Saturday, March 5, 2011

"Allahu Akbar!"--Isn't That Just Allah's First and Last Names?

Oh frabjous day! Steyn's back in his weekly Saturday berth at the OC Register, Allah's in heaven, and all's wrong with the world. Case in point: Obama's tepid reaction to a Kosavar-German who demonstrated his "thanks" for Clinton and Blair liberating his homeland by opening fire on American servicemen stationed in Frankfurt. Remarks Steyn re Obama's sang froid re the sang rouge:
A decade on, Kosovo is a sorta sovereign state, and in Frankfurt a young airport employee is so grateful for what America did for his people that he guns down U.S. servicemen while yelling "Allahu akbar!" The strange shrunken spectator who serves as president of the United States, offering what he called "a few words about the tragic event that took place," announced that he was "saddened," and expressed his "gratitude for the service of those who were lost" and would "spare no effort" to "work with the German authorities" but it was a "stark reminder" of the "extraordinary sacrifices that our men and women in uniform are making ..."

The passivity of these remarks is very telling. Men and women "in uniform" (which it's not clear these airmen were even wearing) understand they may be called upon to make "extraordinary sacrifices" in battle. They do not expect to be "lost" on the shuttle bus at the hands of a civilian employee at a passenger air terminal in an allied nation. But then I don't suppose their comrades expected to be "lost" at the hands of an army major at Fort Hood, to cite the last "tragic event" that "took place" – which seems to be the president's preferred euphemism for a guy opening fire while screaming "Allahu akbar!" But relax, this fellow in Frankfurt was most likely a "lone wolf" (as Senator Chuck Schumer described the Times Square Bomber) or an "isolated extremist" (as the president described the Christmas Day Pantybomber). There are so many of these "lone wolves" and "isolated extremists" you may occasionally wonder whether they've all gotten together and joined Local 473 of the Amalgamated Union of Lone Wolves and Isolated Extremists, but don't worry about it: As any Homeland Security official can tell you, "Allahu akbar" is Arabic for "Nothing to see here."
Whereas "Barack Obama" is Arabic for "A weenie who's punching way above his weight."

Just kidding. Everyone knows that "Barack" is actually the name of a certain prophet's fabled wingéd steed. (I'm not sure what the "Obama" part means.)

Update: According to AP, the dude was "a 21-year-old ethnic Albanian from Kosovo" whose family had been in Germany for 40 years and who was "radicalized" mere weeks ago.

An ethnic Albanian from Kosovo born and bred in Germany: a very muddled sort of identity, no? No wonder the idea of becoming a mujaheed fighting for the ummah--which simplified everything and gave a lad casting about for an identity a raison d'etre--proved so appealing, and took hold so quickly.

No comments: