Preaching From The Top

PREACHING FROM THE TOP

Comment on President Obama’s speech in Cairo

Do Muslims view the West as hostile because of modernity and globalization?

It is hard to find a Muslim who hates telephone, radio, air travel, news-papers, computers, television or films. There could be some Amish among Muslims but they would be an exception.

If the President was referring to the absence of democracy among Muslims as a sign of their aversion to modernity, his mention of US role in ousting of Mussadeq provides the right answer.

Globalization has not found many opponents among Muslims yet because the US war on terror received all attention in recent years. The President said, �…Muslim majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspiration.�

The President mentioned founding of Israel as the cause for displacement of Palestinians. Instead of a shy admittance, USA and Britain could accept responsibility along with Israel for the death, destruction and displacement of Palestinians. That could be a starting point towards building a bridge to peace.

On the nuclear issue, the President sounded accommodating of Iran’s use of peaceful nuclear energy but insisted on implementation of NPT. Israel’s nuclear weapons were not mentioned.

President Obama declared that US does not seek permanent bases in Iraq or Afghanistan. US insistence on including India in the Afghan affairs is a cause of major concern for Pakistani establishment.

The President announced support for education, health and economy in the Muslim countries. He reiterated US resolve for gender equality but his support for democracy seem to allow for dictators and monarchs as long as they pledge a peaceful evolution of participation in governance. Isn’t it the same old policy of condoning dictators?

The President however did cast USA as a Muslim inclusive country in his speech, instead of a Judea-Christian imperialist power. He pleaded for tolerance of other faiths among Muslims and asserted that moral authority can not be claimed by violence.

Moral authority is what the USA needs to re-establish itself in the Muslim world, as a friend and a partner.

Malik A. Rashid


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