(no subject)
American Approach to the Muslim World
"America treasures the relationship we have with our many Muslim friends, and we respect the vibrant faith of Islam which inspires countless individuals to lead lives of honesty, integrity, and morality. This year, may Eid also be a time in which we recognize the values of progress, pluralism, and acceptance that bind us together as a Nation and a global community. By working together to advance mutual understanding, we point the way to a brighter future for all." When President Bush spoke those immortal words in late 2002, he was not only reaching the American people but also making a bold statement to the world regarding how the American Government would interact with the Muslim world.
Since the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers, Pentagon and attempted attack on the White House, America’s view on Muslims in the Arab world has changed as many American citizens have become increasingly more hostile towards their Arab correspondents. American media has become, with time, more aggressive towards Muslims in their publications as the view on Islam rapidly changes in American eyes. The American government, however, has done little to prevent negative images of Islam and general hostility towards
American Muslims within the country. As violent images from conflicts in the Middle East continuously flash across American television screens, Americans
are gaining an intense fear of and hatred for the Muslim world. One must question, in regards to current events in the Middle East and abroad, whether or not the American approach to the Muslim world is really changing or if its history is finally coming to light.
The relationship between the Muslim world and the American world has, for years, been controversial and slightly rocky. There’s no wonder why many American’s have a skewed perspective of Middle Eastern culture. Arab leaders such as Osama Bin Laden, who practice a modified version of traditional Islam, give the Americans reason to believe that Islam is a nation of hatred and controversy. In an interview of Bin Laden by John Miller in 1998, Bin Laden explains his perspective on American Culture in relation to the United States where Bin Laden states,
“The Americans impose themselves on everyone who believes in his religion and his rights. They accuse our children in Palestine of being terrorists. Those children that have no weapons and have not even reached maturity. At the same time, they defend a country with its airplanes and tanks, the state of the Jews, that has a policy to destroy the future of these children…We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American solider who is ready to wage cold wars and unprepared to fight long wars…We are ready fir all occasions. We rely on Allah” (We Predict a Black Day
for America’). Bin Laden, a Muslim extremist, gave the interview in direct response to a Fatwah, (or letter to the Muslim people,) urging the people of Islam to attack all American people stating, “The ruling to kill the Americans and their
allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it…We -- with God’s help -- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God’s order to kill the Americans...”(Text of Fatwah).
With this, along with several other interviews and creeds issued by Muslim extremists, it is no wonder Americans have a skewed perception of the Islamic faith. That, combined with the ever increasing ignorance creates a general dissatisfaction for the Muslim world and is the direct cause for many conflicts between a seemingly Christian based nation and a misunderstood Islamic world. America’s approach to the Muslim world has been nothing but a rocky relationship throughout much of history. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to desert storm to the current issues involving Iraq and Iran, the American approach to the Middle East has become violent and hostile.
The American Media’s attempts, or lack-there-of, in creating and maintaining a positive relationship and perspective of the Islamic world has generated many issues between American citizens and their Muslim counterparts. If one were to examine the different aspects of American media as it relates to the Middle East, it would not be difficult to understand why many Americans cannot relate positively to the Islamic faith.
Growing up, children are shown distorted images of Arabs through movies, such as Aladdin, which provide children with the belief that Middle Eastern culture is anything but modern. Theme song lyrics publicize negative images of the Islamic world as they stereotype the Middle Eastern culture by
stating things such as, Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place. Where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear
If they don't like your face; It's barbaric, but hey, it's home. When the wind's from the east, and the suns from the west, and the sand in the glass is right. Come on down, Stop on by. Hop a carpet and fly To another Arabian night. Arabian nights Like Arabian days More often than not Are hotter than hot In a lot of good ways Arabian nights 'Neath Arabian moons A fool off his guard Could fall and fall hard Out there on the dunes” (Aladdin). Adults, more recently, have begun to be targeted with a skewed perception of the Middle East. One may wonder why the American government has yet to have put an end to the lapse in judgment and opinion.
Many Americans who take part in popular culture activities are geared to believe that there are more differences between the Middle East and United States then there actually are. Not only does this marginalization create a bias that is unhealthy for the public but also sets the tone for a more ignorant future. A country cannot begin to even think about making peace with a nation it does not even understand. Understanding is the first and key-most part of the peace process and must be taken seriously in order to strive for a better future.
