Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama Praises Muslim Cleric Who Backed Fatwa on Killing of U.S. Soldiers
Washington Free Beacon ^ | 09/26/2014

Posted on 09/26/2014 9:41:55 PM PDT by MissesBush

President Barack Obama favorably quoted and praised on Wednesday in his speech before the United Nations a controversial Muslim cleric whose organization has reportedly endorsed the terror group Hamas and supported a fatwa condoning the murder of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Obama in his remarks offered praise to controversial cleric Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah and referred to him as a moderate Muslim leader who can help combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL or ISIS) radical ideology.

However, Bin Bayyah himself has long been engulfed in controversy for many of his views, including the reported backing of a 2004 fatwa that advocated violent resistance against Americans fighting in Iraq.

This is not the first time that the Obama administration has extoled Bin Bayyah, who also has served as the vice president of a Muslim scholars group founded by a radical Muslim Brotherhood leader who has called “for the death of Jews and Americans,” according to Fox News and other reports.

The State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau (CT) was forced to issue multiple apologies earlier this year after the Washington Free Beacon reported on its promotion of Bin Bayyah on Twitter.

“This should not have been tweeted and has since been deleted,” the CT Bureau tweeted at the time after many expressed anger over the original endorsement of Bin Bayyah.

However, it appears that Obama and the White House are still supportive of Bin Bayyah, who, despite his past statements, is still hailed by some as a moderate alternative to ISIL and al Qaeda.

“The ideology of ISIL or al Qaeda or Boko Haram will wilt and die if it is consistently exposed, confronted, and refuted in the light of day,” Obama said before the U.N., according to a White House transcript of his remarks.

“Look at the new Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies—Sheikh bin Bayyah described its purpose: ‘We must declare war on war, so the outcome will be peace upon peace,’” Obama said, quoting the controversial cleric.

Concern over the administration’s relationship with Bin Bayyah started as early as 2013, when outrage ensued after he was reported to have met with Obama’s National Security Council staff at the White House.

While Bin Bayyah has condemned the actions of groups such as Boko Haram and ISIL, he also has taken controversial positions against Israel.

He issued in 2009 a fatwa “barring ‘all forms of normalization’ with Israel,” according to a Fox report on the White House meeting.

Additionally, the notorious 2004 fatwa permitting armed resistance against U.S. military personnel in Iraq reportedly stated that “resisting occupation troops” is a “duty” for all Muslims, according to reports about the edict.

Patrick Poole, a reporter and terrorism analyst who has long tracked Bin Bayyah, expressed shock that the Obama administration would endorse the cleric on the world stage.

“It is simply amazing that just a few months ago the State Department had to publicly apologize for tweeting out it’s support for Bin Bayyah, only to have Barack Obama go before the leaders of the entire world and publicly endorse Bin Bayyah’s efforts,” Poole said.

“It seems that nothing can stop this administration’s determination to rehabilitate Bin Bayyah’s image, transforming him from the Islamic cleric who issued the fatwa to kill Americans in Iraq and calling for the death of Jews to the de facto White House Islamic mufti,” he said.

This type of mentality has contributed to the administration’s foreign policy failures in the region,” Poole said.

“This is a snapshot of why this administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East is a complete catastrophe,” he said. “The keystone of their policy has been that so-called ‘moderate Islamists’ were going to be the great counter to al Qaeda. But if you take less than 30 seconds to do a Google search on any of these ‘moderate Islamists,’ you immediately find they are just a degree or two from the most hardcore jihadis and have little to no difference when it comes to condoning violence.”

A White House official said that the president’s remarks speak for themselves and declined to add anything further


TOPICS: Egypt; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; Syria
KEYWORDS: egypt; gaza; hamas; iran; isil; isis; israel; kenyanbornmuzzie; lebanon; levant; muslims; muslimterrorists; obama; russia; sinai; syria

1 posted on 09/26/2014 9:41:56 PM PDT by MissesBush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MissesBush; Nachum

Nachum probably has this already but here’s a just-in-case ping...


2 posted on 09/26/2014 9:44:36 PM PDT by Califreak (Hope and Che'nge is killing U.S.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

Obama needed to find the non-existent Muslim moderate.

They’re extreme head-chopping radicals but you can pretend some of them are not that extreme.


3 posted on 09/26/2014 9:54:52 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

Our Muslim president in action.


4 posted on 09/26/2014 10:01:20 PM PDT by doc1019
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush
It was clear when Barry first came on the National scene that he had a deep respect and empathy for terrorists just by the fact that he was mentored by his close personal friend and colleague Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers. It's a mystery how anyone could vote for him, except by the media's help in covering up their relationship. I recall that Stanley Kurtz doing an excellent job in exposing the truth, but he seemed to be one of only a few journalists doing an honest days work at the time.
5 posted on 09/26/2014 10:17:11 PM PDT by purplelobster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

The military needs to arrest obastard and imprison him at shitmo.


6 posted on 09/26/2014 10:19:01 PM PDT by doc maverick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush
“The ideology of ISIL or al Qaeda or Boko Haram will wilt and die if it is consistently exposed, confronted, and refuted in the light of day,” Obama said

Good idea. Here's some exposure...

The Principles of Allah

If you condemn murder you condemn Mohammed.

If you condemn thievery you condemn Mohammed.

If you condemn rape you condemn Mohammed.

If you condemn pedophilia you condemn Mohammed.

If you condemn terrorism you condemn Mohammed.

If you condemn Mohammed you condemn Islam.

7 posted on 09/26/2014 10:41:59 PM PDT by TigersEye (ISIS is the tip of the spear. The spear is Islam.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

A Muslim sack of crap praising another Muslim sack of crap..two peas in a pod..maybe Obama can put the beheader in his cabinet..I hear the DOJ job is available


8 posted on 09/26/2014 11:10:28 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

No surprise there. We know who his true love is.


9 posted on 09/27/2014 4:43:37 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

soebarkah gets off on murdering Americans too.


10 posted on 09/27/2014 5:52:34 AM PDT by onedoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson