Muslim revolution, soon by you

Farrakhan

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan used his podium Sunday to predict that Arab revolts in the Middle East will spread to the U.S. Speaking at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Chicago, Farrakhan said:

What you are looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt … Libya, in Bahrain … what you see happening there … you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door

For anyone who needs a reminder, in the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama's Farrakhan connection caused a quite a stir. As Richard Cohen wrote to Americans in his important 2008 column, despite Farrakhan's virulent anti-Semitism ("Hitler was a very great man"), Obama belongs to a church which described Farrakhan as a man who "truly epitomized greatness". In 2007, the head of Obama's Trinity United Church, Reverand Jeremiah Wright, awarded Farrakhan the Empowerment award. Farrakhan has also lectured at the church on several occasions, and Wright has called him "one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century".

Somehow, America let this blow over and elected Obama anyway. After Obama was elected, Farrrakhan said that God's divine plan for the world explains why Obama won. Farrakhan was the first to celebrate, having kept quiet during the campaign so as not to mar Obama's image further. In 2008 Farrakhan said that when Obama talks "the Messiah is absolutely speaking."

Farrakhan wasn't the only radical nut to celebrate. To the terror of his advisors, Obama was praised in Qaddafi's 2009 UN speech, where Qaddafi referred to Obama as a "black African Kenyan" and said: "We are content and happy if Obama can stay forever as president of America."At a speech in Libya, Qaddafi said: “Now, ruling America is a black man from our continent, an African from Arab descent, from Muslim descent, and this is something we never imagined – that from Reagan we would get to Barakeh Obama.” Qaddafi said Obama "knows he is a son of Africa. Regardless of his African belonging, he is of Arab Sudanese descent, or of Muslim descent."

As it turns out, Farrakhan's and Qaddafi's support of Obama were not coincidental; the two have quite a history (the Obama-Farrakhan-Wright-Qaddafi alliance notes are courtesy Flopping Aces blog). In 1984, Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan visited Qaddafi, a trip about which Wright said: “When [Obama's] enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli to visit [Qaddafi] with Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell.”

In 1985, Farrakhan received a $5 million interest free loan from Qaddafi. In 1996, Libyan news reported that Farrakhan and Qaddafi agreed to work together in order to liberate “oppressed blacks, Arabs, Muslims and Red Indians". On his struggle before connecting with Farrakha, Qaddafi said: “our confrontation with America was like a fight against a fortress from outside.” Farrakhan has traveled to Libya on several times, and in 1996 was awarded the Gadhafi Human Rights Award (lo aleinu!).

To be clear, Farrakhan's loyalties ultimately lie with the Libyan people, even more than with Qaddafi. In his speech on Sunday, Farrakhan also called to halt violence against the protesters, a clear attack on Qaddafi. For Farakhan, protests in the Arab world are the sign of a turning of a new page, a new page which will reach the U.S. as well. If all the protests were about were democratic reforms, what would it mean that they will soon reach the U.S.?

Protests in the Arab world, while they may carry the good wishes of basic economic and political rights which have been denied for years, are inseparable from two key movements: Marxism and Islamism, which together translate into the dream for a new world order to liberate the weak, led by the resurgence of modernity's favorite victim: Islam.

Farrakhan isn't the only one saying this. On Sunday, another radical Muslim cleric used his podium to herald the United States as the ultimate destination of the Arab revolution. As reported by INN:

The British radical Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama must embrace Islam as a way of life or face the consequences of a trial under the Shariah Islamic court system.

...Choudary also said that he is planning a protest in front of the White House on Thursday in which he will call on American Muslims to revolt against the country and implement Sharia law. He added that during the protest he will also call on Obama and all Americans to “embrace Islam, not only as a religion but as a way of life.”

...During Sunday’s interview with Klein, Choudary repeated his contention that the flag of Islam will fly over the White House. “I do believe that as a Muslim every part of the world will be governed by the Sharia,” he said. “So symbolically the flag of Islam will fly from every single country, every single nation.”

Many have said Obama's presidency and protests in the Arab world mark the "turning of a new page". Only now are we able to conceive what only in our wildest dreams the two could have to do with each other: Islam revolution, soon by you, in the U.S., and beyond.