Closing The Chasm


Written by Tayyab Siddiqui • Features • June 2010

international Despite his earlier pronouncements, how far can President Barack Hussain Obama go in ensuring a place for the Muslims in America's world view? The 9/11 tragedy has changed the world in a manner that no other event in human history has. Unfortunately the impact has been negative - almost catastrophic - and has covered all inter-state relations and inter-faith communications. Regrettably Islam as a religion has become the target, simply because the hijackers allegedly responsible for the tragedy were all Muslims. Lack of interaction and communication between the leaders of the two faiths - Islam and Christianity - has widened the chasm and highly distorted images and interpretation of Islam have clouded the vision of academics, analysts and political leaders in the west. The net result has been a climate of fear, apprehension and hostility.

The neo-cons - the Christian version of Zionist philosophy dominated U.S. policy establishment during Bush and pursued anti Muslim policies brazenly. The eight year of Bush presidency remained a sordid tale of conflict and confrontation between the U.S. and Muslim World. It tried to impose U.S. hegemony over the Muslim world, the motivation being to seek control over strategic oil and sea-lanes, the majority of which border the Muslim world.

It was against this background that Obama advocated dialogue and mutual understanding with the Muslim nations when he assumed his presidency. He recognized that for the U.S., Islamic nations were the Middle East - the sufferings of the Palestinians, the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, the conflict over Jerusalem and horrendous brutality in Iraq.

Obama's racial and religious background had fascinated the public as much as his promise of "change." He repeatedly spoke of "a new beginning between the U.S. and Muslims around the world." In a 45-minute speech at Cairo University on June 4, 2009, Obama made a sweeping survey of the global situation, identified sources of tension and held out the commitment that "we are taking concrete action to change the course." Obama declared that "the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspirations for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own."

A year has passed since Obama offered his world view. Regrettably Muslims have yet to see any positive change or tangible measure to sustain their faith in Obama. He told his audience that the Palestinian conflict has been "a key diplomatic priority from day one." The foreign policy objectives of his administration include "achieving the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security." The test came in June 2009. President Obama summoned Prime Minister Netanyahu along with other Arab leaders to seek progress on the Palestinian issue. In his Cairo speech, Obama categorically declared that "the U.S. does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement. This construction violates previous engagements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." Obama's stance on the settlement was rejected by Netanyahu. To add insult to injury, the Israeli Prime Minister announced expansion of other settlements in the occupied lands adjacent to Jerusalem. The Muslims around the world were disappointed at the lack of courage and leadership of Obama to hold Israel to its international obligations.

President Bush in the last two years of his presidency, alarmed at the highly anti-American sentiments sweeping across the Muslim world, tried to woo Muslims in the U.S. and beyond by launching a campaign of "winning hearts and minds of Muslims." The campaign failed miserably as the U.S. administration did not follow a balanced policy in the Middle East. Obama is also faced with a critical choice. The Zionist lobby is too strong and deeply entrenched in the policy-making outfit and the political system of the U.S. Obama has discovered this unpleasant fact rather late in the day.

The U.S. public traumatized by the 9/11 tragedy were told that "America's governing philosophy is based on reason, tolerance, consensus and deliberation. Hence it cannot defend itself against Muslim strategy of ruthless violence."

The intellectuals in the West hold the Muslim leadership's failure to address the stagnation of their societies responsible for fueling the tensions between Islam and the West. "Instead of hard analysis which thrives only in a free society, Muslims are generally brought up on propaganda, which is often state-sponsored. This propaganda focuses on Muslim humiliation at the hands of others instead of acknowledging the flaws of Muslim leaders and societies," the argument goes.

This line of reasoning is partially valid. The conduct of most Muslim leaders and the internal crisis and contradictions of Muslim societies do contribute to the anti-West sentiment. But the fundamental truth is that some leaders are being held and supported by the West itself. The forces of democracy and factors of stability are being undermined to keep the Muslims depressed and dispossessed, through a policy of confrontation, sanctions and invasions.

Who can dispute the perceptive observation of Talhouni - "There is a total collapse of trust in American intentions and it's gotten far worse over the past years. When people hate or resent the United States far more than they dislike Bin Laden, how can you succeed? That's the bottom line."

Obama's well intentioned campaign to enlist cooperation of Muslims to open a new chapter in the U.S. - the Muslim world is not likely to succeed until a balanced and honest solution to Palestinian problem is found. Obama has lost the first round with Netanyahu but the dynamics of the international situation will force Israeli leadership to respond meaningfully to the initiative for settlement of this festering sore.

Obama has taken some worthwhile initiatives including appointment of Muslim Americans as special envoys to engage the Muslim nations. Such initiatives, welcome as they are, have only limited impact. Obama is carrying the heavy baggage of his ethnic background. It is significant that during his election campaign, he never visited an American mosque and felt embarrassed about 'Hussain' being his middle name. His website suggested that to call him a Muslim was a "smear."

The Muslim world is watching with anticipation and hope that Obama would prove to be the first President in the last 50 years to stand up against Israel and pursue a U.S. national agenda that is not dictated by Zionists within or outside America.