April 07 , 2006

The Changing Mood

The other day, I was asked to give a talk at the American University in Washington, DC, on the changing global scenario. The host on this occasion was the noted Arab academic and author, Dr. Edmund Ghareeb, who gained fame by introducing Palestinian resistance poetry to an American audience through his book Enemy of the Sun over 30 years ago, and who has recently written a book called The Historical Dictionary of Iraq. Ghareeb is currently a Professor at the American University as well as Press Minister at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington, DC.
What emerged through discussions and through the question & answer session which followed my talk was the changing mood among American students toward existing policies of their leaders. The mood was a mixture of distrust, uncertainty, and fear. They felt angered and embarrassed that the public and the media in the US did not adequately scrutinize the false claims advanced by President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and Condi Rice to justify the takeover of Iraq. An authoritative new book, Cobra II, co-written by US Army General Bernard Trainor on the inside story of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, provides ample proof on this point.
Now, there is an increasing questioning of power, authority, and policy. There is greater challenging of the trustworthiness of the White House along with the growing sense that the Bush administration is incompetent. Overall, it is a loss of confidence in leadership.
The American media, which generally favored sending US forces into Iraq, is now beginning to reflect the changing public mood. It is often said that the media influences the public, but the public mood also influences the media.
Recently, the School of Communications of American University took the initiative of screening two films, one, “Good Night and Good Luck”, and the other, “Dateline Afghanistan: Reporting the Forgotten War”. Both movie showings – a technique increasingly used as a teaching tool for journalism students – were followed by panel discussions of experts. The programs were held before packed audiences who clearly were upset that their leaders have taken their nation on a wrong track.
The first film focused on the violation of civil rights of Americans during the anti-Communist hysteria during the early 1950s when there was a ‘red scare’ obsession in the US. The audience, during the discussion following the movie, made comparisons of that era with the current ‘green scare’, which has curbed Constitutional rights and cast a chill on legitimate activities of Muslim Americans.
The documentary movie on Afghanistan, directed by Professor Bill Gentile and shown for the first time in the US, spotlighted the role of New York Times correspondent Carlotta Gall who, through persistent investigative journalism, uncovered excesses inflicted on Afghan captives in custody of the US Army, especially at Bagram.
After the movie and panel discussion, a prominent American journalist (who admires Islamic teachings) approached me and said that – instead of shying away from the challenge – Muslims in America should go all out to promote and project Islamic values, especially so, in the existing climate of misinformation, distrust, and negativity. It is a valid point.
It is difficult to surmount an environment of fear; yet, a common fear somehow can motivate and prod people to work together. It is a good time for Muslim Americans to come forward.
The most affected cannot remain the least effective. Muslims have to do more to reach out, strive to present their point of view, and connect with mainstream American society. They will find a receptive audience. They may find like-minded allies among fair-minded Americans who recognize that their future is interlinked with developments in the Muslim world and who share a common concern over the decisions and actions of US policymakers.