One Girl's Take on U.S. Relations...and Islam

With the utmost respect, I am honored and proud to call Barak Obama my President. I believe he has gone a long way in attempts to rectify the beleaguered relations between the “west” and “Islam”. The President’s speech in Egypt at the onset of his term was an enormous step forward; a breath of fresh air – if I may. Unfortunately, these efforts have slipped, and today barely hold weight. Recent events concerning Osama bin Laden sadly seem to have brought all progress to a halt.

With the fate of so much at a crux (Obama’s Presidency, the reputation of Islam, and U.S. relations with critical states around the globe), there are a few things I wish the Administration would consider. These are my humble thoughts:

1.     What makes a terrorist is not his religion, but his socio-economic position. People join extremist groups because they’re looking for a better way of living, and zealots of any sort are always willing to provide one. Take a look at inner-city gangs. The difference between a violent street gang and a violent terrorist group is the collateral damage they’re able to inflict.

2.    There are loose cannons in every faith who manage to gain a large following. The largest in the U.S. that I am aware of went by the name of the Ku Klux Klan and claimed to represent Christianity. Every society, every religion, and every race has its extremists. The question no one has managed to answer (hmmm…did they ever ask it!?) is: how do we effectively appeal to the followers? I haven’t seen anyone offer the disenfranchised youth who get wrapped up in carrying out the bad deeds of bad people a better alternative. (Did we learn anything from the Cold War?)

3.    I’d venture to say that most Muslims wouldn’t be offended if President Obama stated: I’m not a Muslim, but I don’t know why it matters. Walking on eggshells afraid to offend one group or another only breeds distrust among us all. A good strategic effort to clarify misinterpretations between what is Islam and what is terrorism would go a long way in soothing the open wounds on both sides of the table. Feed people the truth! Eventually they’ll have to sit down and take a bite ;)

4.    Osama bin Laden was not loved by most Muslims, but he was a man, created by God, and inasmuch, we respect his right to decency in death. This is a doozy! How do you explain this to a world of people who can’t see past their hatred? I have no good answer. But I say, President Obama should. His advisors and field  specialists should. At this point, the only explanation it seems that he can provide is an apology that tinges on sincere understanding of the Islamic perspective, and a sincere stance that he acted in the best interest of his country. (I may or may not agree with that decision, but I’m not the leader of the free world!)

5.    If we are to get anywhere in rectifying relations with America and Islam, it will only be done with soft power, sincere and consistent efforts, and the advisement of those who actually practice the faith. Really, it’s quite necessary to receive intelligence on Islam from qualified (and I mean professionally qualified, i.e. religiously, politically and academically – we do exist) Muslims. If America can learn to speak to Arabs as Arabs, Muslims as Muslims, and nations as nations, we would find ourselves in a much different place.

These are just the musings of one American muslimah! Feel free to share your own (kindly).