Islam is a religion based on the fundamental principles set forth to the people by Allah, which means “The God” in the Arabic language. The messages of Allah were given to the people through the seal of the prophets, Muhammad, who lived until 52 AD. For centuries, the western world has been ignorant of the Islamic faith even so much so as to refer to Muslims as “Mohammedans,”
implying that Muslims follow Muhammad rather than Allah. This, along with many other incorrect assumptions made by Westerners has created a general dislike for the Muslim world and an utter lapse in knowledge about the region and its people. Islam is based on five pillars which call for daily prayer, purification, pilgrimage, alms giving (the giving to Charity) and the observance of the holy month Ramadan in which Muslims fast during the day in order to get closer to Allah. This fundamental part of Islam is rarely understood by the Western World and creates a general gap in knowledge. This gap can, and for the most part does, create problems between the Muslim world and the United States.
In comparison with Christianity, Islam may be quite difficult for the common Christian to understand the beliefs of a Muslim. Contrary to popular belief in the Western World, the Islamic faith has great admiration for Jesus Christ. It does not, however, recognize Jesus as the divine son of God. Rather, it believes that Jesus is the most important prophet and is highly respected. Muslims believe in the immaculate conception, in the second coming of Christ but do not believe that Jesus had to be crucified for the forgiveness of sins for
mankind. Rather, they believe that through a personal relationship with God, one can lead a respectable and pure life and enter into the kingdom of heaven after life on earth ceases. Similar to the Christian perspective, Muslims believe that God calls them to follow specific orders many of which can be found both in the Koran and in the Bible. The Hebrew story of creation holds true for Islam and Christianity as well as the third monotheistic religion, Judaism. As a Christian
nation, the differences between the two faiths have created a divider that has yet to have been broken.
The attempts of the American Government in establishing positive connections with the neighboring Muslim world have, for years, been strategic and somewhat diplomatic. The United States, however, has yet to have created a strong relationship to maintain and grow with the Muslim world. Part of this is due to the fact that there are constant conflicts in the Middle East which have prevented, thus far, the United States from reaching the Muslim people. Israel and the United States are perhaps the only nation that truly has maintained a positive growing relationship with American people. American policy towards the Middle East has created many conflicts as the United States has strategically based their connections with regions that are to be beneficial for the future of the American government.
Rather than continuing to promote ignorance and displaying negative images of Muslim culture to many Americans, the United States government should attempt to promote knowledge and try to gain a more positive relationship with its Middle Eastern friends. Instead of continuously increasing the level of hard power relationships, the American government should attempt to establish more soft power through positive images of the Muslim world in popular culture and throughout the American educational system.
Children should be taught to embrace other cultures rather than to criticize them. Adults should be encouraged to establish positive relationships
with American Muslims rather than to be afraid of them or to discriminate against them.
In order to do so, the American government should start funding schools that are willing promote a better understanding of other nations. Rather than allowing American children to believe that the Middle Eastern world is a danger, the government should promote connections within schools in order to educate students with an understanding of the Middle East. This process should begin at a young age with the concepts of foreign language, positive communication and knowledge. Furthermore, the United States government should be setting the example by promoting a more positive outlook towards other cultures and religions and should be consistently working towards a more unified, structuralized and friendly relationship with its Middle Eastern counterparts. By doing so, the government would ensure that the future of the relationships between the Muslim world and the seemingly Christian based nation be a better and brighter one for all peoples involved.
"If liberty can blossom in the rocky soil of the West Bank and Gaza, it will inspire millions of men and women around the globe who are equally weary of poverty and oppression, equally entitled to the benefits of democratic government. I have a hope for the people of Muslim countries. Your commitments to morality, and learning, and tolerance led to great historical achievements. And those values are alive in the Islamic world today. You have a rich culture, and you share the aspirations of men and women in every culture. Prosperity and freedom and dignity are not just American hopes, or Western
hopes. They are universal, human hopes. And even in the violence and turmoil of the Middle East, America believes those hopes have the power to transform lives and nations." - American President George W. Bush.
