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SPEAKING
FREELY
Breaking a vicious circle of
hate
By Louay M Safi
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please click here
if you are interested in
contributing.
Anti-Americanism and
Islamophobia share a common denominator: they both
serve as a strategic weapon in the war of ideas
between Muslim and Western extremists and bigots.
On one level, anti-Americanism and Islamophobia
stem from ignorance, deception and
misrepresentation. On a deeper level, however,
they stem from a very basic human instinct: the
will to gain power unrestrained and undisciplined
by moral values; they stem from human greed and
the will to dominate, exploit and abuse.
While both truth and vanity play a role in
shaping anti-Americanism and Islamophobia, I am
less concerned with the vain sources of these
sentiments that take the form of deception,
jealousy and arrogance. I am more concerned,
however, with the true sources of anti-Americanism
and Islamophobia, namely US foreign policy and
exclusivist political ideologies that fuel
extremism and terrorism. US foreign policy, as
articulated by the neo-conservatives, is bent on
dominating and manipulating Muslim societies for
achieving narrow economic and geopolitical
interests; similarly, exclusivist ideologies
continue to inflame the vicious terror campaigns
that justify the killing of civilians for
achieving political ends.
It is not
difficult for any person aware of the patterns of
US foreign policy toward the Muslim world, and of
the terror campaign conducted by militant Muslims,
to see that the two are interrelated and feed one
another. The United States has for decades
supported dictatorships and corrupt military
regimes in the name of maintaining stability, and
those regimes have bred extremism and given rise
to terrorist groups.
Yet the fact that US
foreign policy feeds into, and is fed by, the rise
of extremism and terrorism in Muslim countries
does not mean that we are moving in a vicious
circle. The US is in a position to end the cycle
of violence and counter-violence, and American
Muslims are well situated to help in redirecting
US foreign policy and in bridging the deepening
divide between Muslim and Western societies.
There are reasons to believe that the
George W Bush administration has become
increasingly aware, after September 11, 2001, of
the pitfalls of supporting autocratic regimes in
the Muslim world, and has made several
readjustments in its foreign-policy approach
toward Muslim countries. Not only is the Bush
administration increasingly reluctant to openly
support military and authoritarian regimes, but it
is increasingly coming to terms with the fact that
no democratic government is possible without the
involvement of Islamically oriented political
groups, as developments in Turkey and Iraq have
demonstrated.
This does not mean that the
Bush administration has undergone a profound
change of attitude; nor does it mean that the
administration has distanced itself from
unilateralism and military preeminence that led to
the war in Iraq. Bush has recently nominated John
Bolton, a neo-conservative unilateralist, as the
US ambassador to the United Nations and continues
to give him his full support, despite objection
from leading Republicans. This is the same Bolton
who, less than two years ago, expressed an utter
contempt toward international law and the UN. "It
is a big mistake for us," he wrote, "to grant any
validity to international law even when it may
seem in our short-term interest to do so -
because, over the long term, the goal of those who
think that international law really means anything
are those who want to constrict the United
States."
We must reject the
neo-conservatives' obsession with domination and
empire-building. Their drive to ensure the
political and military dominance of the US might
appear at first glance patriotic, but in actuality
it is undermining the political and moral standing
of the US by undermining democracy and freedom at
home and rolling back the most important American
achievements on the world stage: international law
and the UN organization.
American Muslims
are well positioned to expose the deceptions of
power-hungry unilateralists, and bridge the divide
between Muslim and Western countries. American
Muslims should equally reject the bigoted spirit
of exclusivist ideologies that use religion in all
its forms as a weapon for achieving political
supremacy and demonize and dehumanize political
opponents. American Muslims should take a firm and
resolute stance against individuals and groups
that use violence and terror against civilians in
the name of Islam, and condemn all campaigns of
terrorism by militant Islamic groups like
al-Qaeda, as they do condemn those who justify
violence and aggression against Muslims in the
name of biblical prophecies and religious
supremacy.
The time has come for the world
to undertake a profound shift in political
thinking and practice, similar to the one achieved
in Europe in modern times. A democratic and free
Europe came to life when the feudal system that
privileged a small class of European elites was
rejected and replaced with a system based on
political equality and the rule of law. A
democratic and free world will be achieved when
the current political structure that perpetuates
political and economic disparity is replaced with
one in which all are equally treated under
international law and have fairly equal access to
international organizations.
For two
centuries, America has shown that it is capable of
transcending its limitations and marching behind
those who struggle to realize the ideals of
freedom, justice and equality. And throughout its
history, America stood behind those who fought for
equal rights and equal dignity against
self-centered groups that wanted to preserve their
privileges. American Muslims must take a firm
stand against the militant Religious Right that is
bent on denying them the equal dignity they
deserve. As long as they uphold the values of
freedom, justice and equal dignity for all, and
reach out to other fellow Americans who share with
them a deep commitment to these values, they are
destined to defeat the unscrupulous and
mean-spirited attacks led by hate mongers and
religious bigots.
Louay M Safi
is director of the Center for the Study of Islam
and Democracy. He writes and lectures on issues
relating to Islam, Middle East, democracy, human
rights, leadership and world peace. He is the
author of Tensions and Transitions in the
Muslim World, University Press of America,
2003.
(Copyright 2005 Louay M Safi)
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please click here
if you are interested in
contributing. |
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