Obama not Playing Well with Salafists

Hizb ut-Tahrir (UK) is already tearing into Barack Obama much as they did is predecessor. Their website today carried a HuT press release.

London, UK, January 24 2009 – In his inaugural address, President Obama said “to the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect”, yet his opening salvo has been to kill more innocent civilians in yesterday’s missile strikes in Pakistan.

This continuation of the Bush policy shows Obama is more a change of style than a change of substance. Reacting to this latest attacks, Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said, “The 21 bodies recovered from the latest US missile strikes are Obama’s idea of a ‘new way forward’ with the Muslim world.

Obama continues Bush’s undeclared war on Pakistan because America is a capitalist state with a colonial foreign policy that seeks to maintain her domination and exploitation of the Muslim world. US Presidents come and go, policies may be amended, but there will be no real change.”

“Despite these and previous US missile strikes, there is now abundant evidence that the Pakistani government continues to allow the transit of US arms and supply oil from its refineries to the US war machine in Afghanistan. The Pakistani government is complicit in the murder of its own citizens, just like the Arab rulers were complicit in Israel’s massacre in Gaza. This is despite the fact that Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain’s delegation warned Pakistan’s London ambassador that the quickest way to stop American attacks is to cut US supply lines and fuel from Pakistan.”

Another article declares that when it comes to change and the Muslim world President Obama is heavy on style but light on substance. The piece ends with a call to Islam as a solution to the problems facing the world.

Obama’s rhetoric and speeches have raised countless hopes of fundamental change among the most desperate and disenfranchised in American society yet Obama knows that he needs the continued backing of the status quo which will in turn constrain his ability to deliver any real change.

Is this not at least ‘mildly’ disingenuous to his core people? There is clearly symbolism in his Presidency but hundreds of millions are longing for a lot more than that and would be quite insulted and angered if that’s all they got!

Capitalism is in intensive care destined for failure like Communism before it. Capitalism’s financial systems have collapsed (bringing the world economy down with it); its societies are in meltdown; and its foreign policy of colonisation whether direct or through sponsoring dictators has been exposed. The world needs to adopt a new ideology one that will do away with colonialism, social decay and the enrichment of a handful of capitalist elites. It will take more than gesture politics to revive faith in democracy.

Islam is such an ideology and the only real alternative for humankind today. The Islamic ideology ensures justice for all its citizens irrespective of race, colour and religion; builds a cohesive society based on the rule of law and representation; promotes real sustainable economic growth while guaranteeing the basic welfare of the weak and vulnerable.

"And We have not sent you (Muhammed ( saw) ) except as a mercy to mankind" Surah Al-Anbiyah 21:107

Right! All you have to do is to look to the Islamic world and it's replete with "real sustainable economic growth." If you take petroleum out of the equation, the five million Finns produce more than the 300 millions of the Arab world. But, you see, that's only because they are being held down by the West. If only they were really free and totally Islamic . . . then everything would be just fine.

The word is "Utopia." And when political movements are able to match Utopian ideals with state power, millions die.