"America treasures the relationship we have with our many Muslim friends, and we respect the vibrant faith of Islam which inspires countless individuals to lead lives of honesty, integrity, and morality. This year, may Eid also be a time in which we recognize the values of progress, pluralism, and acceptance that bind us together as a Nation and a global community. By working together to advance mutual understanding, we point the way to a brighter future for all." When President Bush spoke those immortal words in late 2002, he was not only reaching the American people but also making a bold statement to the world regarding how the American Government would interact with the Muslim world.
Since the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers, Pentagon and attempted attack on the White House, America’s view on Muslims in the Arab world has changed as many American citizens have become increasingly more hostile towards their Arab correspondents. American media has become, with time, more aggressive towards Muslims in their publications as the view on Islam rapidly changes in American eyes. The American government, however, has done little to prevent negative images of Islam and general hostility towards
American Muslims within the country. As violent images from conflicts in the Middle East continuously flash across American television screens, Americans
are gaining an intense fear of and hatred for the Muslim world. One must question, in regards to current events in the Middle East and abroad, whether or not the American approach to the Muslim world is really changing or if its history is finally coming to light.
The relationship between the Muslim world and the American world has, for years, been controversial and slightly rocky. There’s no wonder why many American’s have a skewed perspective of Middle Eastern culture. Arab leaders such as Osama Bin Laden, who practice a modified version of traditional Islam, give the Americans reason to believe that Islam is a nation of hatred and controversy. In an interview of Bin Laden by John Miller in 1998, Bin Laden explains his perspective on American Culture in relation to the United States where Bin Laden states,
“The Americans impose themselves on everyone who believes in his religion and his rights. They accuse our children in Palestine of being terrorists. Those children that have no weapons and have not even reached maturity. At the same time, they defend a country with its airplanes and tanks, the state of the Jews, that has a policy to destroy the future of these children…We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American solider who is ready to wage cold wars and unprepared to fight long wars…We are ready fir all occasions. We rely on Allah” (We Predict a Black Day
for America’). Bin Laden, a Muslim extremist, gave the interview in direct response to a Fatwah, (or letter to the Muslim people,) urging the people of Islam to attack all American people stating, “The ruling to kill the Americans and their
allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it…We -- with God’s help -- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God’s order to kill the Americans...”(Text of Fatwah).
With this, along with several other interviews and creeds issued by Muslim extremists, it is no wonder Americans have a skewed perception of the Islamic faith. That, combined with the ever increasing ignorance creates a general dissatisfaction for the Muslim world and is the direct cause for many conflicts between a seemingly Christian based nation and a misunderstood Islamic world. America’s approach to the Muslim world has been nothing but a rocky relationship throughout much of history. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to desert storm to the current issues involving Iraq and Iran, the American approach to the Middle East has become violent and hostile.
The American Media’s attempts, or lack-there-of, in creating and maintaining a positive relationship and perspective of the Islamic world has generated many issues between American citizens and their Muslim counterparts. If one were to examine the different aspects of American media as it relates to the Middle East, it would not be difficult to understand why many Americans cannot relate positively to the Islamic faith.
Growing up, children are shown distorted images of Arabs through movies, such as Aladdin, which provide children with the belief that Middle Eastern culture is anything but modern. Theme song lyrics publicize negative images of the Islamic world as they stereotype the Middle Eastern culture by
stating things such as, Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place. Where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear
If they don't like your face; It's barbaric, but hey, it's home. When the wind's from the east, and the suns from the west, and the sand in the glass is right. Come on down, Stop on by. Hop a carpet and fly To another Arabian night. Arabian nights Like Arabian days More often than not Are hotter than hot In a lot of good ways Arabian nights 'Neath Arabian moons A fool off his guard Could fall and fall hard Out there on the dunes” (Aladdin). Adults, more recently, have begun to be targeted with a skewed perception of the Middle East. One may wonder why the American government has yet to have put an end to the lapse in judgment and opinion.
Many Americans who take part in popular culture activities are geared to believe that there are more differences between the Middle East and United States then there actually are. Not only does this marginalization create a bias that is unhealthy for the public but also sets the tone for a more ignorant future. A country cannot begin to even think about making peace with a nation it does not even understand. Understanding is the first and key-most part of the peace process and must be taken seriously in order to strive for a better future.
