Obama Used the Word Muslims Want to Hear: Respect

An article in the Washington Post On Faith section in response to their question:
At his inauguration, President Obama said: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." Is that possible? What must happen?

When President Obama offered to reach out to the Muslim world for the mutual interest of both parties, he was saying nothing new. The West and the Arab oil-producing nations have teetered on an uneasy alliance for decades, the one depending on the other. As much as we grumble about being dependent on Arab oil, it serves our mutual interest to keep a steady flow of fuel coming our way and a glut of dollars in return. But when he added "mutual respect," Obama supplied a key missing piece, one that Muslims have longed for.

No doubt it's because of his diverse background -- and in no small part because he had to forge an identity in the black community -- that Obama knows what respect means to outcasts and the down-trodden. In a way, it's everything. The Muslim world, despite its windfall oil profits, feels like one of the great losers in the march of history. Muslims dwell on the glory days of Sunni culture, which kept science, mathematics, and philosophy alive while that knowledge was lost in Europe during the Middle Ages. The Ottoman Empire once embraced almost the entire Mediterranean basin and marched to the gates of Vienna. When World War I left Islamic power in ashes, a decline in confidence set in that has been deeply corrosive to Muslim identity and deeply humiliating, too.

One can look at the present situation, rife with extremism, terrorist upheavals, and strife over Israel, and conclude that the Muslim world is a dark place, a drag on the march of modernity. But portraying Islam in this way, however realistic it might look on the ground, ignores the critical need of any downtrodden, despised people, which is for respect. Respect is an invitation to equality, even if that equality has not yet been earned. The jihadis of al-Qaeda find their deepest grievance in the occupation of Saudi Arabia, the holy land, by infidels -- it is a mark, in their eyes, of the deepest disrespect. Steady, ignominious insults from the West have been a constant strain in the Muslim psyche for as long as anyone can remember.

This knot of bitterness, shame, resentment, grief, and rage will take a very long time to untangle. It's not for us in the West to think we can do the work that Muslims must do for themselves. But Obama spoke the right words, in the right spirit. Muslims may seem too eager to seize on his middle name, but Hussein is more than a symbol. It's a crack in the wall that has kept Islam apart for so long. It's early in the game, of course. So far, no practical steps have been taken to bring the Arab world out of its intractable repudiation of reason on many fronts. But as Obama asserted in his campaign when he was dismissed for being "just words," words count almost more than anything else.

Comments

[bjammin]

Nice column, Deepak.

To be honest, I always found your self-help and new age stuff a bit wishy-washy. But you political and cultural commentaries are interesting and spot-on. More of the latter, thanks!

[AbrahamSadegh]

113 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an begin with, "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful."

"Remember, when your Lord said to the angles: 'I am placing on the earth one that shall rule as My deputy.' " 2.30.

"Believers, Jew, Christians, and Sabeans - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right ... have nothing to fear or to regret." 2.62.

"And remember the angels' words to Mary. They said, 'God has chosen you. It has exalted you above women kind.' " 3.42.

"The angels said to Mary, 'God bids you rejoice in a Word from It. His name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary.' " 3.45.

"He will say ..., 'By God's leave I shall heal the blind man and the leper, and raise the dead to life.' " 3.49.

"Jesus is like Adam in the sight of God." 3.59.

"We have revealed Our will to you as We revealed it to Noah and to the prophets who came after him: as We revealed it to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon, and David to whom We gave the Psalms." 4.163.

"Believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before the Lord, even though it be against yourselves, your parents, or kinsfolk…." 4.135.

[freerider]

This is all very nice, but remember it is just a book - written by men (not women) in order to control other men and especially women.

However, from an historical perspective it is of course very relevant and regardless of being complete fiction, it is necessary to understand its significance to over a billion people in order to make sense of and - hopefully - pacify, mollify, or just get them to chill out a bit.

[Ergon]

Hopefully you'll send Hillary Clinton instead of missile firing drones to get them to 'chill out'

[AbrahamSadegh]

Let's look at the West/Islam divide from both religious and political perspectives:

Islam in contrast to the great misunderstandings that has been perpetuated for centuries is in truth and a legitimate continuation of Christianity and a course correction of a major proportion regarding the nature of “God, the Father.”

