8th Anniversary of Sept 11: Do We Understand Them?
Two weeks before the 8th anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told military members that "Muslims abroad live in fear of terror but at the same time doubt the United States."
Admiral Mullen also criticized the concept of "strategic communication" saying it is doing nothing to improve the image of the United States in the Muslim world because Muslims do not hear "talking points."
President Obama's initiative toward the Muslim world gave them these "talking points." Since his early outreach to Muslims immediately after his inauguration with the Al Arabiya TV interview, followed later by his historical speech in Cairo University on June 4, Obama delivered exactly what admiral Mullen described as "talking points."
Similar talking points were adopted by the previous George W. Bush administration, points such as respect of Islam and Muslims, the necessity of hope and anticipation of a better future for all, and that America is not and will not be in a war against Islam. Yet they did not work.
For the past eight years, I have observed Washington, D.C. circles fail to go beyond the classic talking points. Each anniversary of Sept. 11 brings a new wave of familiar old questions. I witness Americans asking Americans and discussing amongst themselves, the topic of something none of them are -- Arabs or Muslims. Eight years after the devastating attacks, Americans are still asking that ubiquitous question: "Why do they hate us?"
Such a question suggests a misleading conflation of American policies and citizens. In other words, the phrasing implies that the alleged hatred from Muslims is directed toward the American people and not toward specific U.S. institutions or policies. Although terrorists like Osama bin Laden have claimed that any American citizen is a target, the vast majority of Muslims oppose this attitude.
Part of this failure stems from the flawed question most often used by Americans in regards to the Arab world: "Why do they hate us?" Yet, if Americans insist on posing this question, I pose another: "Why don't 'you' ask 'them'?" The United States cannot win credibility in the Muslim world through new public relations strategies and instead must pursue actions that build trust; the first step is to listen to Muslims, and to recognize how they see the world, themselves and America.
A recent Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, published in late July, indicated that that the image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world, reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama.
Although signs of improvement in views of America are seen even in some predominantly Muslim countries, opinions of the United States among Muslims in the Middle East remain largely unfavorable.
U.S. policies, more than anything, are the source of animosity towards America. In fact, Muslims, for the most part, recognize the difference between America's citizens and its policies, citing their grievances with the superpower not in regard to the "American way of life," but to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, torture, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and America's double standards in promoting democracy.
Despite the Muslim world's embrace of Obama -- as enthusiastic as it is -- Muslims remain skeptical of a United States that has a long history of failure to follow through on its promises. The Muslim public views the rhetoric emanating from Washington as a method of justifying America's continuation of adopting "secret rendition policy." News from America such as a serious debate about the closure of the Guantanamo detention camp, and ending torture practices show the best of American political dynamics. The stopping of usage of phrases such as the war on terror played a role in proving that the change in America is real, yet it is difficult to achieve.
For the Obama administration to continue its focus only on improving the image of the United States abroad, through the approach of "strategic communication" or "public diplomacy," as has been the case in the years since September 2001, is to see only half of the picture. If the United States hopes to better its image in the Muslim world, there will need to be a parallel change in how Americans recognize Muslims. And to start you should listen to the voices of the Arab and Muslim world.
This means listening carefully and actively to the real representatives of the Muslim and Arab community -- individuals who are in many cases not native speakers of English and have different cultural and behavioral norms. Too often, Washington's major think tanks are actively involved in initiatives with the Muslim world, yet most lecturers and panelists are continuously diverted by individuals who speak fluent English and act and behave with an air of superiority in their native tongue. More efforts need to be invested in approaching real Muslims who represents the true community and identity of Muslim thought and opinion.
Mohamed Elmenshawy is the editor in chief of Arab Insight, a project of the World Security Institute in Washington, DC.
Brian Levin, J.D.: A 9/11 Remembrance: One Extraordinary Life Out of Many
One way to begin to understand the magnitude of a numbing mass tragedy like 9/11, is not in numbers, but rather, in stories. Today's focus here is one story of many that demand to be told.
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Maybe.... A CLAH OF CIVILIZATIONS east vs west .? ....along with religion & foreign polcy's !
Does it ever ocurr to you that Islam oppresses the arab people far more than crassness ever oppresses america? And I am not advocating western religions, but the tribal ones Mohammed attacked, the ones which probably wouldn't need to sell us oil? Where is the conception that Islam is to the Arab people what Hitler was to germans???
Re."Too often, Washington's major think tanks are actively involved in initiatives with the Muslim world, yet most lecturers and panelists are continuously diverted by individuals who speak fluent English and act and behave with an air of superiority in their native tongue."
Ok, I agree.
One shouldn't pay attention to Washington based, "fluent English speaking" lecturers who "act and behave with air of superiorit
Would that include very same lecturers from World Security Institute?
Didn't George Bush send Karen Hughes overseas to improve our image with Muslims?
What happened there, did she fail?
7 years ago today, there was no mention of the “war on terror” until after 911.
As for animosity towards America, note that last year, more than 1 million people became citizens of America. That figure does include Permanent Residents and the 5 million “illegals” who litter the United States with affection simply because they know that they will not be persecuted and will enjoy basic political and religious freedom, they will have economic and educational opportunities that only the USA offers. Those figures speak loudly as to how the world views the USA.
If a few radical Muslims or criminals whose goal is to destroy everything and everyone who has respects for human rights, for individual liberty and refuse to submit to their authoritarian ideals, who can logically claim that the USA is hostile? Don’t get me wrong, the USA is the land of Bernard Madoff, millions of criminals, frauds going on left and right but America does listen. All of us bear the responsibility to promote goodwill towards the USA.
If I had a platform, rather than lecturing the United States as to what it needs to do, I’d use it along with my voice as contribution towards the needed efforts, investment to get goodwill for the USA.