Islam is a religion based on the fundamental principles set forth to the people by Allah, which means “The God” in the Arabic language. The messages of Allah were given to the people through the seal of the prophets, Muhammad, who lived until 52 AD. For centuries, the western world has been ignorant of the Islamic faith even so much so as to refer to Muslims as “Mohammedans,”
implying that Muslims follow Muhammad rather than Allah. This, along with many other incorrect assumptions made by Westerners has created a general dislike for the Muslim world and an utter lapse in knowledge about the region and its people. Islam is based on five pillars which call for daily prayer, purification, pilgrimage, alms giving (the giving to Charity) and the observance of the holy month Ramadan in which Muslims fast during the day in order to get closer to Allah. This fundamental part of Islam is rarely understood by the Western World and creates a general gap in knowledge. This gap can, and for the most part does, create problems between the Muslim world and the United States.
In comparison with Christianity, Islam may be quite difficult for the common Christian to understand the beliefs of a Muslim. Contrary to popular belief in the Western World, the Islamic faith has great admiration for Jesus Christ. It does not, however, recognize Jesus as the divine son of God. Rather, it believes that Jesus is the most important prophet and is highly respected. Muslims believe in the immaculate conception, in the second coming of Christ but do not believe that Jesus had to be crucified for the forgiveness of sins for
mankind. Rather, they believe that through a personal relationship with God, one can lead a respectable and pure life and enter into the kingdom of heaven after life on earth ceases. Similar to the Christian perspective, Muslims believe that God calls them to follow specific orders many of which can be found both in the Koran and in the Bible. The Hebrew story of creation holds true for Islam and Christianity as well as the third monotheistic religion, Judaism. As a Christian
nation, the differences between the two faiths have created a divider that has yet to have been broken.
The attempts of the American Government in establishing positive connections with the neighboring Muslim world have, for years, been strategic and somewhat diplomatic. The United States, however, has yet to have created a strong relationship to maintain and grow with the Muslim world. Part of this is due to the fact that there are constant conflicts in the Middle East which have prevented, thus far, the United States from reaching the Muslim people. Israel and the United States are perhaps the only nation that truly has maintained a positive growing relationship with American people. American policy towards the Middle East has created many conflicts as the United States has strategically based their connections with regions that are to be beneficial for the future of the American government.
Rather than continuing to promote ignorance and displaying negative images of Muslim culture to many Americans, the United States government should attempt to promote knowledge and try to gain a more positive relationship with its Middle Eastern friends. Instead of continuously increasing the level of hard power relationships, the American government should attempt to establish more soft power through positive images of the Muslim world in popular culture and throughout the American educational system.
Children should be taught to embrace other cultures rather than to criticize them. Adults should be encouraged to establish positive relationships
with American Muslims rather than to be afraid of them or to discriminate against them.
In order to do so, the American government should start funding schools that are willing promote a better understanding of other nations. Rather than allowing American children to believe that the Middle Eastern world is a danger, the government should promote connections within schools in order to educate students with an understanding of the Middle East. This process should begin at a young age with the concepts of foreign language, positive communication and knowledge. Furthermore, the United States government should be setting the example by promoting a more positive outlook towards other cultures and religions and should be consistently working towards a more unified, structuralized and friendly relationship with its Middle Eastern counterparts. By doing so, the government would ensure that the future of the relationships between the Muslim world and the seemingly Christian based nation be a better and brighter one for all peoples involved.
"If liberty can blossom in the rocky soil of the West Bank and Gaza, it will inspire millions of men and women around the globe who are equally weary of poverty and oppression, equally entitled to the benefits of democratic government. I have a hope for the people of Muslim countries. Your commitments to morality, and learning, and tolerance led to great historical achievements. And those values are alive in the Islamic world today. You have a rich culture, and you share the aspirations of men and women in every culture. Prosperity and freedom and dignity are not just American hopes, or Western
hopes. They are universal, human hopes. And even in the violence and turmoil of the Middle East, America believes those hopes have the power to transform lives and nations." - American President George W. Bush.