Sunday, September 07, 2008

Arabs, Muslims "chilled" at thought of McCain-Palin in White House

AMMAN -- With the U.S. presidential elections just two months away, many Arabs and Muslims are increasingly worried that a victory for another conservative Republican administration will exacerbate the tensions and turbulence that have followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Sarah Palin has given a lot of people chills, but these are of a different kind:

"McCain-Palin Ticket Chills Arabs, Muslims," by Sana Abdullah for the Middle East Times, September 5:

AMMAN -- With the U.S. presidential elections just two months away, many Arabs and Muslims are increasingly worried that a victory for another conservative Republican administration will exacerbate the tensions and turbulence that have followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The events and speeches at the Republican Party convention in Minnesota, which endorsed the candidacy of Arizona Senator John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, were given special attention in the Arab media, as commentators voiced fears that a McCain administration would pursue, perhaps more belligerently, the path of the current government.

As a rule, Arab governments in the region prefer to refrain from showing their preferences in U.S. elections, but the media, including the state-controlled TV and press, have made no secret of their desire to see a new leadership in Washington that is run by Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

While talking heads have said they did not expect either administration to be more sympathetic to the Arab and Muslim causes, many are now saying that Obama would be the "lesser of two evils" [...].

As far as those Arabs and Muslims, who are looking forward to the end of the Bush era are concerned, that change may very well be for the worse. Some have indeed expressed that the prospect of a McCain-Palin victory is nothing less than chilling.

Interestingly, Osama bin Laden is one of those Muslims who have made it a point to demonize Bush and persuade Americans to not vote for him in the 2004 elections. Was that too not proof that Bush was doing something right?

Conclusion: whenever your taqiyya-practicing enemy tries to give you "advice" -- such as who or who not to vote for -- consider the source.

No comments: