Opinion of Islam in America

Yesterday, I read a poll indicating that Americans' opinions of Islam are declining. The poll numbers are even lower than just after September 11, 2001. Overall, the opinion is that Islam teaches or encourages violence. I'm not going to argue the validity (or lack thereof) of the idea, but I'd like to look at the cause for the change in poll numbers. The two key factors, as I see it, relate to media and politics, and both are playing on Americans' fears.

Obviously, there is extensive coverage of events in Muslim countries right now, primarily Iraq and Iran, but also the Palestinian territories, Saudia Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, UAE, Egypt, Syria... When looking at international news coverage in the U.S., it almost seems that the rest of the world, other than Muslim countries in the Middle East, have ceased to exist. I can still remember Bill O'Reilly's ratings-gimick to boycott France, but other than Russia helping Iran with their civilian nuclear program, I'm not sure that the rest of the world is still out there...

The news out of those Muslim nations has been largely negative. We are looking at a possible civil war in Iraq, with no real plan to rein in the two sides, or what to do if/when it happens. Donald Rumsfeld says the goal is to avoid civil war, and then to let the Iraqi forces handle it, to the extent that they are capable. Tell us, Mr. Rumsfeld, how capable are they, and what do we do if they are not fully capable. After insufficient planning for post-war Iraq, I'd like to think that they have a plan for the scenario of a civil war. Of course, I also trusted that they would have solid evidence of WMD before invading. When Rumsfeld asked Congress for emergency spending for the continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, not one of those Washington blowhards bothered to ask him his contigency plans. So much for "Congressional Oversight."

Iranian news coverage has been just as bleak. The talk is whether Iran will develop nukes in the next year; whether the U.S. or Israel could pull off a strategic attack to eliminate the nuclear program in Iran; or whether Russia will help Iran with their nuclear program.

Unfortanately, the media and the American public have nearly forgotten Afghanistan, but the news there is similarly bleak. We also see fires, protests, and gun shots ringing in the air across the Muslim world because of cartoons.

Is it any wonder that Americans' opinions of Islam are falling? And do the opinions match reality? We don't hear news of those working for reform in Saudia Arabia, or Egypt. We hear the quote from Achmadinejad that Israel needs to be wiped from the face of Earth, but we forget that Iran has captured al Qaeda members trying to flee from Afghanistan. In local and national news, we tune in to see the horrible car wrecks, police-beaten drunks, or gang violence. Similary, in international news, our attention is captured only by our fear of Islamic terrorists. News programs know that if they show stories on progress around the world, Americans tune out. News programs use the dire news in the Middle East to capture our imaginations, and a couple points in the Nielsens.

Politicians are even worse than the media when it comes to pandering to our fears. I'm fairly liberal, but I'm disgusted at the Democrats' use of the UAE ports deal to win support. The Dems saw the opportunity to act like the protectors of the American people, a role that they haven't known since long before terrorists flew planes into our buildings. They jumped on the port deal like a pack of hyenas, knowing that Americans equate "Arab" with both "Muslim" and "Terrorist." Many people, including our president, actually use "Arab" and "Muslim" interchangeably, and believe that all people in the Middle East are both, if not all three. Just this past week, when Mr. Bush stopped in Pakistan, he referred to President Musharraf's country as an "Arab" country, demonstrating the lack of American understanding of the region and its people. ("I believe that a prosperous, democratic Pakistan will be a steadfast partner for America, a peaceful neighbor for India, and a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world." March 3, 2006) By the way, Pakistan also isn't a democratic nation.

The fight to keep a UAE company from controlling American ports is counter-productive to our "Global War on Terror," or whatever the administration wants to call it. It demonstrates to Muslims around the world that America is a proponent of free-market capitalism, and participation in globalization, only when it doesn't include them. It reinforces the idea in extremists' messages that America is hypoctrical, and worse, anti-Muslim.

We claim to fight for democracy, and then we turn our backs immediately on one of the most open democratic elections in the Middle East in a long time -- Hamas winning in the Palestinian elections. I'm not suggesting that we should be happy about Hamas winning, or that we should show them our support. However, its not as if isolation has worked against Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussien, or Kim Jong Il.

Terrorism is a symptom, not the disease. Until we have a plan to attack the disease, we cannot make the problem go away. We must also accept the part we have played in creating the disease. We have consistently put Middle East stability ahead of human rights or democracy in the region. We have put our interests ahead of the people of the Middle East. Of course there are extremists who dislike us for it. As long as we continue to put their interests last, we will continue to encourage their attacks. I am not an apologist for terrorists. I do not excuse extremists or their actions. However, if we want to defeat their message, we have to understand where it comes from. We have to address the cause of extremism if we want to win.