Islam, U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East

January 25, 2009 Monthly Salon
Topic: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Highlights:
I kicked off the session with the following statements:

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents . . ." –Lifted from Mr. Obama’s inaugural speech.

Does the West practice a double standard in its treatment of nations (democratic exceptionalism?)—a question on BBC’s January 24 broadcast of the January 18, 2009 Doha debate (http://www.thedohadebates.com) organized by the Qatar Foundation. E.g. Islam is the ideology for their country for both Iran and Saudi Arabia (SA). Yet Iran is considered a threat and not SA.

At the salon, the question related to Mr. Obama’s statement was, should we not extend the same freedom to other nations? Was not going into Iraq the latest illustration of our double standard? Of course, Senator Obama had voted against the war in Iaq.

The group agreed that yes, there is seeming double standard in U.S. dealings with other nations and this doesn’t serve the U.S. well in the long run. Only fair and balanced foreign policy will make the U.S. a nation that deserves the world’s respect. Here is a good link on the subject: http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=5838976

Other points that covered included:

Everybody, including the Muslims wish to lead a "normal" life.
With regard to the point about conflict resolution needing to be taught from a very young age, which was suggested by one of the participants as being done at Baldwin Schools, another speaker voiced the opinion there are some in this world who just don’t want conflicts resolved. To this, yet another speaker said that some do not think confrontations are avoidable. Not that they don’t want conflicts to be resolved.
The perception being Israel enjoys special relations with the U.S. can the U.S. be perceived as an effective mediator in the Middle East?
The following document was shared at the meeting. It evoked some discussion and care was taken not to ruffle anyone’s feathers:

A German's View on Islam
By
Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well respected psychiatrist.

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide.It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave.

It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill.It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque.It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.The hard quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority was irrelevant.

China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our posers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them and the end of their world will have begun.Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it wastoo late.As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

A response from an Indian-American Muslim: It is true that overwhelming majority of people including Muslims are passive, they mind their own business since they do not want to draw attention to themselves or their families. And that in turn allows only the voices of the extremists to be heard.

At the same time the ordinary people Muslim and Non- Muslim alike, also do not protest or take their leaders to task for the inhumane policies of their Governments in their own country and other parts of the world . Also they sit idly by when atrocities are committed towards innocent people by Governments supported by their Governments ( 60 years of Israeli aggression against innocent civilians of Palestine is just one example). Just like the terrorists brainwash it's recruits, the people in power brainwash ordinary people to give tacit support for it's military incursions ( Iraq war is just one example ).

The ordinary people sit idly allowing the economically and militarily powerful nations to use small vulnerable nations as pawns to achieve their agendas (Training and arming the people of Afghanistan as a proxy for the U.S. against Russia is just one example). The ordinary people allow their Governments not to recognize democratically elected parties in their own and other countries just because they are at odds with them (trying to undermine the elections in Algeria, crippling economically the people of Gaza for electing Hamas are just a couple of examples).

The ordinary people also are silent when for the sake of their way of life, they allow their governments to colonize and humiliate citizens of other countries for the sake of resources (colonizing and creating divisions in numerous African countries, as well as giving tacit approval for Saddam Hussein to invade Iran - the war lasting 8 years which killed about 1million Iraqis and Iranians are a couple of examples ). Where was the outrage?

By not standing up for what is morally right, the ordinary people including the author and myself ( especially those of so called Democracies ) have abdicated our right to speak up against terrorists who also use what is in their means to address their grievances and try to get what they want.

It is true that at this point in History, Islamic terrorism is very virulent. But to chalk it all up to fanatics is being in denial and is not going to help us combat it.

I have used the examples of many recent events in the Islamic world, since the author was mainly concerned about Islamic terrorism. Does that mean the Muslims do not do these things? Of course, they do! Are the ordinary Muslims sickened by the ineptitude, corruption and arrogance of the rulers of Muslim countries ? Of course, they are! Are the Muslims themselves embarrassed and saddened by the degradation of the populations in Muslim countries? Of course, they are! But they stay silent, out of fear and embarrassment, JUST LIKE A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE ! Why are they not doing anything about the Terrorism perpetuated in the name of their religion? Just like all the other groups they have lost their moral authority!