Wouldn't it be good to read, if Muslims hope to better their image in the Western world or in the United States, there will need to be a parallel change in how Muslims recognize the United States.
The democrats are a fascinating party, I dont mean the leadership, Im talking about the party faithful. "Where is osama", was the common refrain. Now those people are either silent or have disappeared altogether, the party faithful sound like the republican faithful "understanding the enemy"? What is there to understand about osama bin laden? he is a murdere and needs to be caught and tried on national television. And more importantly, who gives a d"m#n. lets find him and end this thing.
The united states is not at war with islam and it is not at war with arabs. The US is at war with al qaeda (an organization the US created), lets all come back to reality, we lived under bush who was in a dream world the entire time he was infecting the office of the presidency with his pipe dream germs and now the democrats have been infected and are there in the same dream world. lets all get a grip and understand who the US is at war with.
Here's the major reasons for Anti Americanism.
Fear of American power+
Unrelenting anti American propaganda in Muslim MSM
Decayed economic and technological state of most Muslim states.
Promotion of former Islamic glories.
Certainly, U.S. projects its power around the world, as any other superpower did in history, Islamic empires not excepted.
But strangely, Muslims tend to get aggrieved about it far, far more than various outrages committed by Muslim leaders from Hussein down. .
"U.S. policies, more than anything, are the source of animosity towards America."
Well, may be. Especially if one uses a biased view and ignore some of the good Americans done for Muslims.
Like liberating Kuwait, financial aid to African Muslims ( which Arab Middle East ignores), providing great life for millions of refugees from Muslim countries, financial aid to many developing Muslim countries,
defending Muslim Kosovars from Serbia, helping to free Afghanistan from Soviets etc, providing advanced tehcnologies which Muslims use to better their lives. The examples are many, but sadly ignored. To focus on the negative.
And this is not some kind of a new development of the last 9 years. This is a consistent attempt to reject and malign of American state and culture. Is it envy?
"Is it envy?"
Yes
The entire article is an admonishment to Americans to listen more carefully to Arab and Muslims voices. A laudable sentiment.
However, since it is not balanced with similar advice to Arabs and Muslims the entire logical structure starts to tremble in the wind.
The improvements will come when BOTH sides will listen to each other.
Tolerance is a two way street, would you agree?
Along with refomr in U.S. media, one must not hide from the fact many Muslim MSM is replete with most outlandish and daily propaganda against American interests and culture.
Often, biased reporting is used focusing on negative news from U.S.while ignoring positive news.
Not to mention the long editorials and so called interviews based almost entirely on outlandish anti- American conspiracy theories. Like the ever popular American Crusades to convert Muslims to Christianity, American involvement in 9/11 and the rest.
most of the readers on this site are americans or at least Western IMO. a clue to that is that the site and the article are in English. so your point is what? that he should have written this in Farsi, and proved to you he sent it to Tehran first? this sort of distraction from putting your own house in order because that is where your responsibilities start is essentially a refusal to take responsibility for your own (groups) action. I vote here and have no real voice over there. if you are from the ME please do what you counsel in your own country where you have responsibility. if you are from the US please remember what the Christ taught about removing the beam from your own eye first.
Great piece.
I do think the question of "Why do they hate us..." is still relevant as long as it is a potent tool of spin that still mesmerizes many people.
It's relevant as such, that it is a deliberately constructed sentence meant to embed an inherent "THEY v. US" mentality and does not make room for the reality of fring radicals perpetrating a terrible act. It should be addressed as the potent rhetoric that it is, and what it is being used for within the media.
I was very fortunate to live in an area where many Muslims and Arabs also lived and owned businesses. I talked to them on a daily basis. I asked them questions, we shared with each other, so much so that when the owner of our "corner store" went home to visit family in the Middle East if I was in the store when he called, I was handed the phone to talk to him. I was trusted by most of the store owners to go to the bank for change etc., also to write checks for their helpers when the owners were out of town. I guess, I was more in tune to what they would feel like after 911 because of this. I immediately sought out my friends to talk to them. I went out of my way to go to the local stores and show that I wasn't afraid or angry. I think the author has a very good point.
Although I'm a Dem, I think that Ron Paul is right about Middle East neutrality
As we saw in the 30s and 40s, isolationism can be dangerous. However, would it really be much more dangerous than having thousands of American cops, firemen, office workers, etc. getting killed in a single shot?
To some previous commenters:
They don't hate us. They don't really believe that the people in the US have any say over our government's policies. They hate US government policy. I've been in the ME for a year and a half and the first question I always get is 'where are you from?' In a year and a half, I have literally NEVER heard a disparaging remark - they generally give a hearty 'Welcome!' (last year about 25% would have followed up with 'Americans are kind people - but I don't like Bush!).
As far as moderate Muslims speaking out:
1. They do - but they get about as much attention as third-party candidates.
2. There might be even more of them investing the time and energy to speak out if US policies weren't resulting in the deaths of friends and family members and the destruction of economies and infrastructure - this is the result they live with, whether one agrees with a policy or not.
3. Last time someone with the same religious background as you committed a heinous crime, did you feel compelled to go on the PR mission to clarify that not all people of your faith were murderers? I'm guessing no, because you probably felt that it was self evident that this criminal was outside of the normal behavior.
Lastly, there are vast differences between Muslim countries, so when you mention Burqas or Madrassas, it's really not valid unless you specify to which country you are
As it's after noon, it's official-Barack Obama has kept us safe longer than bush/cheney did.
It's official! Obama has now kept us safe longer than bush/cheney did. Clinton also kept us safe for 8 yrs. after the first WTC attack. Bush/cheney only responsible for 9/11 attacks, nothing else to brag about for them. Oh, yes there is. They bankrupted the country.
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