Should U.S. military Muslims be forced to fight other Muslims?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The suspect in the Fort Hood shootings - that left 13 dead and wounded 42 others - had asked the military to let Muslims claim conscientious objector status when it comes to going to war against other Muslims.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/11/art.hasan.jpg caption="Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan"]
The Washington Post first reported on a slide presentation Army Major Nidal Hasan, who is Muslim, made as a psychiatric resident at Walter Reed back in 2007.
It was supposed to be about a medical topic, but instead Hasan lectured about Islam, suicide bombers and threats the military could face from Muslims conflicted about fighting Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan:
"It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims."
Hasan was set to leave soon for Afghanistan, and a relative says he had asked not to be deployed.
But the Washington Post is now reporting that's not true - an Army official says Hasan never formally requested to leave the military as a conscientious objector or for any other reason.
Meanwhile there is no exact count of how many Muslims are in the U.S. military. The Pentagon lists about 3,500 Muslims out of 1.4 million service members. But officials say that number is probably low since disclosure is voluntary.
Nonetheless, this seems to be a real issue that might continue to present itself with U.S. troops still in Iraq; and potentially tens of thousands of additional troops being sent to Afghanistan.
Here’s my question to you: Should Muslim members of the U.S. military be forced to fight against other Muslims?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Scotland releases Pan Am 103 bomber
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It was like pulling teeth and then some to get Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi convicted and sent to prison. Families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing were relentless in their pressure on the government to pursue justice.
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was serving a life sentence for the attack that killed 270 people. Megrahi, who is terminally ill, was released on compassionate grounds to spend his remaining days in Libya.
In the end, justice was done only to be undone. The man responsible for the slaughter of 270 innocent people is now being allowed to return to his native country, Libya, and his family, loved ones and friends, to die in peace from terminal cancer.
It's outrageous. Al Megrahi is a cold-blooded murderer. Libya was a state sponsor of the terrorism that killed these people. Compassion was shown this man when he was given a life sentence and not the death penalty.
Now Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, who probably didn't have any family or friends aboard Pan Am flight 103, decides to turn this animal loose. He should be ashamed of himself. What's the message here? That if you commit murderous acts of terrorism and kill hundreds of innocent people, it's okay? All you have to do is get sick and all is forgiven?
And what about the United States standing by and watching it happen? Where's the condemnation? We said we "deeply regret" the decision. Not enough.
I find it very hard to believe that if Washington felt strongly enough about this man's release they couldn't have done something to prevent it. After all, didn't we just extract two journalists from the grasp of the madman Kim Jung Il in North Korea?
Here’s my question to you: How do you feel about Scotland releasing the Pan Am 103 bomber?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Obama reaching out to Muslims at expense of U.S./Israel relationship?
Pres. Obama makes his key Middle East speech at Cairo University in Egypt. In his speech, Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims," declaring that "this cycle of suspicion and discord must end." (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
In reaching out to the world's one and a half billion Muslims with today's historic speech, it's unclear if President Obama is also pushing away America's long-time ally Israel.
Speaking in Cairo - the president recognized the U.S.'s unbreakable bond with the Jewish state and the horror of the Holocaust, but also talked about the suffering of the Palestinian people. He described their situation as intolerable and stressed the need for a two-state solution.
President Obama called on Palestinians to abandon violence - pointing to America's own civil rights history and saying it was a "peaceful and determined insistence" that brought about equal rights.
And, he once again called on Israel to stop building settlements; and to allow Palestinians to live and work and develop their society. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already rejected President Obama's call for a settlement freeze.
But experts suggest that this demand from Mr. Obama will make Arab leaders listen. They say although the U.S. has been opposed to Israeli settlements for decades, past American presidents have allowed Israel to keep building them. And some believe that if "no" really means "no" this time around, it may be easier to form a regional coalition against Iran.
Speaking of Iran - Mr. Obama repeated his belief today that the Islamic Republic has the right to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes - another statement that is probably not sitting too well with the Israelis.
Finally, for the first time in a long time, a visit to the Middle East by a sitting U.S. president did not include a stop in Israel.
Here’s my question to you: Is Pres. Obama reaching out to Muslims at the expense of America's relationship with Israel?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Have your feelings about Muslim countries changed?
(PHOTO CREDIT: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
While President Obama tries to boost the image of the U.S. in the Muslim world - it turns out most Americans don't look too highly on Muslim countries.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows only 21 percent of those surveyed have a favorable opinion of Muslim countries. 46 percent have an unfavorable view. Compare that to 2002, before the start of the Iraq war, when 24 percent had a favorable view; and 41 percent had a negative opinion. About a third of those polled had a neutral option then... and now.
