Even Muslims not easily swayed by al-Qaeda rhetoric have their doubts about Obama.The misgivings have been rising after he remained mostly silent during Israel’s offensive in Gaza.Obama expressed concern about civilian casualties, but otherwise deferred to Bush — a decision some observers interpreted as a sign of support for Israel.“Despite all the idealism and multiculturalism at his disposal, Barack Obama will not change the world,” the Pakistani newspaper Dawn editorialized Sunday. “The liberals who voted for him include millions of American Jews, and as such Obama can’t be expected to open America’s eyes to the reality of Palestine.”
“The Israeli attack in Gaza was meant to destroy Hamas and tie Obama up like Gulliver,” says Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit and an outspoken critic of the U.S.’s pro-Israel policies.“Israel sought to destroy a democratically elected government, and America supported the action — Bush via words, Obama via his silence.I happen to think the Israelis had the right to defend themselves,” he said, adding that they ruined any chance of Obama starting out on “a new foot vis-(à-vis) the Muslim world.”
Even so, it would be hard for Obama to be less popular than Bush in the Muslim world.
During his farewell trip to Iraq last month, Bush was nearly beaned in the face by a shoe flung by an irate local journalist.
“Obama should change U.S. policies,” says Mian Muhammad Asif, who owns an Islamabad business selling water purifiers. “America must learn some lessons from the past. There should be no more shoe-throwing.”
USA Today
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