By Riad Z.Abdelkarim, MD, Anaheim, CA
During a visit earlier this month to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many of the people I came across inquired about the general mood of Americans in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Without exception, they expressed sympathy with the victims of the attacks and their families, and they condemned the barbaric acts. I found their interest quite remarkable in view of the dire conditions under which they currently live - conditions which have worsened markedly as Israeli military actions increased after September 11. They were also curious about the situation of Muslims and Arabs in the United States. “Are there many pressures against you?” they asked, having heard both of the widespread backlash against Muslims and Arabs in the days and weeks after the attacks and the questioning by the FBI of thousands of Americans of Middle Eastern or Muslim origin.
But the question by which I was most intrigued was one posed to me several times by friends, relatives, acquaintances, and complete strangers: “Why do they hate us?” “They” referred to the Americans, and “us” included “Arabs and Muslims.” Needless to say, I found this question quite ironic, because I had seen it posed by commentators, politicians, and pundits repeatedly in the United States - with the roles reversed.
Somewhat surprisingly, I found myself answering in a manner quite similar to my response to the parallel question here at home. Time and again, I stated that Americans do not hate Palestinians, other Arabs, and Muslims. I reaffirmed that the vast majority of Americans are open-minded and justice-oriented individuals who harbored no intrinsic hatred for Arabs and Muslims.
“But why are they attacking Arabs and Muslims in the United States?” they asked. I responded that while there was indeed an ugly backlash against Muslims in the US, the vast majority of our fellow Americans are fair-minded, compassionate, and understanding. I explained that Americans of different faiths and backgrounds had supported us (American Muslims and Arabs) admirably in our time of vulnerability and need, and that President Bush and other leaders had spoken forcefully against the backlash. I also explained to them my strong view that Osama bin Laden had hijacked our faith and the legitimate grievances of Muslims and Arabs to advance his own distorted, unacceptable version of Islam, in the process contributing to much of the misunderstanding and suspicion of Islam prevalent in the US.
Still skeptical, some asked why, then - if the Americans really do not hate us -- does the US continue to support Israel’s occupation of their homeland with billions of dollars worth of financial and military aid each year. In Ramallah and Bethlehem, they showed me tear gas canisters and deadly rockets marked “Made in the USA”, and then showed me the destruction of many buildings attained with the use of F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters. In Gaza, they pointed to the demolition of hundreds of homes with Caterpillar bulldozers and tanks. And they contrasted the ceaseless proclamations of US officials against “Palestinian terrorism” with official US silence in the face of daily killings of Palestinian men, women, and children.
The questions persisted. Why, then, in the US war against terrorism, are the only targets mentioned Muslim and Arab nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Somalia? Why does the United States not mention Israeli terrorism against Palestinians? Indian terrorism against Kashmiris? Russian terrorism against Chechnians? Why does the US continue to implement sanctions against Iraq, which have killed over 500,000 children in the past decade? Why does the United States support freedom and democracy in most other parts of the world, with the glaring exception being the Arab and Muslim worlds? Why does it offer support to our unpopular, un-elected, and despotic leaders in the Muslim world? Are those in Eastern Europe and South America more deserving of freedom and the right to choose their own government than us?
Again, I told them that their grievances were not the result of an irrational, intrinsic American “hatred” for them, but rather were examples of a short-sighted, flawed, and in many cases unjust US foreign policy that has been criticized by many Americans - and not just the Muslims and Arabs among them. These policies, I said, would ultimately be changed when enough Americans realize that they are both immoral and do not serve the true, long-term interests of either the United States or the Muslim world.
In the end, some were convinced that Americans did not really “hate” Muslims and Arabs. Others remained skeptical despite my assertions and were inclined to believe that the war on terrorism was really just a war against the Muslim and Arab world. Again, I noted the irony in the similarity of reactions by my American friends and co-workers to the converse question. Many of them were also skeptical. I am now convinced, more than ever, that an honest and direct dialogue is required between the American people and Muslims and Arabs. Such a dialogue must begin in earnest if we are to ever break down the barriers of suspicion and mistrust that remain formidable obstacles to the achievement of a peaceful coexistence among peoples - and to truly vanquish terrorism in all its ugly forms.
Riad Z. Abdelkarim, MD, is Western Region Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest grassroots American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.