I realize that my last post could have come off a bit one-sided, and so I'd like to balance it a bit. There is a great deal about Islam and the Muslim world that I do not understand, but I do understand enough to know that Obama was trying to make a good move when he made the statements about the U.S. not being their enemy.
In Islamic countries, the "Freedom Fighters" are portrayed as heroes. The populace in Islamic countries will be totally loyal to their leaders, based upon an ideology that is nearly impossible to change. They view us as their hated enemy, as shown through history time and time again. So, I understand that Obama is trying to negate some of that intense and deep-rooted brainwashing. We are not the enemy of these people, at least from our point of view, and it will be difficult to convince them otherwise. I suppose that it just needs to be communicated that their view isn't any fault of ours. Their religion bids them to hate us, and few people are willing to admit it.
I just hope that Obama's plan to reduce the level of anxiety in this situation goes further than trying to hold hands. He's going to have to stand for the truths of the matter. But I appreciate what he is trying to do.
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Greetings!
ReplyDeleteYou said: In Islamic countries, the "Freedom Fighters" are portrayed as heroes. The populace in Islamic countries will be totally loyal to their leaders, based upon an ideology that is nearly impossible to change.
I will be the first to admit that I am NOT an expert on Islamic culture, but it sounds like maybe you're generalizing here. Do you know for a fact that the entire populace of all "Islamic countries" thinks this way?
You also said: They view us as their hated enemy, as shown through history time and time again.
I certainly have NO problem with the idea that MANY Islamic countries have harbored negative feelings toward the US for a long time, but when you say "through history" can you explain exactly what you mean?
I am not an expert on Islamic countries either, but I did spend some years in them and was able to observe things from a learning perspective. You are correct, that the generality is heavy-handed, and while it was not my intention to say that every member of an Islamic country would think this way, my idea was that we have an ideology set against us. I suppose the severity of the ideology does vary. You make a good point.
ReplyDeleteAs for the reference to history, I mean that every country that has been ruled by Islam, has not been at the same time friendly toward Western society. I say this about Iran, Afghanistan (Taliban), Indonesia, etc. There exists a serious danger in these societies for those who would have differing religious beliefs than Islam. Historically, Islam has never been a peaceful religion, and they usually are quite callous about it. I hope that explains my thoughts better. Thanks for posting!