This poll also shows that most Americans - 78 percent - say people in the Muslim world have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. But people are split on whether such a negative view by Muslims even matters.
At a town hall meeting in Turkey this year, President Obama declared that "the United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam." This poll found a majority of Americans agree that the U.S. is not at war with the Muslim world; but six out of 10 Americans think the Muslim world considers itself at war with us.
These poll numbers seem to suggest the feeling of distrust is mutual... and it looks like President Obama certainly has his work cut out for him when it comes to smoothing over tensions with the Muslim world.
Here’s my question to you: Have your feelings about Muslim countries changed in the last several years?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How can Obama make the most of his speech in Egypt?
Pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo stand behind apartment buildings as security is heightened in city in anticipation of Pres. Obama’s visit on Thursday. (PHOTO CREDIT: CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When President Obama speaks at Cairo University in Egypt on Thursday, he'll have a huge audience and the undivided attention of many of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims.
The White House hopes the long-promised speech and trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt can help boost the image of the U.S. in the Muslim world. Under the Bush administration, many Muslims grew to hate America; with the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the creation of the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and the abuse at Abu Ghraib.
Our president has a chance to bring change. But the experts say Muslims want more than just words. The United States will have to follow up on the president's speech with concrete policy changes.
It seems that Mr. Obama is off to a good start. Soon after inauguration - he banned harsh interrogation techniques, promised to close Gitmo within a year, and gave his first formal interview to an Arabic-language network.
All this just might be working: A new Gallup poll shows that while approval ratings for U.S. leadership in 11 Muslim countries remains generally low, the ratings are up by double digits in eight of these countries, including Egypt.
Meanwhile, President Obama is indicating that he'll be more willing to criticize Israel than other administrations have - and is repeating his call for a freeze on settlements. And Israel is not on the president's itinerary - a pretty significant statement.
Here’s my question to you: How can President Obama make the most of his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How can Pres. Obama succeed at Mideast peace where others have failed?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama may not have much time to help broker a peace deal in the Middle East. King Abdullah of Jordan tells the London Times that Mr. Obama's meeting next week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the acid test for the administration's commitment to peace.
Jordan's King Abdullah II met with Pres. Obama last month. King Abdullah is the first Arab leader to visit Obama in the Oval Office. He used the opportunity to push the U.S. to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.
King Abdullah says all eyes will be on Washington; and if there are no signs of progress, the Arab world will feel like yet another American government has let them down. He suggests that overnight, President Obama could lose the "tremendous credibility" he's built up in the Arab world.
And that would be a shame because Mr. Obama has a pretty impressive level of support over there. A new Ipsos survey polled 7,000 adults in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. The poll shows President Obama gets a 48 percent favorable rating, running as high as 58 percent in Jordan. Only one in 10 residents across the region think the U.S. president will have a negative effect on their country.
Compare that to the U.S., which has a favorable rating of only 33 percent - and a negative rating of 43 percent.
President Obama is set to give a major speech to the Muslim world in Egypt next month; and perhaps his high approval ratings can help him get closer to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
But there's no question the stakes are high. King Abdullah says that If peace negotiations are delayed, there will be another conflict between Muslims and Israel in the next 12 to 18 months.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to peace in the Middle East, how can President Obama succeed where other U.S. presidents have failed?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Better chances for Mideast peace under Pres. Obama?
Palestinians prepare tea on an open fire next to Israeli-bombed buildings in Rafah on the Gaza Strip border with Egypt on January 24, 2009. The Arabic graffiti on the wall reads: 'Fatah movement.' (PHOTO CREDIT: PATRICK BAZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Former President Jimmy Carter tells the Associated Press that Israel will face a catastrophe unless it revives the Middle East peace process and establishes an independent Palestinian state. This is a sentiment he's echoed before, and he's saying it now as he's making the rounds to pitch his new book on the issue. But timing is everything.
President Obama sat down for his first formal TV interview since taking office with the Dubai-based Arab language network Al-Arabiya. It's a calculated move for the President to make good on his promise to improve American-Muslim relations in the wake of the Bush administration. In the interview, he told Muslims that Americans are not the enemy. He also vowed to hunt down terrorist groups who kill innocent civilians while respecting laws.
The interview comes as the President's newly tapped special envoy for Middle East peace, George Mitchell, is on his first trip to the region to meet with Arab leaders.
Perhaps like clock work, the week-long cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, that halted three weeks of fighting, was ended when Palestinians detonated an explosive device at an Israeli Army post, and Israeli helicopters fired back in response.
Here’s my question to you: Are chances for peace in the Middle East any better with President Obama than they were with President Bush?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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