Obviously.
Via The Blaze:
Robert Bergdahl, the father Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, ignited some controversy after saying “bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim,” translated as “in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate,” in his remarks at the White House on Saturday.
Sgt. Bergdahl was recently released from Taliban captivity in exchange for the release of five senior Taliban officials from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, and Robert said he was addressing his son in Arabic and Pashtu because he might have trouble understanding English after nearly five years with the Taliban.
Some have said Robert was “claiming” the White House for Islam with the phrase, which is featured prominently throughout the Koran, while others have downplayed the issue.
But according to sources who have direct ties to the Taliban, TheBlaze’s senior Washington correspondent Sara Carter said Wednesday, there is no doubt about one thing: the Taliban was extremely pleased by the declaration.
“[Robert] definitely was, in a way, consecrating the area,” Carter remarked on The Glenn Beck Program. “He was reaching out. … And when I contacted my sources in Pakistan who have direct links with the Taliban, [they said] the Taliban was actually thrilled that the father did this.”