USA giving Taliban legitimacy?

In this post, I'll jump around a bit from the current disagreements regarding how we should or even if we should "engage" the Taliban other than putting big old siege machines around where they are hiding Osama bin Laden; a few links to Shariah Law and particularly Shariah Finance; and the plight of women, all women, that fall under the ruthlessness of Taliban thugs. Why did I decide to skip around? All of these items are linked in that they all fall under the thugocracy of the rule, domination, and absolute power of the existing Islamist thugs of the Taliban. By way of an analogy, termites infesting a home or the foundation of a building need only the tiniest of opening to gain a toe-hold into the undermining of a non-Islamist society. So-called political Islamists have many ways of coercion from terrorism to terrorist threats to demanding that a public swimming pool be closed to men during specific times of the day - seems so reasonable.

But it is the very tolerance of a society in this multicultural, politically correct world in wishing to be "fair" that is used against that nation and every opportunity is used to gain a foothold, one tiny foothold at a time and - whamo! - your freedoms are gone.

The Islamists are patient and their means can be subtle. For that reason, I brought several different links together because in some form or other, they reflect the reality, the intolerance, and the political Islamist's never-wavering dedication to one goal.

As we know, Former Vice President Dick Cheney is speaking out against the current administration policy of giving what may be considered "mixed signals" or "mixed messages" to the Taliban and perhaps enhancing or giving them legitimacy as "peace" negotiators.

Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy is "concerned that Obama wants to set back relations with the Middle East by 20 or 30 years. See The Battle Within: Moderate Muslim who co-founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy examines complications with his faith - and the political world's approach to it.

Further, to the question "Should America make nice with the Taliban?," Dr. Jasser says, "Uh, maybe not." Dr. Jasser, MD, is a former Navy Officer and is a physician.

"President Obama's recent overture to the Taliban not only sends a dangerous message of appeasement to our sworn enemies, but it sends a lethal message of abandonment to all those who have suffered the oppression of the Taliban," Dr. Jasser says.

"How can a presidential candidate who campaigned on a message of 'change' turn around as president and completely abandon those who seek change away from the thugs and theocrats of the Taliban of Afghanistan?"

Dr. Jasser cautions against a "quick, feel-good fix" that won't work. Dr. Jasser contends:

"Rather than empowering our anti-Islamist Muslim allies in the region who are already underfunded and outmatched, President Obama is giving our ideological allies the signal that the U.S. would rather sit with oppressors and get short-term assurances of stability than sit with real agents of anti-Islamist change."

On a cautionary note, Former Vice President Cheney points out as quoted in the Washington Times 'Inside Politics Weekend: Small Change' section where Dr. Jasser's comments are found:

"You have to be very careful. The world outside there - both our friends and our foes - will be quick to take advantage of a situation if they think they're dealing with a weak president," Mr. Cheney told Fox News.

Further, Mr. Cheney said, "The United States provides much of the leadership in the world. We have for a long time. I don't think we've got much to apologize for."

As Americans, we experienced the steady drumbeat from the "established media" for 8 years of how much damage the previous administration was doing to our "image" abroad. Now, some may be concerned that America is coming to be perceived as weak or having weak leadership. Others here at home will disagree, of course. But that is the protected nature of our representative republic and our Bill of Rights.

As of yet, no one who receives any of our tax dollars - from Hamas (a terrorist organization) to whomever else we give money to - has returned the checks.

We know that the international press loves to jump all over us; so, does a weakened image make us stronger and safer or does the "world" care as long as they get their checks and have a good chuckle from time to time at our expense? But when the promised Islamist terrorists strike again, Janet's inane "man-made disaster" don't you know, who you gonna call: Jimmy or Neville?

Several links readers may find interesting are: Sharia Finance Watch and info on Sharia Finance.

One area of which Americans know little - including myself but I am trying to learn more - deals with Sharia Finance and how dangerous it can be to undermining our way of life. From Jihad Watch:

Shariah Finance Watch is a blog that wants to educate the perils of the West conforming to the Laws of Shariah. This type of banking and finance is a guise to instill Shariah laws into the West by changing the way we do business, from banking to loans. It is not "ethical" or "interest free" but restructured.

