Then-Senator Barack Obama and candidate for presidency claims on November 21, 2007 that he is uniquely qualified to bring stability to America’s relationships in the Muslim world because he lived in an Islamic country during his youth and because his half-sister is Muslim. He claimed he truly believed that the day he is inaugurated is the day the country looks at itself differently and the world looks at the U.S. differently because when he reaches out to the Muslim world, Muslims will understand that he’s lived in a Muslim country.
As protests rage across the Middle East and Africa, a controversy exist in the United States over the real importance of a movie trailer published on YouTube. The White House is focusing on the movie as the cause of the unrest. Obama opponents are explain it President Barack Obama’s foreign policy that is at fault.
I may be a Christian, but I understand their point of view … our future and our security is tied up with our ability to work with other countries in the world that will ultimately make us safer.
Barack Obama, Presidential Candidate (November 21, 2007)
Egyptian riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters blocks away from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, leading to the death of one protester. Meanwhile in Alexandria protesters near the US consulate clashed with police there.
Several dozen protesters briefly stormed the US Embassy compound in Tunisia’s capital, setting fire to cars and raising a flag with the Muslim profession of faith on it as part of demonstrations against an anti-Muslim film.
In addition to attacking U.S. embassies in the Middle East and Africa, rioters attacked a Hardee’s and a KFC in Tripoli. About 20 countries have experienced unrest of some type that is allegedly connected with a YouTube movie trailer that has insulted Muslim protesters.
On Friday the U.S. State Department reported that it has activated a 24-hr monitoring team to insure appropriate coordination of information and our response. In addition, the U.S. State Department’s consular team is working with missions around the world to protect American citizens and issue appropriate public warden information.
The state department official noted that U.S. embassies in Libya and Yemen have been reinforced with Marine FAST teams and noted that other unspecified measures are being taken to strengthen embassy security in the Middle East and Africa.
The U.S. Embassy in Tunis was invaded by rioters who took down the American flag and replaced it with the black banner of al Qaeda. U.S. embassies in Libya and Yemen have been reinforced with Marine FAST teams.
The Marine FAST teams are assigned only to protect American citizens and property not engage in conflict with any enemy.
In the United States …
A bomb threat at the University of Texas — Austin claimed to come from a man belonging to al-Qaida.
The White House has said that the protests are not directed at the United States, and James Carney told reporters, “We’re very proud of the president’s record on foreign policy and are happy to make the case at the appropriate time.”
The caller claimed bombs placed throughout the Austin campus would go off in 90 minutes, but administrators waited more than an hour before blaring sirens on the campus of 50,000 students and telling them to immediately “get as far away as possible” in emergency text messages.
The threats were cleared as false alarms, but many people worried the alerts were not activated quickly enough. Outdoor disaster sirens wailed on the Austin campus and cellphones received text messages. Police blocked off all roads heading into campus as lines of cars waited in gridlock trying to get off campus. Business nearby the campus were crowded with the evacuated students who had to huddle under awning and overhangs to avoid getting drenched in rain that was falling.
North Dakota State University evacuated 20,000 people were the school’s main campus and downtown campus in Fargo after the school received a bomb threat Friday morning. Less details were available from North Dakota State University administrators.
YouTube content warning that precedes display of the Muhammad Movie Trailer by “Sam Bacile” who has been identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year-old Egyptian Coptic Christian and convicted felon.
A controversy has developed as the White House emphasizes the attacks are based on the video “Innocence of Muslims”, and not U.S. policy. Ample evidence from multiple intelligence sources has reported that the attack on the Libyan embassy was planned days in advance of the flare-up from the “Innocence of Muslims” film trailer, which has been posted on YouTube since July 2, 2012. As of early morning September 15, 2012 the trailer had 3,016,368 views with 11,563 likes and 47,465 dislikes.
YouTube stats for “Innocence of Muslims” film trailer or “Muhammad Movie Trailer” showing spike of views about September 12, 2012.
The video trailer views skyrocketed after the Middle East protests began. An entire new investigation is developing regarding the identity of “Sam Bacile” — now believed to be Nakoula Basseley Nakoula — and who were all the players that marketed the movie trailer to the Middle East and Africa and who were the players that framed it as the cause of the protests (See also PBS.org How ‘Sam Bacile’ Bamboozled the AP, Wall Street Journal Over Anti-Muslim Film).
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