Even though the vast majority of Muslims hate what the terrorists are doing to their religion, a part of them understand their actions due to the sheer hypocrisy of the West and the total contempt the west shows towards Islam. (In the name of free speech, Prophet Muhammed can be ridiculed and humiliated.......but a politician will have to apologize or resign if he says anything negative about gays or lesbians, just to give an example).

Also, the a double standard makes the Muslims not to take the West seriously. In 2002, more than 1000 Muslims were massacred in Gujarat, India, due to the fundamentalist propaganda of the chief minister of the state. Did the vast majority of Hindus protest or stay silent? Did the educated, enlightened Hindus in North America utter any objections when he was invited to be the key note speaker at major ethnic conventions in the U.S. (human rights groups petitioned the State Department and successfully denied him the Visa )?

Also, the IRA fought the British violently many many years on the basis of religion, but no one called them Catholic fundamentalists or fascists. On the other hand, prominent Irish Americans were donating money to the cause.The minority Tamil liberation tigers popularized the suicide attacks way before the Muslims in the 1980s against Srilankan majority in their own country and assassinated Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of India, but no one called them Hindu fundamentalists. The Israelis who keep talking about the Holocaust had no qualms bombing King David hotel full of foreigners in 1948 as well as committing other terrorist acts during their war to get their homeland. Menachen Begin, Ariel Sharon etc. who were involved in those acts later became their Prime Ministers and defence Ministers. But of course, the Palestinians who are fighting for their land (which is being looted right before our very eyes in the form of Israeli settlements, road constructions and security wall with the blessings of the past many successive U.S. governments ) are terrorists!

All these years we were not even ashamed that we gave the Israelis 3.5 Billion dollars in U.S.military aid each year to suppress mainly the rock throwing youth. The powerful American Jews pressing for it did not worry about the consequences to America . We did not have the wisdom to understand that with that kind of unconditional support, the Israelis will have no incentive to reach a compromise. Now we do not have the guts to admit to ourselves that when a people lose hope and dignity and are on a free fall, they will grasp at anything to survive?

Also, we are still not showing maturity or wisdom if we keep repeating the same Mantra that 'they hate us because they hate our way of life'. Majority in the Muslim world like our way of life, that is why they want to come here! The ones who do not want to come here out of choice, like their way of life! Just like my family, many other Indians came to the U.S., not because we did not like our country or our way of life, but to look for better educational and economic advantages.

Majority of us love the U.S. and are proud to be citizens and we want the U.S. to overcome the challenges facing her and succeed. Now, in a Global economy, some young Indians and Americans are going to India looking for the same opportunities that brought my family here. Does that mean they are leaving because they do not like the way of life here? So aren't we being arrogant to think that our way of life is superior or is good for everyone?

The citizens of other countries who love their country and like their way of life, do not like us preaching to them, getting involved in their affairs and using them as pawns for our benefit. We certainly do not like others doing the same to us! But, if we decide to continue to use our military superiority to subjugate and humiliate others, is it shocking then that Iran, North Korea, Syria etc. would like to have that kind of power? We teach our young children that actions have consequences but we are outraged that our misguided and arrogant actions are not making us safe and want to put the blame on someone else!

I hope that we seek the guidance of God with humility so that we are able to hold high the ideals that made U.S.A. the country that millions of people from everywhere wanted to be the citizens of! And I hope ordinary people everywhere will find their voices to uphold fairness in our dealings with one another.

God Bless!

Returning to the salon's other highlights:
Some published letters to the editor were also shared and commented on: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/opinion/l09mideast.html?scp=1&sq=Hanan%20Watson&st=cse
Here are a few other links (the hard copy articles were provided by a participant):
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/weekinreview/25bronner.html?scp=1&sq=The%20Bullets%20in%20my%20in-box&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/opinion/25atran.html?scp=1&sq=How%20Words%20Could%20End%20a%20War&st=cse (A must read)
Others not accessible online anymore.

