Pakistan Editorialists Respond to Obama, Tancredo

The USG Open Source Center translates Pakistan Editorials Responding to Barack Obama and Tom Tancredo

'Urdu Press Roundup on 'Hostile' Statements by US Presidential Candidates
Pakistan -- OSC Summary
Monday, August 6, 2007

The following is a roundup of excerpts from editorials on the strongly-worded statements by the US presidential hopefuls belonging to both the Republican and Democratic parties on strikes inside Pakistan and against Muslims' holy cities, published in the 4 August 2007 editions of six Urdu dailies:


Nawa-e Waqt Editorial Says American Leadership Against Islamic World, Pakistan

Discussing the statement of ruling Republican presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo on whether the United States should attack the holy cities of the Muslims, Mecca and Medina, the editorial remarks: "Earlier, the presidential hopeful of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama had demonstrated his audacity by saying that he would order strikes on Pakistan to hunt down Usama Bin Laden. Expressing its formal reaction, our Foreign Office termed the statements of both the presidential hopefuls as madness. On the other hand, the US presidential candidates are not only making threats to promote their enmity against Islam but are also setting their future targets. Pakistan and the holiest places of Muslims are foremost amongst their targets."


Khabrain Editorial Finds Statements of US Presidential Hopefuls Reflective of Their Mindset, Intensions

Rejecting the claims made by the US administration and presidential hopefuls about possible nuclear attacks on the US by the Muslim world, the editorial states: "If the US presidential hopefuls talk about attacking the Muslims' holy cities of Mecca and Medina and an announcement is made about destroying the hideouts of terrorists inside Pakistan, it should not be considered as boasting by unhinged people. Rather, we should prepare ourselves to counter it (the threat). A session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) should immediately be convened to chalk out a joint strategy. On the other hand, those making such threats should consider whether they will be able to maintain peace in the world by playing with the sentiments of Muslims."


Jasarat Editorial Urges Muslim Rulers To Rise to Occasion

Terming the statements of the US presidential hopefuls as horrible for the Muslim world, the editorial says: "The entire Western world would have raised hue and cry if such a statement had been made by some important figure in the Muslim world. However, the presidential candidate of the ruling Republican Party is attacking the very soul of Muslims, and there is no one to check his tongue. The situation poses a challenge for the entire Muslim world. The tragedy of the Muslim world is that its people are fully awake, but their rulers are in deep slumber. Rather, they are being used in different places as tools by the West to work against their own religion, history, ideology, community, and nation."


Islam Editorial Asks Muslim World To Register Protest With US in Effective Way

Lamenting the hostile statements of the future US leadership towards the Islamic world and Pakistan, the editorial suggests: "The Islamic world should cut off all sorts of ties and end cooperation with the US as a mark of protest. They should compel the United States to stop negative propaganda and military actions against Muslims at once and withdraw their forces from all occupied Muslim lands without any delay so that Muslims in these countries can decide their own future."


Pakistan Editorial Alleges US Pursuing Policy of Clash of Civilizations

Calling on the Muslim leaders to realize the situation and join heads to find a solution to the challenges, the editorial states: "Having their faith in a clash of civilizations, the US rulers have been subjecting the Muslims to their atrocities. The sentiments of Muslims have been hurt due to the tirade against the Muslims' holy cities. The Muslim community will have to rise to the occasion. The OIC is duty-bound to tell the United States and the West of the unanimous stance of the Muslim community in this regard."


Jinnah Editorial Sees Statement Reflective of US Designs Against Muslims

Highlighting that the statements by the US presidential hopefuls from both parties are not just by chance, the editorial comments: "In the wake of the statement of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama about striking Al-Qa'ida hideouts inside Pakistan, the Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo has used the same, silly language. He said that the only way out to save the United States from nuclear attacks is that the holy places of Muslims should be targeted. While speaking during his election campaign, he said that a if nuclear attack is launched against the United States, Mecca and Medina should be bombed. He said that the US should make this decision at the earliest. Perhaps we do not know what the US designs are. President Bush never talked about a crusade; it came out due to a slip of the tongue. In like manner, Tom Tancredo has expressed his evil, inner self." '