The recent flurry of conservative howls for Obama to “do something” in the Iran situ have temporarily been muted as the info flood out of Iran has died to a trickle and they get bizzy wilin’ out on Obama over Honduras. But I would like to point out some things that are obvious to me as a muslim in Obama’s pressers on Iran.
1. He never says the d-word. Sadly, democracy has become a dirty word in MENA, thanks to Bush and Ajax in part.
2. He consistantly uses the word justice. In one event he used justice six times. As we all know, justice is the beating heart of al-Islam. salihat (just duty) is part of our lives. The Prophet said a nation can exist without god, but a nation cannot exist without justice.
3. He consistantly referrences MLK. Obama himself is a powerful visual symbol of triumph over injustice, a black president of a once slave-holder nation. The theme of religious non-violent protest is strong in the Shi’ia….it is how they survived the Umayydd caliphate and overthew the tyrant Shah. The religion of the Green Wave is al-Islam and not MLK’s christianity, but the core substance of civil rights and the rule of law is the same.
It is not over in Iran, and we will see more western media coverage as the resistance enters the next stage. And more opportunities for Obama to speak in code to the Green Wave.