A Casualty of Its Own Policies

 

Washington, DC:  It is the United States itself which is a key casualty of the Bush-Cheney ‘War on Terror’. This was stated by Mowahid Hussain Shah, attorney-at-law, noted policy analyst, and former Special Assistant to CM Punjab, during a wide-ranging keynote talk delivered at the American University, Washington, DC. 
During the well-attended discussion event, hosted by Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed, Mowahid said that the lesson of the last seven years has clearly shown the limitations of lethal force. He said that the rekindling of the cartoon controversy in Europe exposes the decline of common human decency and civility in European society, and reveals the malice and disrespect the so-called liberal intelligentsia there have for Muslim heritage and sensitivities. Pursuing this confrontational path will only produce destructive consequences, Mowahid emphasized. 
In response to a question during the lively three-hour program, Mowahid said that if the West seeks to reduce global tensions, it should re-think and move swiftly to relieve occupation situations which inflame unrest. Already, he pointed out,  the US Presidential Campaign has shown that the majority of Americans believe that the US is on the wrong track. He debunked the exaggerated notion that secular elements can be bolstered to counter militancy which, he posited, can be defused through policy shifts within the West. 
The national mood of change which is crisscrossing America, said Mowahid, indicates the goodness and willingness of the American public to engage with the Muslim world and re-evaluate harmful policies. He exhorted the youth not to just passively absorb information but to actively observe and question wrong actions. 

 

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