Obama's view on "Religion of Peace" during India visit.

Timing and location is everything and so is symbolism, so it is important to take note that Barack Hussein Obama, a former Muslim student when he grew up in Indonesia, was speaking over the weekend at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, India during his billion-dollar extravaganza to India. Surrounded by 10,000 Indian police, the Obama delegation has also been protected by over 500 American security agents and a fleet of 34 U.S. Navy warships while they and their delegation were staying at the completely U.S. occupied Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai, India. The time and place has a more important significance in the recent memory of India. It was, in Mumbai, India two years ago this month, the location of the largest attack by Islamic terrorists on India's soil from Pakistan. Not to digress too much but I must also wonder if Obama's representatives in India ordered the staff at St. Xavier's College to cover up all the Catholic statues and religious symbols as they did when he spoke at Georgetown University last year.

What's wrong with Pres. Obama? This is the question that Christians, especially Catholics, are asking. The recent "Georgetown University - Obama, Jesus Controversy" seems to point to the answer to specific questions like "Is Obama an atheist?" or "Is Obama an anti-Christ?" Georgetown University, a Jesuit university, obliged to Pres. Obama's request to cover the sign with letters IHS -- that symbolizes the name of Jesus -- and a cross above the dais in Gaston Hall where the president delivered his 45-minute speech.

According to CNSnews, Obama wanted a backdrop that contained only "flags, pipe and drape" and all religious symbols like the IHS monogram and cross have to be covered. 

But Obama was in a Catholic university! He was not giving a speech in an unknown place, but the Jesuit-run Georgetown University! Pres. Obama should have known better and respected the Catholics' faith (and feelings!), and all the God loving, faithful believers in this country. If the President is indeed a Christian man as he claims to be, then he should have been sensitive enough not to offend some Christians. Also, Georgetown University could have reminded Obama that covering IHS might have negative connotations to the faithfuls.

Anyway, back to Obama's government in exile trip in India.
Wikipedia has provided a brief synopsis of the events that became the largest terrorist attack in India in many years.

The 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (often referred to as November 26th or 26/11) were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan. The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.

Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital (a women and children's hospital), Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier's College. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai's port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. By the early morning of 28 November, all sites except for the Taj hotel had been secured by Mumbai Police and security forces. An action by India's National Security Guards (NSG) on 29 November (the action is officially named Operation Black Tornado) resulted in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj hotel, ending all fighting in the attacks.

The Indian newspaper Hindustan Times has this headline story yesterday from the Indo-Asian News Service, Mumbai, November 07, 2010 that covered Obama's speech:

Islam great, but distorted by few extremists: Obama

Islam is a great religion but there is a need to isolate those who have distorted its vision, US President Barack Obama told a gathering of college students, in Mumbai on Sunday. "Well, the phrase jehad has a lot of meanings within Islam. It is subject to lot of different interpretations. But I will say that first Islam is one of the world's great religions and over a billion people practice Islam," Obama said at the packed forecourt of St. Xavier's College here.

"The overwhelming majority want peace, justice, fairness and tolerance. All of us recognise that this great religion, in the hands of a few extremists, has been distorted. One of the challenges we face is how to isolate those who have distorted its vision," Obama said when a student asked for his views on jehad.

"The religion teaches peace, justice, fairness and tolerance. All of us recognise that this great religion cannot justify violence," he added.

"We affirm that Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Jew or any other religion; we all need to treat each other with respect and dignity that Gandhi referred to. It's a major challenge not only in India but also around the world," said Obama, who looked at ease while interacting with the students gathered from six Mumbai colleges.

In an attempt to dispel the rumors back home that he was a Muslim, Barack Hussein Obama and his wife Michelle paid a visit to a Muslim tomb in New Delhi. And as Robert Spencer points out about Obama on Jihad Watch:

He has no plans to visit any holy places of the Sikhs (such as the Golden Temple, Amritsar), or any Hindu holy places, Buddhist holy places, or Jain holy places. Nor does he plan to visit Nariman house, the Chabad house in Mumbai that was the chief target of the jihad mass-murderers who killed 173 people in November 2008. 

Once again, Obama manifests a solicitude for Islam that he wouldn't dream of extending to other faiths.

Meanwhile, on the American television program ABC TV's “This Week” aired on October 3, 2010, UK Muslim leader Anjem Choudary who tells Christiane Amanpour, “The flag of Islam will fly over the White House” –  and it makes you wonder if it already is.

Anjem Choudary further explained to his host, “And this idea that you have moderate Muslims and you have radical Muslims, you know, it’s complete nonsense. A Muslim is the one who submits to the command of the creator. If he submits, he is a practicing Muslim. If he is not, then he should be practicing.”

While yet another Islamic leader, this time an American-born convert to Islam, has called upon Muslims everywhere to kill Americans. As Fox News reports:

CAIRO -- A U.S.-born radical Yemeni cleric linked to previous attacks on the U.S. called for Muslims around world to kill Americans in a new video message posted on radical websites Monday.

Anwar al-Awlaki said since all Americans are the enemy, clerics don't need to issue any special fatwas or religious rulings allowing them to be killed.

"Don't consult with anybody in killing the Americans, fighting the devil doesn't require consultation or prayers seeking divine guidance. They are the party of the devils," he said. "We are two opposites who will never come together."

In the 23-minute Arabic language message entitled "Make it known and clear to mankind," al-Awlaki said that for Americans and Muslims it was "either us or them."

There just seems to be more than a few extremists that have hijacked the religion of Islam. How easy it must be when the billion-plus following in every corner of the world recite their faithful prayers five times a day reaffirming the commands of their prophet to kill all the infidels and non-believers. One only needs to point to one or more of the hundreds of verses in the Qur'an to get the message. Despots from every era have a penchant for using the word "peace". Back in the days of the Cold War an observer of communism once said: "Peace to a communist means the absence of resistance to communism." Today we have as the world's greatest threat a religion called Islam who likes to say it is a Religion of Peace but whose very name means Submission. And isn't submission the absence of resistance? The more things change the more they remain the same.