Barack Obama condemned the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. [Xinhua]

By all considerations, Obama has showed restraint in his policy toward the Middle East. The US refused to impose a war on Iran as a solution to the nuclear issue despite pressures from Israelis and Jewish lobbyists. Additionally, the US refused to lead the uprising which overthrew former Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi, albeit modest participation. Obama has also shown prudence in America’s limited involvement in Syria’s war to topple the Bashar Assad regime, despite the fact that the US opposes an Iran-Syria alliance.

Obama’s cool head may have prevented all-out crisis, but it has not reversed the hostilities felt in the Muslim world. Deep enmity towards the Judeo-Christian belief structure of the West, which has existed since the Crusades began over one thousand years ago, has not eclipsed with the passing of the time. The backwardness and poverty of the Muslim world today are still bitter reminders of Western colonial rule. And the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of counter-terrorism which began ten years ago have left long lasting scars in the hearts of Muslims.

It is self-evident that neither any individual leader nor any administration can significantly reverse these sentiments. Even leaders as wise as Barack Obama cannot prevent his people from desecrating the Islamic religion. The Libyan people, who now lack the control of a strong man like Qaddafi, have upped their hostilities toward America.