Understanding Shariah law is integral to understanding the dangers of Shariah-compliant finance. Shariah Law is Islamic law dating back to the 9th Century and is today the law of the land of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, and the law under which the Taliban operates.

Shariah law authorities, some of whom are now being paid handsomely by Barclays, Dow Jones, Standard & Poors, HSBC, Citibank, Merrill Lynch, Deutscheband, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Credit Suisse and others have the power to dictate Shariah compliance as deemed by "scholarly consensus" on matters of finance, family, penal law, apostasy, and war. Examples of authoritarian Shariah law include: requirements of women to obtain permission from husbands for daily freedoms; beating of disobedient woman and girls; execution of homosexuals; engagement of polygamy and forced child marriages; the testimony of four male witnesses to prove rape; honor killings of those, principally women, who have dishonored the family; death to apostate Muslims who chose to leave Islam; inferior status of non-Muslims; and capital punishment for those who "slander Islam."

I don't know if telling the truth or quoting passages from the Qu'ran is considered "slander."

It is my understanding that AIG - can anybody say bailout? - has instituted Shariah Finance within its banking practices in selected areas since it is a global company and we are supporting this through our tax dollars and through tacit behavior that rewards Hamas (900 million or was it billion dollars) and groups such as the Taliban through giving them "perceived" legitimacy on an international level.

Now about the abuse of women, to refresh our memories, some may recall the pictures of the helpless Muslim women in Afghanistan driven out to a soccer or sports field in their pale blue burquas, unloaded from the pickup truck, made to kneel before the crowd of cheering men, and then shot point-blank in the head with what looked like a .45. Helpless women covered in pastel blue, fallen dead like fragile blue blossom petals that almost floated to the ground before the blood-thirsty crowd and shot in the head by manly Taliban leaders.

To remind us of the cruelty to Muslim women, Kyle-Anne Shiver of The American Thinker has a piece published on December 5, 2007, Death Before Burkas. Shiver's article addresses "the ultimate oppression of our age, the subjugation of females - from birth to the grave - in places ruled by this cockamamie Sharia law." The thing is, it isn't 'cockamamie'; it's real and it's deadly; and it's now among us.

On the Taliban, Dr. Jasser says, "They (the Taliban) have in fact repeatedly proven to be sworn enemies of freedom and liberty. They will tell the Obama administration what it wants to hear." (Also from Inside Politics Weekend: Small change) Our president can certainly talk with anyone he wants; he can even give them photo-ops. But we should certainly be wise enough to know they are posturing with the Great Satan for their "buddies," just blowing smoke like the smoke that rose from the gun that drove the round into one of those helpless, hapless women. It must take brave men, really brave men to treat women so brutally in the "name of any religion" or any "political" thugocracy."

No, it only takes barbarians at and within our gates; barbarians in good suits with polished ways and perhaps elitist law degrees.

In the words of Shiver, "peace and blessings be upon" any woman within America or other nations who are subjected to such brutality. And "peace and blessings be upon the women" oppressed who have developed the Stockholm Syndrome, much like battered wives. As Dr. Jasser suggests: It is time for Muslims to shed the denial in his Exclusive: The Plight of Women under Islamists: Time for Muslims to Shed the Denial. Are men such as the Taliban the thugs America will be legitimizing? Sadly in the Orwellian world in which we seem to be living, where Jimmy, Neville, and others think only of the initial expediency of appeasement, it looks as if the answer is "yes." Didn't we learn our lesson when we gave any credence at all to Arafat? The initial expediency or folly of appeasement with ruthless, single-minded and driven "leaders" led to World War II and The Holocaust. Having been told to lighten up, on a lighter note, does any clear-thinking American believe for a New York second - no matter whom any American president appeases or bows down to - that our First Lady Michelle Obama is buying into such oppression of women? Naw.... Come on! You believe that? This post is cross-posted at Eternity Road: Is USA empowering the Taliban?