Translating Words, Interpreting Events

“Tawriya” is a key to understanding Barack Obama

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By Bob Taylor

Communities Digital News

CHARLOTTENC, April 14, 2014 – Whenever Barack Obama uses his favorite five word phrase, “Let me be perfectly clear,” it is a signal to turn and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

It is time to clear the air and make it clearer about what “being perfectly clear” really means.

In Islam there is a doctrine, which is primarily upheld by Sunni Muslims, known as taqiyya. Sunnis derive their name from the word sunna which means “example.” The sunnah is regarded as the normative way of life for Muslims based upon the teachings and “examples” of the Prophet Muhammad.

Basically taqiyya is lying, which is permitted in Islam when used to deceive the enemy or to protect yourself against the infidels. Thus, normative Islam says that duping the enemy is a major facet of jihad.

The concept of taqiyya, like most things in Islam, is considerably more complicated than the simple definition provided above, but the basic premise is enough.

Beyond taqiyya however, there is a corollary known as tawriya which, though lesser known, is, in its own way, perhaps a more dangerous doctrine that its bigger brother. As the prolific Middle Eastern writer, Raymond Ibrahim, points out, tawriya allows Muslims to lie in virtually all circumstances provided that the lie is articulated in a way that it is technically (emphasis added) true.” In other words the best use of the doctrine of tawriya is when you say something that means one thing to the listener but is purposely vague to mean something else to the speaker.

Conspiracy theorists will scoff at the idea that Barack Obama would employ such a tactic, but the evidence dramatically says otherwise. Like the birther issue, the idea that the president is a Muslim is typically rejected as Obama bashing perpetuated by the president’s fiercest opponents.

Having said that, it is undeniable that the first third of Obama’s life was heavily influenced by Islamic teachings. Certainly the concepts of both taqiyya and tawriya were an integral part of that upbringing. In fact, during his first presidential campaign, the Islamic aspect of the president’s life was considered one of his strengths to deal with the complexities of the Middle East. Sadly, the arena of foreign policy has proven to be one of his greatest weaknesses.

Using simple examples by Raymond Ibrahim, it is not difficult to get the gist of how tawriya works. Writes Ibrahim, “if someone declares ‘I don’t have a penny in my pocket,.’ most listeners will assume the speaker has no money on him—though he might have dollar bills, just literally no pennies. This is legitimate according to Islamic law…and does not constitute ‘lying.’”

In another example Ibrahim explains that “it is permissible for a Muslim even to swear when lying through tawriya. Munajid, for example, cites a man who swears to Allah that he can only sleep under a roof; when the man is caught sleeping atop a roof, he exonerates himself by saying ‘by roof, I meant the open sky.’ This is legitimate. ‘After all,’ Munajid adds, ‘Qur’an 21:32 refers to the sky as a roof.’”

Transpose those examples into the phrase “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” In that case, Obama was obviously misleading, yet when he was called down on it he simply used the familiar “that’s-my-story-and-I’m-sticking-to-it defense” which is commonplace throughout his tenure.

A better example of tawyira would be Mr. Obama’s “hope and change” campaign philosophy. Though the words themselves are vague, there was no doubt about what the positive promises implied in Obama’s guarantee to “fundamentally change” America. Indeed he has done just that, only not in the manner that most Americans interpreted those words. It represented tawyira in its purest sense, because Barack Obama knew exactly what he meant when he uttered those words.

Some people would just label it as politics as usual. In Barack Obama’s case it is far more sinister and devious than that. Omitting clarifying information while touting other facts and figures have become a hallmark of Obama’s presidency.

If, in fact, it is true that more than seven million people signed up for Obamacare, what is not true is that that number is accurate. Television analysts have been pointing that out since the end of March when the president was taking his victory laps.

Since then Obama has been blaming republicans for wanting to deny Americans healthcare which is also not true, but being “perfectly clear” he can justify it through a concept known as tawyira.

As for global applications, Iran is using the same process in our negotiations over nuclear weapons. Either Obama is being beaten by his own game or, more likely, he understands the situation and is doing nothing about it. Either way it spells danger for the West.

The Pied Piper is leading his rats off the edge of a cliff, and the time has come for Americans to pay the piper because of it.

“Let’s be perfectly clear.” When Barack Obama uses that phrase, it’s a pretty good bet that tawriya is lurking in the shadows.

  • mikeburke

    If his mouth is moving. He is lying. The sad part is that the same can be said for most politicians in Washington and members of the “ruling class”. Until recently I have not been so cynical as to think they are all like this, but beginning to conclude that they may be. If they aren’t corrupt when they arrive in Washington, they are quickly seduced. About transforming this country, our great leader has kept his promise. In my lifetime I never dreamed of seeing so many people on the dole, discouraged, beaten down and losing hope. Also, I have travelled in my work considerably and always viewed the US as a culture and people elevated by our freedoms and lack of government influence, and one which led to more freedom, wealth, and good for all its citizens, including the least fortunate. There is a vast difference between the least fortunate in the US and the least fortunate in any other country in the world. Now, in my travels, I see us as similar to fallen empires such as Spain, Portugal and the like. In my observation citizens of other countries consider us a bit of a cosmic joke, especially since our “president” has outed himself as a flaccid leader lacking wisdom or courage. Our “president” has led us brilliantly into a major collapse. Meanwhile, the lemmings that elected him still seem to know NOTHING about how our political system works or affects them, to know nothing about their own country, its history and perspective offered by history, or the history of the world and the perspective offered therein. It’s a nation of seemingly illiterate citizens being led to the slaughter. Worse, the electorate seems to fall for every political trick in the book. It seems we have recycled back to Tammany Hall politics and people just keep buying into the obvious spin and BS. We are in major decline while other countries, using the same principles we used in the industrial revolution, begin to eat our lunch thanks to the election of Bush, Obama and the like. If we elect the wrong person in 2016, we are doomed. We may be doomed now. It’s so very sad.

    • Lea

      Obama may be turning America into a joke, in particular a muslim joke, but it is a very dangerous joke, because he is selling out the Americans. He has caused all people around the world to wonder what exactly is America doing when it pours money into Islamic countries and pours muslim immigrants into America. The joke on America is this: After 9/11 Americans elected a muslim president and he has placed muslims in positions of power like the head of the CIA which is blamed for many atrocities and crimes in other countries. Are Americans stupid or what? Why is it they do not believe what the muslims are saying to them?

  • John F. Phillips

    Wonderful article & I totally agree! John.

  • Lea

    Impeach Obama.