| By Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl After eight years of boorish, war-mongering speeches and policies by the Bush administration, there is no doubt that President Obama’s ecumenical speech in Cairo fell upon warm ears. Obama spoke to Muslims as human beings, and Muslims who have grown so accustomed to being caste into the archetype of the counterpoint—the archetype that helps define the West by being its anti-thesis—were jubilant. Once again, Muslims learned that they can never enjoy the kind of privileged “unbreakable bond” that is exclusively reserved for the VIP members of the Western club, but Muslims were jubilant to learn that they are not members of the caste of lowly untouchables. In his typically dignified and studious demeanor, Obama told Muslims that he respects their faith and culture, that he does not approve of religious bigotry and that he recognizes that Muslims have made numerous contributions to world civilization. Obama rightly refused the same old polarizing arguments: no to the clash of civilizations model; no to “cosmic wars” against jihadists or political Islam; and no to other grandiose yet reductionist stereotypes typical of the Bush Era which sorted the world into a pile of good guys and a pile of bad guys. Obama also soundly condemned the trendy pseudo-intellectual practice of professionalized Islam-hating, masquerading as national security. Obama not only acknowledged that it was now part of his job to fight negative stereotypes of Islam, as well as negative stereotypes of the West, but he had the moral courage to do something that through the agonizing years of colonialism, imperialism, and Western interventionism, Muslims have rarely had the privilege of observing a Western leader do: admit to having unlawfully overthrown a legitimate and popular government in a Muslim country (President Musaddaq in Iran). So, it is no surprise that today, all over the Arab media, Arabs and Muslims are excited that Obama openly expressed respect for their faith and culture. After all, as many scholars have pointed out, one of the main grievances of Muslims in the age of modernity is the denial of liberty and dignity. However, the same media outlets that express such high approbation and admiration for Obama are also expressing severe anxiety and skepticism about whether this speech heralds the dawn of a new age, or just a new face for the same old western talk-a-lot, do-little that Muslims have become all too accustomed to since colonialism. Paradoxes and inconsistencies have been the earmark of the modern age for Muslims – a world of smoke and mirrors. Indeed, the history of modern Muslim nations can be summed up in a dramatic narrative of competing promises by competing superpowers to competing regional powers, and the end result is people with tragic let downs and broken dreams. For instance, although President Obama delivered a wonderful speech about new beginnings, human rights and mutual respect, it doesn’t change the fact that on the way to Egypt, he first stopped in Saudi Arabia, the motherland of Wahhabism, the most puritanical, intolerant and oppressive Muslim state. It leaves one wondering, was President Obama getting their approval; was he assuring them not to feel threatened by his speech about human rights and the rights of women to equality? Reminiscent of visits to Egypt of Presidents Nixon and Carter in the past, President Obama visit was preceded by mass arrests and vast human rights abuse. Prior to Obama’s visit, one of the most influential intellectual leftist critics , Qamdil, disappeared and is believed to have been murdered by security forces. Notably, the Egyptian government’s targeting of dissidents were not limited to those who would be critical of President Obama’s visit to Egypt, but actually included many Islamists who were known for their positive outlook towards the West. Worst of all, the choice of Egypt instead of Malaysia or Indonesia for instance, is quite curious. Husni Mubarak is one of the most detested despots in the Middle East, not just because he has been in power for 28 years, at the very high cost of thousands of opponents tortured, imprisoned and killed, but more so, many Arabs and Muslims consider Mubarak to be a direct partner in the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Mubarak’s government helped and continues to help enforce the embargo even against humanitarian aid to Gaza and has even prevented human rights investigators from documenting war crimes that have taken place in the territory. Most lay Egyptians believe that Mubarak is zealously serving American and Israeli interests because he agonizingly is trying to ensure that the United States will back up his son Gamal Mubarak, an extremely unpopular, corrupt Mafioso-type figure in his bid to inherit the throne. The real policy disaster is that most mainstream Egyptians and indeed Arabs, believe that Obama’s choice of Egypt as the place from which to address the Muslim world is part of a classic smoke and mirrors deal to reward the ailing dictator for a job well done by guaranteeing that his son will inherit Egypt to continue more of the same. |
ISSN: 17431719