The Next Election – An Endorsement for Clinton
By Professor Nazeer Ahmed
Concord, CA
The next election in November 2016 will be a defining moment in the evolving history of the American Muslim community. Indeed, it is likely to be an existential moment that will determine if Islam will endure or wither away in North America.
The election offers a choice between a continuance of the status quo and the anointment of neo-fascism at the national level. Faced with these two choices, I have decided to opt for continuity and endorse the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.
Several historical forces are currently at play in the political arena: the fallout from globalization, the perception that power is slipping from the dominant white majority in America, the rise of China and India as global economic powers, and the slow and inexorable decline of Europe.
Globalization, defined as the free movement of capital, has created an inverted pyramid where economic power is concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Globalization moved jobs from the industrialized West to the paddy fields of Asia. China was transformed into a manufacturing powerhouse. India became a software center for world economies. Secondary players such as Vietnam and the Philippines moved to cash in the spreading largesse.
The results were twofold. First, manufacturing jobs moved from the American Midwest and the suburbs of Liverpool to Beijing and Shanghai. Bustling American cities like Detroit and Bethlehem were brought to their knees. Secondly, the free movement of capital empowered the moneyed classes to leverage their wealth and accumulate more wealth. There are more billionaires in the world today than at any time in history. By the same token, the world is saddled with millions of unemployed and unemployable workers who lost the work they were good at and do not have the skills to perform technology driven newer jobs that globalization churned out.
Globalization and the accompanying trade agreements such as NAFTA have a direct bearing on the decline of white power in America. As the old style smokestack jobs shifted to lower wage countries such as China and Mexico, the American economy moved towards high-tech jobs such as software, robotics, RPVs and auto pilot vehicles. This required the infusion of high level specialized technical expertise which was scarce in the United States. The immigration system in the United States came to the rescue of these industries, opening up the gates of immigration to a plethora of visa systems. Almost three hundred thousand high-tech personnel are admitted to the US each year, the great majority of whom never return to their homelands. The new immigrants drive the economy of America, establishing companies and creating more jobs. But the global movement of less skilled jobs offshore and the inflow of higher skilled personnel to the US, has had two effects. First, it changed the demography of the country. Coupled with migration from South of the border, the white population in America has witnessed a gradual decline until it now stands at about 60%. Secondly, most of the high-tech jobs were taken by the skilled personnel from India, China, Pakistan and other parts of the world. This was a double whammy. Not only did the white population witness a relative decline, it also experienced a loss of economic power. The Presidency of Obama was a final straw for white America. It confirmed their loss of power which fueled resentment at both the non-whites as well as the new immigrants. It is small surprise that so many whites did not accept the Obama presidency.
With the migration of manufacturing and soft power to China and India, there was a concomitant movement of political and economic power. Until the seventeenth century, Asia occupied the center of world economic and political power. The Europeans changed the dynamics with their conquest and subjugation of Afro-Asia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. India and Africa were colonized. China was humbled. After WWII, as Asia and Africa unshackled the chains of colonialism, the world power dynamics changed. China, in particular, emerged as a global player. Globalization accelerated the transfer of power from the old economic centers of America and Europe to Asia. Today, measured in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), China is the number one economic power on the globe. India is third with America occupying the second place. The old colonial empires of Europe have disappeared and their economies have been steadily shrinking in relative terms.
The changing power dynamics of the world have fueled the rise of right wing neo-fascism in both America and Europe. It is a frightening phenomenon. History bears witness that massive realignments of power rarely take place without conflict. One must hope that history will prove us wrong this time around.
Donald Trump has captured the fears of the white population in America. He rides the tide of frustration that is flowing through America and Europe. Unable to offer a workable solution to the challenges facing America and the traditional white power structure in the country, he has directed the frustrations towards Muslims, Hispanics, Blacks and other minorities. There is also a not-too-subtle anti-Semitic nuance to his rhetoric. As if by design, the Republican debates with shrill anti-Muslim rhetoric from the likes of Carson and Cruz made it easier for Trump to increase the decibels of his diatribes. Cruz has called for “securing Muslim neighborhoods”. Carson has said that Islam is incompatible with Western values. Trump has openly called for a ban on immigration from Muslim countries. It is no wonder that the perception of Muslims among Americans has taken a nose dive. According to recent surveys, only 17 percent of Americans have a positive opinion of Muslims. The writing is on the wall. With this kind of negative perception, there can only be minimal resistance by the general population to any harsh measures taken by the government against the Muslims.
Justice is indivisible. Once the Muslims are marginalized, the heavy hand of suppression can easily move on to the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Sikhs, the Hindus, the Chinese and perhaps even the Jews. This is a nightmarish prognosis but is not beyond the realm of possibilities considering the wayward, unpredictable and outlandish statements of Trump.
Facing the onslaught of neo-fascism stands a candidate who is for the status quo. I met Hillary Clinton briefly in 1992 when Bill Clinton made his first run for President. Mrs Clinton came to Orange County, CA during the campaign. I was running in the Democratic primaries in the 46 th Congressional District of California. At the time, Mrs Clinton was a far left liberal on domestic issues and her speech on the occasion showed it. Since then she has moved to the center---on some issues center left, on others center right. I am deeply aware that as Senator she voted for the war on Iraq and as Secretary of State she actively pushed for the invasion of Libya. I am also aware that in the primary election of 2008 she returned the donation of a Muslim organization. However, when you look at the two candidates side by side, Donald Trump falls off the scale on the far right. In addition, I do not believe he has the temperament to be President, the compassion to govern, or the wisdom to be the Commander in Chief of the world’s most powerful armed forces. Certainly, he has no compassion for Muslims or knowledge about Islam.
So, the choice is between continuing to drive at the edge of a cliff with Clinton, or going off the cliff with Trump. I will chose to continue to drive at the edge of the cliff. I endorse the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and will vote for her in this election. I believe this decision will further the falah (well-being) of my grandchildren and it will be better for the United States of America and the world.
(Professor Nazeer Ahmed is the Director of the American Institute of Islamic History and Culture. He is also on the Board of Directors of the World Organization for Resource Development and Education, Washington, DC. He is a member of the State Knowledge Commission in Bangalore, India. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta in 1988 and ran for election for US National Congress democratic primaries in 1992 from the 46 th Congressional District in California)
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