One of the shortest chapters in the Qur’an - chapter 112, the Unity – redefines YHWH-GOD-A­LLAH-GREAT SPIRITY-THE FORCE … as the one and only God.

In this respect the Christ, the highest manifestation of God Almighty according to Qur’an, and all of God’s prophets and messengers are models to be emulated and not worshipped. LORD Almighty would rather have 6.7 billion Moseses, Christs, Muhammads, Buddhas, Brahmas….

One analogy I can use is our Super Bowl. Who is more important, the handful of players - all of God Almighty's messengers and prophets including Christ - or tens of thousands of human beings who actually watch the game or billions more who become aware of it through the media. Would those players be of any significant if nobody watched them play?

Finally, did you know that Qur’an is in reality mostly about the Tanakh and the Gospels!

Regarding politics and events of historical significance, did Islam have anything to do with the Dark Ages, the misguided Crusades, institutionalized slavery, colonialism, WWI, Communism, Britain making the Middle East in it own Image, WWII, Nuclear weapons, and US’s self-serving foreign policy since WWII?

Do you get the picture?

[JacksonJones]

I've certainly got a picture, I doubt it's the one you were trying to paint, however.

[MagisterLudi]

It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.
Voltaire

[Hasur]

again MagisterLundi, read a book about the history of Islam... don't cheat and read the "article" by the authors this time.

[mabinog]

Really? Give four or fives examples.

[Hasur]

examples of what be specific?

[AbrahamSadegh]

113 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an begin with, "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful."

"Remember, when your Lord said to the angles: 'I am placing on the earth one that shall rule as My deputy.' " 2.30.

"Believers, Jew, Christians, and Sabeans - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right ... have nothing to fear or to regret." 2.62.

"And remember the angels' words to Mary. They said, 'God has chosen you. It has exalted you above women kind.' " 3.42.

"The angels said to Mary, 'God bids you rejoice in a Word from It. His name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary.' " 3.45.

"He will say ..., 'By God's leave I shall heal the blind man and the leper, and raise the dead to life.' " 3.49.

"Jesus is like Adam in the sight of God." 3.59.

"We have revealed Our will to you as We revealed it to Noah and to the prophets who came after him: as We revealed it to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon, and David to whom We gave the Psalms." 4.163.

"Believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before the Lord, even though it be against yourselves, your parents, or kinsfolk…." 4.135.

[chaos4700]

Thank you for sharing this and the follow posts. Most Americans entertain the falsified notion that Muslims are violent pagan worshipers when nothing could be further from the truth. I think it's time we started tearing down that propaganda -- the lies which have cost us thousands of lives (and Middle Easterners hundreds of thousands more) and trillions of dollars in a made up "war of civilizations."

[MagisterLudi]

Everyone deserves respect. Republicans didn't understand this.
The less people have, the more they become sensitive to slights, real or perceived.
Give 'em as much respect as they can handle. As long as American and Western strategic interests are furthered it's all good.
Obama is doing the right thing.

[Ergon]

Western strategic interests were furthered by slavery, colonialism, and genocide. Doesn't make it 'all good'.

[JustReading]

I think this a very condescending and paternalistic way to round up 1.2B muslims. They don't want Obama's words. They want the rape and plunder to stop. The puppet dictatorships. The stealing of their natural resources with "proceeds" going to corrupt local allies while the majority live in abject poverty and misery. And the Palestininan disaster. We in the West think they are too ignorant to get it, but Yes they do.

To paraphrase Marx, a flower-covered chain is worse than a regular chain, as it enslaves and it deceives. Obama's flowery words are only good if the real picture changes. It will not.

[MagisterLudi]

So Obama will just wave the magic wand and Islamic civilization will be great again?
Where are the progressive people int he Islamic countries: socialists, feminists, writers, Solzhenitsins, Walesas, Sakhrovs, Mandelas, Gandhis?

Why aren't YOU helping to collect funds to translate into Arabic and distribute: Voltaire, Locke, Hobbs, Erich Fromm, Adorno, Lao Tsu, Gandhi?!

