Barack the Blessed

What’s an assumption? It’s probably the most powerful tool any individual can use against a person; that-is-to-say, you can say something without really saying something, then deny it because you never said it. Phew, what a mouthful. A smart person would use the old saying “To assume only makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me”. It’s true. If you’re left assuming something, it would be better to ask if that’s what someone meant.

Alright, enough with that. What I’m leading into will hopefully be clear by the end of this blog post but one thing I’ll shed light on now is, this is about Barack Obama.

Assuming, (yes here it is), that Barack has Muslim ties, his name probably stems from the Arabic word Baraka which means Blessings. (Also see the saying “Barack Allah Feek” meaning God Bless You).

Barack is indeed a Blessed person after reading a bit about his history but his past life isn’t what I wanted to talk about. I’m hoping that he’ll be able to bring Blessings to the world so it’s his future that I care about. It’s sad, but to some it’s comforting, that the US has become so influential that we look to the same country that caused certain problems for a saviour. It’s the equivalent of getting shot in the face by a stranger, then hope he’ll take you to the hospital….. It’s also the same as thanking them if he’s done it.

Why does the Middle East care that Obama has won? Most probably because there are rumours that he is/was a Muslim. However this isn’t due to Muslim unity, it’s all due to the fact that he brings some hope; however how minute. Is this the man that is going to pull out forces, punish those that need to be punished, and, to revive the cliché “bring peace to the Middle East”? Nobody knows for sure, but it shouldn’t matter whether he’s a Muslim, Christian, or a Jew to the Americans. They should hope that no matter what the background of an individual, their President will make them stronger, healthier, better, smarter, more respected, and be an icon.

Ah yes, icon. Not an icon just because he happened to be black. Not an icon because he may be a Muslim. An icon because he brought blessings across the world and brought modernization, democracy (true democracy not the George Bush flavour), and made people more tolerant.

Look at the world! I’ve never seen so many countries celebrate. In fact many of them were Muslim. Indonesia celebrated, Malaysia Cheered, Pakistan was still looking around to see whether the next guy was going to cheer, boo, or create another crater. It was all happening! Was it because they thought there was a chance that he would be Muslim and thus bring them respect? I personally don’t know, but let’s hope that this person will bring about some positive change.

Will the Arabs and Muslims (Note one’s a race and one’s a religion), finally be able to have the chance to develop, be respected, be understood, and strive for change on their own? Will Barack Obama jump out on stage wearing a I (heart) Qatar t-shirt why gyrating to the national anthem? I’ll leave that up to you to decide; or at least I assume you will.

  • qatarperegrine

    Sure he has Muslim ties — his Dad’s parents are Muslim, and he got his name from them. I’m proud we will have someone in the White House whose very name represents the diversity and internationalization of America… but that doesn’t mean he himself is Muslim. What makes you think he is?

  • Kei

    hi there,

    that’s what I’m saying, people are assuming many things.

    I myself have never thought about his religion and I feel that people should not be looking at those factors rather judge a man by his merrits.

    I was also pointing out how many Arabic people perceive him :)

Freedom of Expression

    Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which the Qatari Government is a signatory of states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medias and regardless of any frontiers.

    The Emiri Decision Number 86 of the year 2007 on the establishment of the Doha Free Information Centre marked yet another step towards establishing a State of rights and freedom of speech. The decision stipulated that the Centre be a non-profit organization, headquartered in Doha City, and have the authority to establish other affiliated centres inside and outside Qatar. It is worth mentioning that His Highness the Emir issued a decision in 1998 annulling the ministry of information, giving birth to a new era of freedom of speech where censorship was removed from local media.