Meeting an Imam

As Barack Obama closes in on the Democratic Presidential nomination, I think it’s very important to learn more about this man—his background, his judgment, his experience, and his politics. The problem is that Obama remains a cipher. It’s difficult to get a read on who this man really is.

Because his public record is very thin, it’s necessary to look at his current and past associations. Who were Obama’s friends and mentors during his meteoric and unprecedented political rise in Chicago politics? Who are his current advisors and what are their domestic and international views? Who does he choose to meet with today and what clues might that give us about his Presidential decision-making.

Obama has argued that these topics are off-limits—“distractions” as he calls them. But since he purposely remains ambiguous about his world-view, they are anything but.

As an example, the Detroit Free Press reports:

Imam Hassan Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America, said in an email that he met with Obama [privately] at Macomb Community College [on May 14, 2008]. A mosque spokesman, Eide Alawan, confirmed that the meeting took place. During the meeting, the two discussed the Presidential election, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Iraq war, according to Qazwini.

At the end of the meeting, Qazwini said he gave Obama a copy of new book, “American Crescent,” [a book that addresses why Islam is good for America] and invited Obama to visit his center.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with meeting with an Imam. Obama should be commended for his ecumenical approach. The problem is that this particular Imam has some questionable associations of his own.

Gateway Pundit reports that “Imam Hassan Qazwini has hosted Louis Farrakhan at his mosque and is close to the Hezbollah Spiritual Leader who issued the fatwa to blow up 300 U.S. Marines and embassy officials in 1983.”

Hmmm.

I suppose it’s reasonable to assume the Obama knew nothing about this, that his staff hadn’t properly vetted the Imam and that it’s all just a mistake. Sorta like the mistake that occurred when Obama’s advisor, Robert Malley, met secretly and repeatedly with Hamas—a terrorist organization that is Hezballah's kindred spirit in Gaza. Malley was fired (for getting caught) and Obama claimed ignorance of the events.

Might be interesting for the MSM to ask Obama what he and Imam Hassan Qazwini discussed when they considered the “Arab-Israeli conflict.” Might be even more interesting to determine what commitments, if any, Obama made to the Imam. For that matter, it might be useful for the MSM to report the meeting itself—certainly a newsworthy event that shows Obama's attempts to establish a dialogue with the Islamic community. Don’t bet any national reporting on this event will happen.

After all, it's just a "distraction," isn't it?