Personal responsibility! Start there.

[steamboat]

Q: Where are the progressive people?

A: Dead

[Alethia]

Here's a hero from the Islamic world by anyone's standard:

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=256194&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23

[Hasur]

If you could read arabic MagisterLudi, you would not be asking such stupid questions. Many of the authors you cite are already read by many arabs. Many even in arabic, so they are perfectly fine when it comes to translating western and eastern philosphers, poets and authors and don't need your charity.
Do you think arabs and muslims do nothing but wakeup every morning planning world domination and chanting anti-israeli, anti-jewish and anti-western slogans? I'm sure if I search hard enough in your posts I will find some comment of that nature.

"Islamic civilization will be great again?" and this from the guy who once asked what have the people in the middle east ever down for humanity. Instead of wondering about progressive people in Islamic countries try reading about them.

[steamboat]

Thats nice buts its a 2-WAY STREET.....They need to give respect as well as want it themselves.

[chaos4700]

If you'd ever bothered to meet someone from the Middle East, you'd figure out how off base your comment is.

[Petunia39]

Of course, people are people and you will find good and bad everywhere. I have been fortunate to travel to many countries, and you are right. While I have only briefly been to one Arab country, I have traveled to Turkey and Iran and was flabbergasted by the kindness with which I was treated. Even when I needed help, and did not ask for it, I received it. I hold the people of both countries in very warm regard because of my experiences there.

[Petunia39]

Of course it is a two-way street, but Obama I think represented us well in this interview.

Be the change.

[MagisterLudi]

The respect in Iran starts with the daily " Death to America" chants and ritual burnings of the American flag. Nice first step, I see.

[Ugonna]

I believe America is the one that needs to start. Alot of the anger from the other side comes from the disrespect that America has given them first.

[easyandy]

muslims wanting respect is not the problem radical muslims wanting fear is

[justice2all]

Neither,,Israel grossly disrespecting Palestinians' right to dignity and the right to live is.

[Petunia39]

No issue remains a better tool for radicalization than this one. The sooner we get out of parroting the Bernard Lewis Clash of Civilizaitons BS, the better. There are serious and substantial political grievances that need to be addressed.

[foxfan]

Not as much as Palestinians firing thousands of rockets blindly into Israel.

[fbr79]

Justice2all, Ok, how about the other 48 countries in the world where Muslims are a majority? Or the only issue between the West and Islam is the Israel/Palestinian one? Is that even the main issue, or the only issue you are willing to look at? Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon...the list goes on, heard any of the news coming out of these areas lately?

[steamboat]

Just nosey, has it ever bothered you that these same Arab muslims have never shown respect to African Blacks or Kurds?

[foxfan]

Excellent point. Thank you.

[onenvrnos]

Before I start this post, please know that I do not consider myself a Christian like the far-right Christians that have come to dominate the scene. I wanted to understand "why" (beyond politics) there is such a difference between the Muslim and Christian worlds (other than culture). Obviously, we have had a long-standing war throughout history--far beyond what we are encountering today. What are the root causes in regard to biblical history? Here are the accounts from the Bible and the Qur'an regarding this biblical history. Remember, I'm not trying to "sell" anything. I am only offering this as another viewpoint, pure and simple. It is good to understand issues from all points of view, whether or not we agree with them. Thank you.

http://www.mostmerciful.com/js-md1.htm

[Petunia39]

The problem is largely political.

[misaacm]

Respect goes both ways. Islamic religious leader (and not just the fringe ones) refer to Jews and Christians as the "sons of pigs and monkeys", so I get the feeling that they don't respect me very much. We don't respect them because they haven't done much to deserve our respect. Stop the "honor killings" or your daughters and I will respect you. Start teaching science and mathematics in your schools instead of Jihad and martyrdom and we will respect you. Islamic scientists and mathematicians may have led the way, but that was centuries ago.

As for "occupation" of Islamic lands, first lets remember that Islam invaded Christian Europe much more successfully than Christian Europe invaded the middle east. Also, Korea was subject to brutal invasion and occupation by the Japanese, do you see any Korean suicide bombers in Tokyo? They obviously have better things to do. Polish Gdansk used to be German Danzig, do you see any German suicide bombers?

