Obama/Clinton trips to Asia: Helping Muslim Brotherhood, Paving Way for Russia

The fallout from the administration’s two high-profile Asia trips has come starkly into focus: Where President Obama failed with South Korea, Russia succeeded; and Hillary Clinton’s choice of politician to support in Malaysia has strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood on our own soil and has presided over the dissipation of the country’s only real opposition.

While in South Korea earlier this month, Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak worked for four days to complete a deal that has been practically ready to be signed since the administration of George W. Bush. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue even traveled to South Korea with the expectation the deal would be completed.

The letdown was enhanced by the visit to South Korea that soon followed, by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev and Lee inked perhaps a dozen deals according to The Diplomat and RIA Novosti, aimed mostly at economic cooperation. Russia’s natural resources and South Korea’s machinery make mutually beneficial trade currency for the two. Richard Weitz reported:

“As a result, economic ties between the two countries have improved considerably in recent years, especially in high-technology sectors. According to the latest figures published by the Korea International Trade Association, two-way commerce amounted to $12.4 billion in the first nine months of this year, 20 percent more than for the whole of 2009. Medvedev said Moscow hopes bilateral trade will exceed $17 billion for the entire year.”

But the case of Anwar Ibrahim may be even more troubling. Clinton requested a meeting with Anwar on her trip to Malaysia, and even announced the meeting publicly before a last-minute schedule change. She continued to press Malaysia’s leadership on Anwar’s behalf, as she has done consistently as secretary of state.

Anwar, the current opposition leader and former deputy prime minister and finance minister, is often held up as an example of a “moderate Muslim” leader, but the truth is far from that narrative–which the media unfortunately parrots time and again. In 1980, Anwar founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Virginia with two members of the Muslim Brotherhood (the FBI had already identified them as such). The institute was intended to be a think tank companion to the Brotherhood’s missions in the U.S. It was an unindicted coconspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-funding trial; published a book calling for terrorism against Israel; and has been under federal investigation since 2002.

Anwar Ibrahim

One of the co-founders of the IIIT, Ahmad al-Haj Totonji, helped Anwar found the Muslim Youth Force (ABIM) in Malaysia with Saudi funds. Speaking at an ABIM conference just a few years ago, Totonji called Big Peace contributor Daniel Pipes and the Investigative Project on Terrorism’s Steve Emerson “useless parasitic Zionists” who have no place telling Muslims to tone down their jihadist instincts:

“The Prophet was tempted in the same way. Allah will not forgive anyone who compromises with such people. The solution is for Muslims to unite to eradicate such mischief; ABIM can take on this role and set an example for the whole world.”

If connections to such people and the violence they espouse isn’t enough reason to avoid Anwar, maybe his partnerships with Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, are. In 1996, Anwar licensed a Kuwaiti fund management business, Majestic Global Investment, and moved it to Malaysia. The company’s chairman was none other than al-Qaradawi.

Anwar often had al-Qaradawi speak in public about Islamic banking, integrated some of al-Qaradawi’s ideas into his governing philosophy, and even echoed al-Qaradawi’s fiery pro-jihad statements.

And then there is the question of Anwar’s political standing in his own country. Clinton spoke out against Anwar’s sodomy charges, but her request to meet with him and her State Department’s continued admonishment of Malaysia’s foreign ministry, led by Anifah Aman, over the case, is elevating Anwar’s role and that of his followers to what Clinton called “important participants in the democratic process here in Malaysia.”

But even if you accept the State Department’s characterization of the trial, is Anwar really the right person to elevate, or is this meddling counterproductive? The latest news out of Malaysia shows it to be the latter.

“Malaysia’s main opposition party looks increasingly unlikely to mount a serious threat to the status quo when the country next goes to the polls,” reported Reuters. The reason: “an internal election to choose his party’s deputy leader–and his successor if he is convicted–has divided the party just at a time when Prime Minister Najib Razak may decide to call a snap election.”

Anwar’s party, the People’s Justice Party, lost former Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, who defected this week after public spats with Anwar. Anwar’s followers responded by accusing Zaid of setting up a splinter party and controlling it via proxies while still a member of the People’s Justice Party.

The outcome of all this is that Malaysia’s ruling National Front coalition will gain more representation in the next elections thanks to Anwar’s opposition leadership, and that both the ruling party and Anwar’s erstwhile flock believe him to be a criminal.

Time magazine’s Joe Klein, regurgitating the media and governing class’s line, called Anwar “a wise, decent and courageous man.” But in fact Anwar is simply the smiling public face of modern-day Islamist jihad against the West, and always has been.