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Obama’s overtures: Approach to win Muslims flawed
Kashmir Watch, Aug 3
By Balraj Puri
Recent developments in Iraq, Iran and Af-Pak provide enough evidence to measure the success of Barack Hussain Obama (he specifically used his middle name in his Cairo speech) friendship offensive on the Muslim world and to reflect on its inadequacies.
His most radical departure from the policy of his predecessor George Bush was on Iraq. American attack on Iraq, in retaliation of Al Qaeda-sponsored attack on New York, in retrospect, has proved to be a monumental blunder. As Iraq was being ruled by Saddam Hussain, who claimed to be a socialist, it could not even remotely be connected with Islamic extremist Al Qaeda.
Another excuse for the attack on Iraq was the assumption that it possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was later proved to be false by American intelligence agencies themselves.It was a costly gamble. An estimated 100,000 Iraq civilians were killed in Operation Iraq. From American point of view, what mattered was that a trillion dollars of taxpayers’ money was spent and 4000 American soldiers were killed. The way Guantanamo and Abu Garib interrogation centres were run undermined American standards of democracy and human rights.
Obama reversed this policy and announced withdrawal of American army from Iraq. By June 30, it had withdrawn from Baghdad and other cities of Iraq. It was celebrated by the Iraqi government headed by Nouri al-Maliki, during American occupation.
However, it also exposed fissures in Iraqi society, which were kept under check by Saddam Hussain, though he used authoritarian methods. Baghdad city is now completely divided between Shia and Sunni parts. Most symbols of Iraq’s glory and its precious common heritage have been destroyed. The occupying power did not attempt to make constitutional or institutional arrangement to facilitate living together of the two main religious denominations.Nor could an arrangement be made for the satisfaction of the aspirations of the ethnic minority of Kurds, who have raised a banner of revolt. In no case, Shia-Sunni differences and Kurdish revolt are covered by Obama’s appeal for friendship with Muslims.
Obama also extended his hand to Iran and appealed to it to unclench its fist. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded positively to his appeal. But the June election not only divided Iran but also strained the Iranian government’s relations with the West, which had sympathies with the opposition candidate Mir Hossian Mousavi considered as liberal and modern. It also believed that the election was rigged in favour of the present president.
The orthodox opinion in Iran and Muslims elsewhere was further alienated. The spiritual head of Iran Ali Khamani declared election to be valid and threatened American and its Western allies of united action against them for their interference in the internal affairs of Iran.
It is not the question of fairness of election or supporting one party or the other. The real question is of legitimate interests of Iran, which should be respected. In this context, reported permission by Saudi Arabia, a close ally of America, to permit passage to Israel for nuclear attack on nuclear installations of Iran is ominous. Iran’s right for having nuclear energy for purely peaceful purposes and protection against threats should be considered.Iran is a predominantly Shia country and is unlikely to he influenced by Afghanistan-based Al Qaeda who are Sunni extremists. The recent killing of 14 Sunnis belonging to the Balochi ethnic minority in Iran shows degree of intolerance between the two sects of Islam.
Instead of encouraging Iran’s relations with a moderate country like India, America discouraged it to build a gas pipeline with Iran. India has the largest Shia population after Iran and both had close interaction in the field of literature and philosophy ever since pre-Islamic days.
Obama is concentrating his entire attention in crushing terrorism in Afghanistan, which extends to Pakistan. The principal terrorist outfit is Taliban, which consists of Pushtoon community in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The effectiveness of all the military might and money that Obama intends to use to eliminate the nucleus of terrorism in the world would be multiplied if ethnic urges of Pushtoons divided between Afghanistan and Pakistan by Durand Line are satisfied.Instead of a centralised Afghanistan, a federal and decentralised system recognising Pushtoon as well as other ethnic communities, which are roughly half and half, is more feasible. Similarly, the promise that Benazir Bhuttoo made during election campaign to give NWFP and Balochistan autonomy should be implemented and freer movement of Pushtoons across Durand Line should be considered.
In the rest of Pakistan also non-religious ethnic identities need to be recognised. Otherwise, Islam, in a more and more extremist form, may be the only unifying factor in the country. Federalism can be a more effective and less divisive way to do so. If Bengali urge for autonomy had been recognised, Bangladesh may not have seceded in 1971. Sub-national identities of Pakistan share common cultural heritage with their counterparts in India and are the best guarantee of Indo-Pak friendship.Many Pakistani intellectuals have raised their voice against Arabisation of Islam in their country. For instance, the Urdu (as also Persian) phrase Khuda Hafiz (God be with you) is being replaced by Arabia phrase Allah Hafiz.
Salafi or Wahabi Islam is the greatest export of Saudi Islam, backed with money power, under the patronage of America. It is trying to replace Sufisim which originated in Iran or Central Asia and incorporated local religious thoughts and cultures of South Asia. Other schools of Islamic thought, in the subcontinent like that of Deoband are more tolerant of other religions. Alama Iqbal, the greatest influence on Muslims of Pakistan, had declared that Islam in India (undivided) had an Aryan soul and Semitic body the growth of which “was stunted by Arab imperialism”.
Arabs are a tiny fraction of the Muslim world. All schools of Islam must recognise indigenous traditions of Islam. Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, is not noticed by American policymakers. With a long tradition of living together of different religious communities, Indonesia has become the target of Islamic terrorism in the recent years.India has the second largest Muslim population. Its contribution to Islamic thought is second to none. Why Obama failed to take notice of Islam in India and Indonesia? India’s Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid specifically pointed out India’s omission.
Well-intentioned polices of Obama to befriend Muslim world tries to homogenise Islam and fails to recognise its diversities and ethnic dimension. It is for this reason that revolt of Uigher Muslims in Xinjiang is being dismissed as an extension of Al Qaeda whereas it is mainly due to suppression of their Turkic identity. While trying to reject Huntington’s theory of “Clash of Civilisation,” Obama’s approach still recognises religion as an exclusive basis of identity, which is far from the reality.
The author can be reached at: institute.jk.affairs@gmail.com