March 24 , 2006

The Farce of Free Expression

The common refrain in the West on the enraged reaction in the Muslim world to the blasphemous cartoons is the notion that Muslims neither understand nor appreciate the value of free speech. The assumption in the West is that the whole controversy would not have erupted if the Muslim world were better educated, exposed and enlightened about democratic principles of freedom of expression.
But does the West really practice inside what it preaches outside?
On a visit to America’s most celebrated final resting place, the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, I stumbled on the grave of General George Brown who, from 1974 to 1978, was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – America’s top military position. General Brown became prominent for his remarks in 1974 before a campus gathering where he warned America that the unfettered dominance enjoyed in the US by the pro-Israeli lobby prevents peace in the Middle East and poses a threat to global order. General Brown further repeated this theme while testifying at a hearing before the US Congress where he described Israel as a “strategic burden” on the US. The General’s remarks caused a hue and cry in pro-Israeli circles who initially demanded that then-President Ford sack General Brown for his comments. Subsequently, this demand was withdrawn because supporters of Israel feared that it would merely reconfirm the veracity of General Brown’s statement.
General Brown’s predecessor was Admiral Thomas Moorer who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974. During the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israeli fighter aircraft bombed and strafed the US Navy ship Liberty, killing 34 crew members and wounding 172 others. Much to the consternation of Admiral Moorer and his senior Naval colleagues, the truth of that tragedy was never fully revealed. Senior officers in the United States Navy blamed the US administration for covering up the matter. This is what Admiral Moorer had to say in 1984: “If the American people understood what a grip the pro-Israeli elements have got on the US government, they would rise up in arms.”
The truth of the matter is that there is very little real debate, discussion, or questioning on US ties with Israel. Many others are similarly appalled at how the much-vaunted American democracy has been hijacked. Former US Congressman Paul Findley wrote a book on this phenomenon called “They Dare to Speak Out.”
At Amman, on March 1, 2006, the former PLO envoy to the UN, Mr. Zehdi Terzi died. He was the first Palestinian permanent observer to the UN in 1975. In 1986, the US State Department refused to give permission for Zehdi Terzi to leave New York to travel 200 miles to Harvard Law School near Boston to debate the Palestinian issue. In 1979, Terzi had lunch with Andrew Young, then US Ambassador to the UN. There was such a huge outcry over that by the pro-Israeli lobby that even President Carter, who had empathy for the Palestinian cause, was forced to sack Andrew Young, who was a noted black civil rights leader as well as a former congressman.
Just recently, Jay Bennish, a high school teacher in Colorado, was suspended for comparing Bush with Hitler and stating that the US was probably “the single most violent nation on the planet.” During class, Bennish questioned why the US was allowed to wage war on the Middle East, but the Palestinians were condemned as terrorists for waging war on Israel. The teacher was rebuked and suspended.
During the annual Oscar awards ceremony at Hollywood on March 5, the movie that was considered a hot favorite and nominated for the Best Foreign Feature Film was “Paradise Now”. This movie had bagged all major international awards. It was a story examining the motives, frustrations, and grievances of two Palestinian young men who were planning a suicide operation against Israeli occupation. In Israel, there was a huge outcry and a campaign was mounted to disqualify the movie from consideration for any award because of its sympathetic treatment of the Palestinian point of view. Predictably, the movie was not selected for any award.
In striking contrast, an anti-Muslim propaganda diatribe, equating, in effect, Islam to Nazism, is being promoted as a movie documentary to see. It is called “Obsession – Radical Islam’s War Against the West.” A synopsis of the movie put forth by its makers describes it in the following terms:
"Today, we find ourselves confronted by a new enemy, also engaged in a violent struggle to transform our world. As we sleep in the comfort of our homes, a new evil rises against us. A new menace is threatening, with all the means at its disposal, to bow Western Civilization under the yoke of its values. That enemy is Radical Islam." Those seeking further information on it may view www.obsessionthemovie.com.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution specifically protects freedom of speech. Yet, all of the above-mentioned violations have occurred in the presence of full Constitutional guarantees and protections.
Added together, it represents a tale of how freedom of expression is one-way and how, in practice, it is denied to prevent a narrative of the Arab and Muslim side of the story of the Middle East dispute. In the US, it is a story of closed doors and of closed minds. While vested interests are busy in trying to cause the so-called ‘clash of civilizations’ between the Christian West and Muslim East, the Muslim elites are equally busy in their own clash over cash.
There is an unmistakable warning to Muslims in the West. If they do not swiftly develop a strategic counterweight to the systematic pattern of disinformation and discrimination, they could find themselves stuck in the West minus security, dignity, and opportunity. And that would be a situation of merely existing, but not really living.