This article makes a good point, the Islamic world is insecure because it realizes it is a complete disaster. However, they need to stop blaming us for their problems, and they need to stop obsessing about the

[1stTsar]

Palestinie has no economy, they use the weapons they have, themselves. Israelis use the (US provided) weapons they have. If we provide them with tanks and airplanes, you will not see suicide bombings. I gurantee you that.

[JakeRedd]

Excellent point! Israelis ought to understand that! Menachem Begin was one of the most wanted terrorists under British occupation. Sadly, the Mahatma Gandhis, Martin Luther Kings and Nelsons Mandelas are few and far between.

[chaos4700]

This is an outright lie. It is forbidden -- like, literally a sin -- for a Muslim to denigrate Jews and Christians. Judaism, apparently, has no such stipulation. http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=6595

[JacksonJones]

Wow, you're really not afraid to tell a whopper or two, are ya?

[Petunia39]

"Korea was subject to brutal invasion and occupation by the Japanese, do you see any Korean suicide bombers in Tokyo?"

Maybe if they were still there, we would.

" Islamic religious leader (and not just the fringe ones) refer to Jews and Christians as the "sons of pigs and monkeys"

What do you consider "the fringe ones"?? Because quite frankly, this is new to me.

I know quite a handful of Muslim Engineering students who are earning their PhD's here in the U.S., so I gotta wonder what makes you think that they are not teaching science and mathematics? The entire Muslim world is not the wretched misery and poverty of war-torn Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

[JacksonJones]

The point isn't that no one is learning math and science, its that too many are learning that killing westerners is the path to some sort of salvation.

[Ugonna]

wow, most of that was "start believing in the same things we do, and we will respect you", Please tell me you will re-read your post and see what his wrong with this picture. As for calling Jews and Christians names, perhaps it is because oft the MUTUAL bitter rivalry that has gone on for years. Do you think some Jews do NOT call Muslims names? Ridiculous. BOTH sides need to be stopped. Whoever reaches out first will do the job of making peace. I'm glad Obama seems willing

[Clavis]

Sam Harris points out that Spain translates more books each year into Spanish than the entire Muslim world has translated into Arabic since the 7th century. Being closed to outside influences is not a result of American hegemony or British imperialism. The Muslims were not 20 years away from developing cold fusion when suddenly the chaos of World War I turned them into ascetic Luddites.

Respect for adults doesn't mean treating them like children. It means treating them like adults. If a culture wants nothing to do with modernity, gestures of tolerance will only seem like weakness and opportunities for invasion. When the Saudi Crown Prince suggested that maybe women should be allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, it was the citizenry that spoke up against this affront, and the Crown Prince backed down, fearful of inflaming the chauvinistic fundamentlist zealotry of the mob.

By the way, I was under the impression that the royal Saud family, and not infidels, had taken over the Arabian region, which is why in fact it was renamed "Saudi Arabia".

[Petunia39]

You will find that a great number of Muslims do not identify with the Wahabbi culture that dominates Saudi Arabia.
I don't know what the statistics are on Iran, but it is ruled by Ayatollahs and yet I have seen many interesting translations in Iranian bookshops, including Bill Clinton's massive auto-biography.

I don't dispute the fact that in many cases Muslims are not well-served by their governments, or that counter-productive traditions and ways of thinking are an impediment to progress, but the entire Muslim world is not homogeneous, and because you are right to point out the home-grown problems in some of these societies, it does not mean that the West is absolved of everything. Nor does it mean that the West has not also brought good things to the Muslim world. It isn't a black and white issue.

[JacksonJones]

Just FYI, Farsi is the primary language of Iranians, not Arabic.

[RetireGreen]

Deepak:
Obama did NOT use the word Muslims want to hear - Honor. A word mis-understood in the West, but vitally important in the Muslim and Arab world, here is the definition from Dictionary.com

1. honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions: a man of honor.

The Arabs and Muslims have concluded that the U.S. has no honor. It lies itself into a war in Iraq , it engages in the massacre of women and children, and after pontificating about Democracy sets about trying to destroy democratically elected governments. America has no honor.

