As reported by the Associated Press, Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin-Laden’s No. 2 man, has released a video—”al-Qaeda’s first response to Obama’s victory”—in which he
called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — “house Negroes.”
Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahri uses the term “abeed al-beit,” which literally translates as “house slaves.” But al-Qaida supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as “house Negroes.”
The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X, [right] in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters’ house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.
What’s interesting, to me, is the question of how Black people would respond to this critique, those who would not be unduly offended by the mere notion of an al-Qaeda commentary on this recent historic election.
That is, I’m suspecting most would be outraged by Obama’s name being in the mouth of al-Qaeda, not to mention the criticism of him, ungraciously offered.
However, I also think many would agree with the 
notion of a) some Black people being “house Negroes,” and b) some would even agree on al-Zawahri’s nomination of Powell and, certainly, Rice to this list.
Perhaps the only question would be, how come he didn’t mention Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, right, who typically gets categorized by Black people as racially subservient, and in just this language?
4 comments ↓
He’s right. ONLY a house negro would be elected president. If Barack had a really solid civil rights activist background he wouldn’t have had a chance.
So maybe yeah Barack is a house negro.. so is condi and clarence and colin…
but so what.
I think the post hajj malcolm wouldn’t have leveled such a charge. but the pre hajj malcolm had issues with most black politicians.
I think the whole situation is kind of funny though
Do house African-born-in-america. Lets for sake of this note call us African Americans or if we accept being called Negros.
Then do an analysis of what a president does in his job.
1. What power does the president have ?
2. Are there forces or people powerful enough to over rule a president of the U.S. ?
3. Is the president top person over the administrative branch of government ?
4. Is the president commander and chief of the military. ?
5. WILL OBAMA FOLLOW HIS OWN MIND TO DECISIONS.
6. Are forces in his mind and preprogrammed in his
head to act in the interest against the TOTAL PEOPLE of the U. S. ?
7. WILL OBAMA SHOW YIELD TO WHITE SKIN PRIVILEDGE
AND NEGLECT THAT THE AFRICAN IN AMERICAN IS TOTAL CITIZEN.
8. WILL HE DEMAND THAT THE COUNTRY COME TO GRIPS WITH WHITE SKIN PRIVILEDGE ?
9. WILL HE SPEAK OUT ON RACISM ?
10. WILL HE BE COLOR BLIND AND DEMAND EQUALITY FOR ALL CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY ?
Whether he is a house people with “white” folks in his head is of no concerns to me. IF HE DOES AFFIRMATIVE TO ALL THE THINGS 1 TO 10, WHERE THE QUESTION DEMANDS IT. THEN HE COULD EVEN BE “WHITE” WHICH HE IS ONE HALF “WHITE”… OBAMA IS AS MUCH “WHITE” AS HE IS “BLACK” – AND EVEN MORE SO IN HIS MOVEMENT IN CULTURE.
JOSEPH NYERERE
Mind you from his perspective, Obama is not the panacea for the Arab or Muslim world and he certainly is no Malcolm X. But then Malcolm would never have gotten voted in as pres even in this day and age. But if he’s so concerned about black folks, why isn’t he talking about the Black Africans being killed in Darfur by the Janjaweed who are both Arabic and Muslims and denouncing it. If they really wanted to create a power base they would deal with that situation and bring peace to the area, but they can’t and I haven’t heard anything from them regarding their stance on the subject. You?
I think sometimes people forget the old “Long Dong Silver” wannabe is still around.
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