandons his religion." Amazingly, even after everything we've been through, Bush, Hughes, and her advisors are still unaware of who is a terrorist and who is not. excon
Answered By		Answered On
tomder55		09/30/05
Hughes is there to improve America's image . I say our image gets improved when they see Iraqis and ;Lebanese ;and Afghanis voting in free elections . When they see reforms that are in motion gaining momentum they will thank us for the part we play. We should not concern ourselves with our image with mullahs ;iman and clerics .We should care what the arab on the street thinks . U.S.-made goods (cars, for example) that don't sell anywhere else still enjoy robust markets in Arab countries. America has been the No. 1 foreign tourist destination for Arabs since the 1980s, and has remained so despite restrictions imposed on Arab visitors after 9/11. Arabs from all walks of life and of all political sensibilities also love to send their children to study in America. American hotel chains ,restaurants thrive in the arab world . Hollywood movies are still a big source of entertainment there;80 percent of the films shown in Arab cinemas are made in Hollywood.American style clothing is worn in every place but in the most restrictive area ;especially in Iran. More than half of all major articles in the two main pan-Arab daily newspapers come from The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and Time magazines and other U.S. publications. Some American columnists have become household names in most Arab countries.(no wonder the negative impression then!) I would think then her task is easy . Continue speaking the truth about the nature of our common enemy (islamo-fascism ),and pressuring 'the power' to speed up reform .

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