Today, a video of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a member of Al-Qaida, has appeared on the internet. This video is the group's first response to Obama's victory and employs racist comments and slurs against. him. The video aims at attacking his policies, race, and religion. For example, he refers to Obama as a "house slave" who serves his white masters.
The video also includes a picture of Obama wearing a kippah (Jewish skullcap) while praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Al-Zawahiri then makes the comment that Obama has betrayed his Muslim father and of creating ties with Jewish organizations to further his political ambitions. He continues and states, "You have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you". He later says that Obama must "Be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them" and that despite claims Obama is not a force of change.
Wow. He must be living in a cave with Osama Bin Laden.
Although it may seem that foreign groups may be more accepting of America once an African American is president, obviously this will not be the case. Hatred toward America continues to grow despite a shift in power. This will be a major struggle that the Obama administration will have to face and try to overcome in the future.
you should not go to the following site or watch the following video if you are sensitive...
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6291091
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Obama (and the rest of the country, for that matter) needs to be extremely careful when reacting to Al Qaida because it is often difficult to determine what is a bluff and what is an actual threat. Certainly, the verbal flourishes are intimidating, and it is undeniable that Al Qaida is gaining support. At the same time, they rely on inciting fear to establish their own strength. Some of these videos are indeed followed by attacks, while many are simply shown so that Al Qaida can remind the world of its existance. While I am extremely disturbed by what was said, I do not see a serious threat. Al Qaida wants to cause fear by asserting their presence; we don't need to be afraid. We don't need to give them what they want. I think this is the best way to approach these videos.
I certainly thought the election of Obama would excite the world for all it says about the ability of minorities and the power to succeed. I certainly thought it would ease tensions with foreign nations for how much Obama deviates from Bush. But it seems that some things, such as hate, will simply overlook such values. Al-Qaida appears so distrustful and bitter towards America that such a feat as Obama's victory can only increase their negativity. While I find Zawahiri's words disturbing, I find it interesting how he brought up a connection to slavery—that he would imply Obama is “serving his white masters”. He seems to be implying that African Americans don't belong in the US, that it is not as much their country as anyone else's; that it is still a place ruled by whites and any move the African Americans make is only serving the white race and not themselves. Despite all this, I agree with Harkiran, Al Qaida does rely on inciting fear and these accusations are merely their way of establishing themselves and reminding the world of the power and the prominence they supposedly have. I'm curious as to how they would have reacted if McCain had won: if they would have condemned America for its inability to elect a leader from a minority; a leader who is not an example of a “true” American—who grew up in the suburbs playing baseball with happily married parents—but instead more of a product of the American dream. I feel they would have been more friendly toward Obama then and supremely critical of McCain and his connection to Bush—I think Al Qaida then would have congratulated America on her choice of “more of the same” and he would have laughed at how Americans cannot change and are not welcoming towards those with diverse backgrounds. Therefore, from these thoughts, I'm less certain of a threat behind these words and think the bark may be worse than the bite. Likewise, I feel that Al Qaida's reaction is merely stating that a shift in power does not equal a shift in attitudes. They seem to say that simply because Bush is gone, the problems, tension and disagreement in the Middle East are not over and Al Qaida and its followers are not going away. So indeed there is a major struggle to overcome in the future.
That is so rude! I hate Al Qaeda. They are not ones at all to insult others especially with all the hateful attacks they launch on others. I can't help but kind of compare it to the Holocaust. Hitler and the Nazis were cleansing their country of all that were not like them. Al Qaeda and their followers are trying to do the same with all who are not like them. It's truly sad that years later, there are still people out there who are capable of such intense hate.
It could be worse... If Hilary were elected, AL Qaeda would go haywire with the sexist speeches. If theres anythingbad to be said of americans then by god they will say it, it just shows how badly they hate us, no matter what.
Well this surprised me. I thought the general Middle East, along with some of the militant-Islamic forces, would appreciate America having its first African-American president. It shows hope for a new America and less of the "bully" label that America has been given by some of the rest of the world.
However, I suppose this was sort of expected... The Islamic extremists have a history of being totally illogical for this day and age. Hopefully as time goes on and Obama proves to be a worthy leader or at least give America a better name globally, we will see a change in their attitudes and opinions for us.
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