The
Key to Speaking to a Muslim
By Hazem Kira
CA
So, you have a Muslim neighbor
and want to make sure he’s not plotting
a terror campaign while hiding in plain sight
of your unremarkable and well-manicured suburban
housing complex (being recently inspired by viewing
FOX-TV’s highly rated series, 24). Or perhaps
you genuinely want a meaningful exchange with
your Muslim counterpart.
Okay, let's be forthright. The key to speaking
to a Muslim (or anyone for that matter) is to
first know how not to talk to them.
Floating in the ether of the information super
highway are numerous versions of the “How
to Talk to a Muslim Guide". Some follow the
“How to talk to a Muslim (if You Must)”
-- modeled after Ann Coulter’s, How to talk
to a Liberal (if you must) – meant to identify
the supposed unpatriotic tendency of American
Muslims and their fallacious logic. The military
has a “how to guide" to deal with them
on the battlefield -for minimizing civilian casualties
and controlling their populace. Think tanks, such
as the Rand Corporation, have studies on how to
correspond with and ‘moderate’ them
by traditional stage-managing and divide and subdue
methods. And still, sincere Christians with the
express intent of converting them author other
guides.
The unabashed trigger for each of these supposed
“how to talk to guides", is an insincere
attempt in creating dialogue, but instead sadly
follows the centuries old imperialist model for
“how to manipulate, dehumanize, and justify
our superiority”.
To understand today’s failings we look at
the four oft-returning characters in this imperial
grand play.
The first actor, in the deep structure of this
narrative, is the seasoned ‘soldier’.
He is given the mandate to use overt force to
bring a population under coerced control. The
second is the ‘administrator’ (much
like Paul Bremmer- Former Administrator of the
Iraq Provisional Authority), whose sole task is
to create and manage the necessary institutions
of control.
But now enters the third and most insidious yet
underrated actor, the ‘scholar’. Historically,
this thespian performer enters the master play
by insisting on being a mere spectator, neither
connected to nor necessarily supportive of the
soldier or administrator-- merely a humble seeker
of higher knowledge. History, nevertheless, and
the ancient axiom “knowledge is power”,
betrays his true function and skill. For how better
to control a populace then to know their mind,
compulsions, and fault lines. It is widely acknowledged
that many of today’s Western social sciences
(sociology, anthropology, etc.) got their start
with the beginning of such imperialist ventures.
But now enters the fourth and final actor, the
'missionary' (or altruist), who simultaneously
serves the dual goals of converting the occupied,
while convincing their own populace of the benefits
of such a foreign venture.
In 1899, the great literary altruist Rudyard Kipling
wrote to Americans to take up the “White
Man’s Burden” to civilize the “half
devil, half child”. Today, the same calls
ring far and wide to liberalize, democratize,
and in so many words, civilize those cartoonishly
backward Muslims.
These four recurring performers have four attributes
with a God-like mentality. First, they believe
that they are Ominipotent (all powerful - using
this great power for the singular aim of saving
those backward populations by being the world's
"police man"). Second, they are Omniscent
(all knowledgeable - - they know what's best for
the populations they dominate over). Third, they
are Innocent (only using their resources and soldiers
to help others), and when an occupation eventually
fails, it's not for a lack of any of the aforementioned
qualities but because of their fourth intrinsic
quality, an extreme Beneficience (extreme kindness
and mercy, to a fault).
So, what then is the secret to talking to a Muslim?
A single overlooked yet compelling word: intent.
Are they the “other” that need to
be ‘understood’ to be manipulated
or talked down to, as encouraged by many of today's
"talk to guides", or are they equals
with whom you can engage in mutual dialogue and
understanding with?
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