At the salon it was felt the special relationship that the U.S has with Israel perhaps increases its vulnerability in the region even more. But it was also agreed upon that this special relationship is required but care must be paid to make sure the world understands this is the case.

What I took away from the salon was: Israel is vulnerable and U.S.'s avowed support for it is necessary. The world has to be made to understand this, but given the recent actions by Israel in Gaza, Israel's image may be bruised. The middle east situation is much too complicated but the world must keep trying to forge peace in the region. U.S Foreign Policy is flawed as are many other countries'. Mr. Obama must correct the mistakes of the past, and try not to make mistakes of his own.

It was an amazing coincidence that, that same evening 60 Minutes on CBS aired a segment on exactly the topic we discussed. Since President Obama has made it his priority to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict let's hope that soon things work out to everyone's satisfaction, although the segment on CBS didn't sound very optimistic. We can only hope the seers are wrong.

Ciao!

Ro

Passive-aggressiveness, Freudian slip up's

To me it looked life a face-off between two former enemies. Initially, when things didn’t go smoothly during the oath of office, it looked like it was Mr. Obama who couldn’t keep up with Chief Justice Roberts, which, of course, surprised me. For a second I even thought that like John Paul Stevens, associate justice of the Supreme Court did when he swore in Vice President Biden, Mr. Roberts too should have split up the longer sentences. Ultimately the oath of office ended on "faithfully." Of course, I didn’t know the exact wording in the Constitution, but grammatically, it could go either way, though "faithfully" before "execute" sounded more elegant after having been exposed to this order since moving to the U.S.

Anyway, after things were sorted out, the president was sworn in, and later I learned that Justice Roberts known as a textualist made the mistake of putting "faithfully" in the wrong place, even in terms of what the Constitution dictates, this was my gut reaction: damn it, the guy wanted to trip up the president. Apparently, he also said "President to the United States" instead of "President of the United States." Oh, yes, one more thing. He also said, "So help you, God," which of course, Mr. Obama thoughtfully changed to "So help me God."

To be filed under passive-aggressiveness, I can see why Mr. Roberts’s perceived goof-up might have been intended to "test" Mr. Obama. Going beyond Republican versus Democrat pettiness, Mr. Roberts would never forgive Senator Obama for voting against him for Chief Justice, especially in light of the fact Mr. Obama is president now, which Mr. Roberts not in a million years could become.

One thing I have noticed about people who succeed beyond anyone’s wildest dreams (e.g. Mr. Obama) is they have an edge over those who can go only so far, especially those whose rise to power has a lot to do with favoritism (e.g Mr. Roberts?) in terms of their humanity. The more I observe Mr. Obama the more I see his humanity stand out the most about him. For instance, had he been in Mr. Roberts's shoes he would have never tried to trip up even his enemies.

I know that my trip up theory (though some people did label Roberts's slip up Freudian) about Mr. Roberts can never be proven, but I have seen passive-aggressive people indulge in more than their share of petty acts, which possibly Mr. Roberts too indulged in. Mr. Obama’s way of getting at the enemy, perhaps, would be to go along with the mistake, let others point it out so he himself comes across as sterling silver. I recognize this sort of a person too quite easily because I’m married to one!

Ciao!
Ro.

2008, New Year. A recap of 2007. Loss of friends.

It’s been nearly a month since I posted anything. Anyway, now it’s a new year, so a quick recap of last month if not last year would be appropriate. On a personal note, someone I had known for several decades, along with his wife and two children got killed in an accident in July 2008 when he was on a pilgrimage in India. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403593.html. Donations to the Pavan and Sairam Soundararajan Fund can be sent to SunTrust Bank, 9812 Falls Rd., Potomac, Md. 20854.

