Muslims should stop digging at President Obama‏

By Saeed Qureshi

The Muslims tend to monopolize Barack Obama as the leader of Islam and not the president of the United States, where predominant population professes the Christian faith. They criticize and censure his policies and statements as if despite being a Muslim he was ignoring the interests of the Muslims and therefore was a kind of an infidel. The latest picture showing him blind by two eyes is a crude attempt to peddle a counter productive anti Barack Obama publicity and sentiment.

Such a knee jerk, hysterical and patently indiscreet display of shortsightedness, on the part of Muslims is not going to be fruitful for them. Instead that the Muslims should eulogies and commend his soft pedaling and gradual friendly advance towards the Islamic world, they, by whipping up such misplaced anti-Obama tirade, are trying to dry up the existing good will brewed by Obama. Obama’s administration is merely three months old. Ironically the Muslims don’t care what he was doing in favor of Muslims. They focus on what he was not doing or what he ought to do.

Muslims are a very sentimental segment of humanity. They cheer and anger quickly. The Muslims heralded the advent of Barack Obama as a US president who would be the supporter of the Islamic nations around the world. Much contentment was drawn from his first name Barack and the middle name Hussein. With a self delusive notion, it was taken for granted that Barack Obama would come to the rescue of the beleaguered Islam in a big way.

In the heat and amid the flawed sentimentality of these fanciful passions, the Muslims forgot that he is not the leader of a Muslim country: he is the president of the United States of America. It would be an erroneously self serving wish that he would undo the wrongs done to the Muslims and please and placate the Muslims by over-riding the US national interests. Not even a Muslim can do it and President Barack Obama by a faith is a Christian. It is none of his responsibility to bring the Islamic bloc in order and to act as redeemers for the Muslims around the world.

His first and foremost obligation is to his country. All that he can do it and which he is doing is to rebuild, between Muslims and US, the trust and cordial engagement that was shattered by his predecessor. In the aftermath of the 9/11, an anti -Muslim US administration under a president bereft of statesmanship and shorn of the basic diplomatic niceties, cornered and unfairly treated the Muslims in all possible manners. The 9/11 incident was used by the neo cons under George Bush more to put Muslims en-bloc in the dock, as terrorists, criminals and enemies of America. A billion Muslims were made to look as enemies of America and the so called civilized west.

A blatant and unwarranted invasion of Iraq defied all canons of established morality and the principles that govern the interstate relations. 9/11 was used a handy ploy to implant a colonial outpost in the heart of the Middle East. It was an aggression that had nothing to do with the security and safety of the American nation. That was a colossal blunder the price of which America is paying with a backbreaking economic backlash. President Bush and his cohorts forgot the historic role and sacrifices of the Muslims rendered in Afghanistan to oust the red army.

President Barack Obama who confesses to have Muslims relatives and who comes from a Muslim father has numerous times; both verbally and in writing painted Muslims with a kind and appreciative brush. He has described Muslims as nice, talented, civil and agreeable people. His resolve and decision to utter his full name with the middle name Hussein during the oath taking ceremony as president speaks for his conviction and strength of character. Perhaps he has a laudable fondness for the Muslims whom he thinks were as peace living, law abiding and hardworking people within the United States as other were. How far can he go? He is doing what he can possibly do for the Muslims. He cannot declare Islam as the religion of the United States. Indeed Muslims’expectation are unrealistic and imprudent.

The Muslim detractors of Barack Obama cannot visualize that he has brought about a marked change in United States’ policy and postures towards the Muslims? Not long ago, it was almost a treasonable act to have any kind or contacts with Iran unless that country would succumb to untenable pre drawn conditions. America remained on the war path with Iran labeling it an evil country that was making nuclear weapons to be used against Israel. The relations between Iran and the United States were at their lowest during President Bush presidency. It was quite conceivable that if United Stated had succeeded in Iraq and has stabilized her occupation there, the next target would have been Iran. Such was the nature of the one sided American animosity against Iran.

Now compare that with Obama’s strategy. Obama has never punitively mentioned Iran’s progressing nuclear technology. On the contrary he has chosen parleys to prevail upon Iran to sort out the vexatious issues between the two countries. Iran is getting the American favorable attention to the extent that her cooperation might be sought for obtaining the desired goals in Afghanistan. It is possible that the supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan might be rerouted through Iran. Iran is now much closer to America and the west Europe than what it was ever since the clerical regime came into power.

Obama’s outreach to the Muslim bloc in pivoted on building of what he says a relationship of mutual respect and sovereign equality In case of Pakistan, the arm twisting policy has been replaced by a process of negotiations and appeasement. With Pakistan, his administration is trying to build up a new understanding largely based on giving a free hand and enhanced yet unfettered economic and military aid to Pakistan. Pakistan might be and is fighting a proxy war for America in the past. But, of late, in the wake of Swat events, this war on relgious militancy has become Pakistan’s own war. So even if America leaves this region or gives no aid, Pakistan would still have to counter this threat of surging fundamentalism. The new American administration unlike the former is well aware of Pakistan’s limitations and therefore has stopped forcing her to do more. American emissaries have been visiting Pakistan during the past several months and their attitude and approach has been rather conciliatory, mild, persuasive and friendly.

With regard to the Isarel-Palestinain conflict, America under the previous administrations has been stubbornly partial and unabashedly partisan in favor of Israel. Obama’s first priority after taking office was to sent an emissary to the Middle East for initiating serious deliberations to address this most intractable issue of the present times. He has steadfastly held on to his elections commitment of recalling American troops from Iraq. He has been a consistent and resolute opponent of Iraq war. Hamas or Palestinians are no more outrightly dubbed as terrorists.

The changes in the foreign policy and external relations of a country take time to materialize. Obama is treading on the edge of a sword. Despite his landmark and brilliant achievements in merely 100 days, he is lambasted, ridiculed and kept under constant attacks by the Neo -Con media such as Fox. The Republicans hawks are not in a mood to lend a support even to his most efficacious and positive policy decisions. In an atmosphere of total hostility and a prevailing propensity for belligerency, generated by the former regime against the Muslims, Obama’s efforts to reverse that trend and embark upon a pacification course with Muslims is indeed commendable and must be gratefully acknowledged.

As a matter of fact this blame game of holding others responsible for the ills and predicaments of the Islamic world should now end. Muslims have never been united either religiously or ethnically. The Arabs hate non Arabs. The sectarian strife has bedeviled the Muslim societies always. The Muslim regimes are either autocracies or monarchies. Despite having enormous riches and resources, Muslims polities are backward and least enlightened. The advancement in science and technology has never been taken seriously by the Islamic countries.

The civil societies and a democratic culture have yet to take roots in the Islamic states. Alienated from their own people and to remain in power, the monarchs, the autocrats and military rulers in the Islamic world, become puppets and mercenaries of the foreign powers. The blame is conveniently placed on the foreign countries for being imperialistic, usurpers and enemies of Islam. If Muslims rulers take their countries along with the developed nations by way of education, civil rights, democratic traditions, accountability and institution building, they will be on the giving rather than on the receiving end. Islamic countries thus can become the envy of the other nations.