Ambassador for Canada, Alawite religious minority
Pelosi sports Maple Leaf-studded head scarf in Syria
By Judi McLeod
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Given the maple leaf-studded headscarf she donned before entering a Syrian mosque yesterday, American House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could have been an ambassador for Canada.
The Maple Leaf, of course, is the chief symbol of Canada's flag.
Although the good-sized picture of Pelosi on Tuesday's Drudge Report shows Pelosi wearing the Maple Leaf-studded scarf, some media outlets took the maple leaves as flowers: "Wearing a flowered head scarf and a black abaya robe, Pelosi visited the 8th-century Omayyad Mosque. She made the sign of the cross in front of an elaborate tomb which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist. About 10 percent of Syria's 18 million people are Christian." (www.myway, 4/4/07).
The father of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the late Hafez Assad, led a regime dominated by the belief that women do not have souls.
Assad originated from the Alawite religious minority, though in essence a sect of Shiite Islam is a world apart from Islam in doctrine and practice.
"The secretive faith--in name indicating followers of Ali, son-in-law of Islam's founding Prophet Mohammed--also combines elements of Christianity and astrology." (Apologetics Index).
Peculiar to the Alawites is the belief that women do not have souls.
Politically Bashar Assad is a chip off the proverbial old block. Shaped by his father's lifetime crusade against Israel, he has steadfastly resisted Israeli and American pressure to abandon support for Hezbollah.
Gary C. Gambill and Ziad K. Abdelnour, who wrote: Hezbollah: Between Tehran and Damascus for the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin got it right back in 2002:
"Bashar's love affair with Hezbollah is attributed by some observers to naivet. A Syria that can be manipulated by Hezbollah, which in turn, under Iranian guidance, could well miss the crucial moment when Iran and Hezbollah attempt to spark a huge conflagration.on Israel's northern border," says Israeli commentator Ehud Ya'ari, "A weak and nave Syria acts as an accelerator for Hezbollah, not a brake."
Pelosi would be more familiar than most with symbolism in dress. The activists in Code Pink, who have been waiting for her return from abroad by surrounding her Pacific Heights San Francisco mansion, always turn up decked out in pink scarves.
When it comes to her own country, Pelosi has been criticized for having divided loyalties since her arrival as House Speaker in early January.
Political hype notwithstanding, donning a head scarf and making nice would never get Syrian President Assad to stop allowing terrorists from crossing his border into Iraq.
With American troops in harm's way, some fear Pelosi's visit will add legitimization to the terrorist government of Syria. As sure as Pelosi wants to cut funds for the troops, the White House doesn't support her visit to Syria.
Said State Department Sean McCormack last Friday: "In our view, it is not the right time to have these sorts of high-profile visitors to Syria."
President George W. Bush has said Pelosi's trip signals that the Assad government is part of the international mainstream when it is not. The United States says Syria allows Iraqi Sunni insurgents to operate from its territory, backs the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups and is trying to destabilize the Lebanese government. Syria denies the allegations.
"A lot of people have gone to see President Assad…and yet we haven't seen action. He hasn't responded," he told reporters soon after she arrived in Damascus Tuesday. "Sending delegations doesn't work. It's simply been counterproductive."
Meanwhile, as Michael John McCrae wrote in "Nancy Pelosi-Sleeping With The Enemy" for Conservative Voice, "When Islam declares victory over America I fully expect to see Nancy Pelosi wearing a head scarf in the halls of congress."
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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