What's the problem in being Muslim?

Barak Obama has shown a side of himself to the media that certainly did not match the "knowledgeable saviour" image I had of him.

There are 4 particular incidents over the past 2-3 days that have really caught my attention.

1) Bill Cunningham (the right wing caveman who is the Ohio poster boy for the Republican Conservatives) calling him by his middle name "Hussein". It's almost as if "Hussein" was a bad word equivalent to fu#ker. Only in petty minded America would they take this to be a sign that he might have some connections to those terrible Islamic forces and their jihad. While I found Bill Cunningham's tactics abhorable because he is re-inforcing stereotypes against Muslims, I was even more puzzled by Obama's response. I mean, this is his name. Stand up and be proud of it - or change it! The fact is that he was born of a Muslim father and raised a Muslim in his childhood - absolutely nothing wrong with that. Then why the shame of using his name? Surely, this is an incredible asset as Syria, Egypt and Afghanistan are more likely to break bread and make peace with a man called Hussein versus a man called John McCain! In the close minded petty minds of Americans such an advantage is totally lost. Obama seems to take every opportunity to to say he converted to Christianity - all very well and good, except in Islam, if you are born Muslim you are considered that till you die - as far as I am aware, there is no conversion out of the religion.

2) Photos of him in the Kenyan outfit. Now, when I first saw it, I burst out laughing - he looked like one of those tribal dancers in India who put on a spectacle for tourists. I really didn't understand what the hulahoo was all about, until it dawned on me that Kenya is a Muslim country. Hence Obama in a Kenyan outfit = Obama dressed in Islamic garb = close comparisons to those fanatical Muslims and their desire to hurt USA. Tell me - if there was a picture of Obama in a Scottish Kilt would it have caused this much uproar! No! There were picture of Obama in a swimsuit in Hawaii - http://irregulartimes.com/diaries/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/obama%20beach%20photo.jpg - did anyone object to that? No (but I suspect quite a few women moved over to his camp after this). But the fact that he was fully clothed in a dress that was worn in a Muslim country is cause of uproar! Obama's response was again puzzling, instead of even taking this as "fear mongering" why didn't he just say he had fun and he was proud of the honor?

3) Most despicable of all. When asked of his views on Israel - he went to get some more votes by saying he "unequivocally supports Israel". Nothing particularly wrong in this statement, except that it signifies a continuation of the policies US Presidents have had to the region. He could have answered he "unequivocally supports peace in the Middle East" which would suit the visionary character he has been developing but instead he took the easy way. I am disappointed. If you read his website ( http://www.barackobama.com/issues/foreignpolicy/#onisrael ), you will also find out that he stood strongly for the indiscriminate killing of 1000 people by the brutal IDF during the 2006 Lebanon war. This war has been widely condemned in Israel and it has only strengthened Hezbollah's support in Lebanon and toppled what was the only peaceful govt the Lebanese had in the last few years. It has become a costly mistake for Israel. As a visionary who says he believes in dialogue and negotiations, should Obama not have insisted on that and sought the release of the kidnapped soldiers through peaceful means rather than through war? Do I see a disparity between his stand in Iraq and his policies towards Israel - YES! I fear that he will try to be more pro-Israeli just to prove he is not a Muslim, and this will come at the price of commonsense judgement and the continual degradation of lives of Muslims in the area.

4) His naive view of NAFTA. See my previous blogs on this. How is he going to turn around the economy without really taking on the Chinese?

Now, before Jill et all think I am moving my support to Hillary - NOPE! She's only gone down further in my opinion. I mean, who is the real Hillary? Is it the tough lady I once respected, the corrupt politician who has no problem raising funds through lobbyists, the crying spectacle she made her self, or the woman who said "I am honored, honored to be here with Barak". All she did was put him down for the past few months- so why is she so honored to be on stage with him? Confused, easily excitable and some one who seems to want to fan out hatred towards Islam to get a few votes - this woman is simply not capable to efficiently manage USA.