http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4669
What Makes a Muslim Radical?
Sat, 2007-02-24 02:26
By Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz
The new poll was done in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirate, Muslim majority societies, conducted by
Zogby International and the Gallup center for Muslim Studies, show
anti-American feelings at all time high in Muslim countries. Respondents
indicate a deep suspicion of US motives, and religion has little to do
with radicalization of Muslim views.
In those six what came to known as "friendly" countries, [1] only 12
percent of those surveyed expressed favorable attitudes toward the
United States. America's leaders have surpassed Israel's as objects of
anger. Asked which foreign leader they disliked most, 38 percent named
George Bush; Ariel Sharon was a distant second at 11 percent; and Ehud
Olmert was third with 7 percent. The poll data show a deep suspicion of
American motives: 65 percent of those surveyed said they didn't think
democracy was a real US objective in the Middle East. Asked to name two
countries that had the most freedom and democracy, only 14 percent said
America, putting it far behind France and Germany.
84 percent of those surveyed in the Zogby poll believe that the war in
Iraq has created more, not fewer, terrorists, while 86 percent believe
that there has been "less peace" in the region since the removal of
Saddam Hussein. However, 67 percent of those surveyed said that the US
could substantially repair its image if it brokered peace in the region.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told in the recent conference
that most Arabs do not hate the United States but oppose its unfriendly
standards. "Muslims cannot accept the US policy of supporting Israel and
its occupation of Arab and Muslim territories," he said, adding that
Arabs could also not understand Washington's opposition to Iran's
nuclear program while Israel's was ignored. However, 67 percent of those
surveyed said that the US could substantially repair its image if it
brokered peace in the region. US To Blame For Muslim Antagonism, Says
Supporter of Suicide Bombings
On the contrary, some political commentators in the region deeply
suspect about the US ability to go beyond its current formula, which
according to popular Muslim opinions naturally pro-Israel and
strategically oil oriented. Rami Khouri ¨C editor of The Daily Star of
Lebanon shares this reality. “This year, the task of further lowering
Arab-Islamic esteem for the US government fell to David Satterfield, the
senior adviser and coordinator for Iraq in the office of the US
secretary of state. The gist of his remarks was that the US public and
government have limited patience in Iraq, and it was up to Iraqis now to
take change of their future by acting in a national rather than a
sectarian fashion ... The destruction that might be unleashed around the
Middle East, and possibly the world, from the US decision to go to war
in Iraq is only now becoming clear. For the US to say that its patience
is limited and that it can at best be a catalyst in the face of the
furies and destruction it has unleashed is precisely the sort of
self-serving double standard that causes so many people around the world
to fear and resist the US.”
Meanwhile, The Times of London based on the survey reports that the war
on terror has radicalized even well-educated Muslims to unprecedented
levels. “Gallup's Centre for Muslim Studies in New York carried out
surveys of 10,000 Muslims in ten predominantly Muslim countries. One
finding was that the wealthier and better-educated the Muslim was, the
more likely he was to be radicalized.” Anti-American feelings soar among
Muslims, study finds
Some influential quarters in the West regularly maintain that Muslims
are not friendly towards the ideas of democracy and the establishments
of democratic institutions in their respective countries. Interesting
enough, according to the poll, a large number of Muslims supported the
Western ideal of democratic government. Fifty per cent of radicals
supported democracy, compared with 35 per cent of moderates.
The survey is largely based on the finding of Prof. Esposito and Ms.
Mogahed. Their research finding entitled “What Makes a Muslim Radical?”
presented in the November 2006 issue of Foreign Policy What Makes a
Muslim Radical?
They fervently argue that to freeze the current tensions between the
west and Islam, West led by the US "must first recognize who it's up
against." The biggest single question is that, as I raised in one of my
journal articles published in the Indian Journal of secularism on Islam
and West titled “Why the Muslim World is Rebelling," ("Why the Muslim
World is Rebelling?” Indian Journal of Secularism, Vol. 8, No. 4,
January-March 2005, pp. 82-106) can the West, particularly the US,
fundamentally moderate its policies toward the Muslim societies. History
particularly post colonial history does not offer any convincing
positive answer.
The Political science studies show that politicians employ anything
including in modern political science language-symbolic ethnic and
religious policies and manipulate ethnic/religious symbols to gain power
and to maintain their interests (A.R.M. Imtiyaz, “Symbolic politics, Sri
Lanka elections and the Consociational solution. “ Asian Affairs, No 27,
April 2006, pp 28-43). In Sri Lanka Sinhala political class since
independence employ anti-Tamil policies as Arab political class
movements and politicians in the Middle East manipulate Islam and its
symbols such as Quran and Hadeeths as well as employ anti-Israel
policies to gain upper hand in politics.
Therefore, if political science studies are right, tensions between the
Islam and West would likely prevail as long as Muslim majority societies
take audacious steps to reform the system, which has been blamed for the
poverty, lack of education and deep unemployment and needless to say
anti-West opinions. To make sure their efforts to build the society, the
West has role to play. Also, the West needs to immobilize its policies,
particularly the foreign polices, concerning Muslims and Muslim majority
societies. Failures from the West may strengthen the hands of Muslim
political class and politicians who are champion of breeding hatred
among the (economically poor) Muslims against the West and help Muslim
politicians and movements to look for scapegoats for their own mess.
Notes
[1] Muslim majority countries once colonized by the west and now are
coming under neo-colonial agendas (led by the west) did not experience
industrial revolution, and thus failed substantial urbanization. When we
do not have these two developments in a particular country, in my
professional understanding, we cannot expect strong middle class and
rational behaviors from the people. Though some countries in the Middle
East are blessed with natural sources, majority of them still lack
decent life style. So, it is highly unlikely those countries will
produce rational understanding and political pluralism. Widespread
poverty, lack of education and a deep unemployment among the ordinary
Muslims set the stage for the Muslim politicians or what the West
identify as Muslim radicals to employ and/or manipulate religion to gain
and consolidate power.
Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz: Author is a political scientist from Sri Lanka. He
is an author of several journal articles and conference papers on ethnic
and religious politics. He is currently affiliated at the Department of
Political Science, Temple University, USA.
- Asian Tribune -
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