The Arabs and Muslims are looking for "a man of honor" - honor is the word he should have used.

[chaos4700]

I have to say, as an American? I wouldn't mind seeing some honor out of him as well. The stimulus package legislation has been a farce thanks to his "post partisanship."

[Merersu]

At least he made the effort to try and be bipartisan, unlike the lying, thieving, Rethugs that got us into this mess to begin with! At least the President is showing what an adult and honorable man he is and not some petty, tantrum throwing child like the whole of the Rethug party. As far as I'm concerned, the moment the first American died in Iraq, the Rethugs lost all rights to say anything about anything.

[Mycall]

"Respect is an invitation to equality, even if that equality has not yet been earned."

I know. It ain't easy gettin through a five paragraph article..

[overd0g1]

And what precisely have they done to earn our respect?

[karela]

And what have we done to give them basic human respect that all people are worthy of? I'm not just speaking about the past eight years. When did we ever offer the respect that might have avoided hate and jihad? We have, for a long time, viewed ourselves as superior. But most of us come from a variety of European stock and at a time when we were still living in huts along with our animals and stinking after a year without bathing, the Arab world was magnificent. At a time when education could get you in trouble with the powerful church in France, poets were so highly prized in Arab lands that a scholar would be greeted with bags of gold and rich clothes by the wealthy Arab. At a time when slops were thrown from windows in European cities, Arabs bathed every day and lived in beautiful cities like Cordoba or Constantinople where gorgeous lighted bazaars measured miles long. It was the Arabs who prized and protected libraries while reading a book might get you thrown into prison in Europe. Cultures rise and fall. There was a time when we were definitely not the social equal of the Arab world. We would be wise to offer all people basic human respect because all of us react very badly to being treated with disrespect. In the 1200's when Constantinople was the center of learning and elegance and we slept with our pigs, we might have been less arrogant.

[fbr79]

Constantinople was the center of learning and elegance much before it's conquest by the Ottoman empire in 1453 (not the 1200's, the city was Christian then). In fact it was founded a thousand years by the Romans and it was one of its largest and richest and most influential cities culturaly then. The Comanian (Christian) dynasty in Constantinople of the 11th and 12th centuries were extrermely properous and were great patrons of the arts and architecture. The Ottoman empire was trully magnificent and its History is not nearly as well known in the West as it should be. Arabic culture and knowledge of the period between 10th to 13th century had a great impact in what would happen in Europe during the Renaissance (14th to 17th century). However, contrary to your assertions, Europeans were not "sleeping with pigs" during the time of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Europeans were in fact founding Universities throughout the continent and the Reinassance was already spreading from Florence to the other main cities.

All that being said, contemporary people, of all religions should not use History as a subterfuge to excuse what goes on with Human Rights in the world today. Sorry, even if Europeans were sleeping with pigs at one point in Hisotry while Arabs were bulding libraries, Muslim countries are way behind the curve nowadays.

[chaos4700]

Um... they're fellow human beings? That's not enough for you, huh?

[shel3364]

Oh, I don't know.... may co-exist on the planet???


Isn't every culture worthy of some kind of respect .... whether we agree with them or not???


and don't confuse Muslims with extremists.

[Taxi]

Words mean nothing after 62 years of constant death and strife in the middle east.

Action please. Walk the walk, President Obama.

[Petunia39]

The wonderful thing about his speech is that he said that he knows he will be judged by his actions and not just his words. I think that was very important for him to acknowledge and to state.

[TimDanMick]

The inhabitants of the Muslim are not going to be won over by a word. They are smart enough to judge others by their actions alone.
They view Israel as a wholly owned subsidiary of the US and the combined actions of the two has been to drop Trillions of Dollars of explosives all over the Middle East and across the southern Mediterranean. Only an idiot would accept the US as a mediator or as anything other than a protagonist. An uninformed observer would be forced to conclude that the only purpose of the US was to spread death and destruction in this area and that its motivation was to instill hatred in every state from Turkey around to Libya.
Unless they believe the rhetoric and accept that the US is only trying to broker peace and freedom in its own clumsy, folksy way.