I miss Raju dearly, particularly today because every year on the 1st of the year he’d phone me or I’d phone him to wish him a happy new year. He was a remarkable human being who had overcome nymerous hurdles in life, to, finally, live a middle class life, and also share beyond his means. God had blessed him with a divine voice, and looks becoming of a movie star. When he sang, it sounded divine--his raga aalapanais were effortless and flawless--and when he talked he sounded so kind because he was genuinely a kind man, who was always eager to help. What I found most exciting about him was, despite life's distractions, he lived life on his terms.

He had come to the U.S. in the 1970’s as an Indian diplomat’s cook. He made the most exquisite dishes. Because of my musical inclination and the fact I sang, he gave me several reel-to-reel tapes of some master singers. After I left Maryland, I lost touch with him, though through the grapevine I heard that for whatever reason, his wife left him taking their baby daughter Padma with her. Today 28-year-old Padma is a lead singer in a band in MD, and she plans to take care of her 12-year-old half brother afflicted with cerebral palsy, while her other surviving autistic half-brother, will be in an isntituion. Raju's diplomat-employer returned to India but Raju stayed back.

After a few years, we Raju and I reconnected and when Raju got remarried, and brought his wife back to the U.S., he wanted me to meet her. So he broke his journey in New York en route to Washington and they stayed overnight at my place. I’ve so many memories of him and I’d never ever forget them. He had qualities that one would want to emulate.

Another person close to me for the last several decades was Dr. Robert Dentler, my mentor and former dean at Boston University. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE6D8123DF934A35757C0A96E9C8B63.

In April, along with my husband, I went to Bob Dentler's Memorial Service held at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Lexington, MA, where the Dentlers lived. Bob Dentler's distant relative, and my well-wisher from decades ago, Hap Harris was also there. He had traveled from Maryland. Out of the blue, Hap asked me to speak at the Service This came as a surprise but I managed to say the right things and also keep it brief. Only recently, I had gotten comfortable calling Dr. Dentler, Bob. I wept silently at the Service. I knew that I'd miss Bob dearly, an unusual giant (both literally and figurativley) of a man. Had our paths not met, how different my entire life might have been!

Originally, I had met Bob at Hap’s son Doug’s first wedding when Doug was just 18.

On December 14, 2007, Bob’s wife, Helen too died. A year earlier, she had been diagnosed with cancer which went into remission in November and I was supposed to pay her a visit on Dec. 20. On December 8, her son Robin phoned me and said that she was in the hospital because she had developed some complications after her return to Lexington from her Thanksgiving visit with her other son in California and so she didn’t want me to visit her on the 20th.

On Monday, December 15th morning, there was an e-mail from Helen. When I opened it, it turned out to be a death announcement from Robin. My heart broke. Over the years, Helen and I had become friends, too, and she would appreciate every little gift I’d take with me for her every time I went to their house.

She was a Hosmer, a fact her husband felt very proud of. Bob was the son of German immigrants, and Helen’s ancestors had traveled on the Mayflower and in the Concord Museum there are whole sections devoted to the Hosmer family’s accomplishments and their contributions to the then new nation over the centuries.

A week after Helen's demise, I got a call from her daughter Deborah. Deborah wanted to make sure I knew about Helen’s death. She saw on Helen’s calendar that I was supposed to visit her on the 20th. I found out from Deborah that the house had already been put up for sale. Call me creepy, but I did wonder what would happen to the few little things I had given Helen over the years? None of the surviving family would even know who they were from, what special meaning they had for Helen, or even what to do with them. Oh, yes, in November, I had found out from Helen that Bob and I shared the same zodiac sign: Scorpio, and the birth month. Bob’s fell on November 16.

Year 2008 has left a bad feeling in other ways, too. What has shaken me the most is the out-of-control violence in the world with no end in sight. Right now what’s going on in Gaza only increases my fears.

On the positive side, last year, dad had to be admitted to the hospital twice and both times he returned home healthier. The first time was in April when, one afternoon, seeing his face sapped of all color, drooping and angular I called the ambulance. Later we found out that dad had experienced a heart attack. Then in May, on a Saturday morning, my husband, not seeing dad around for a prolonged time checked the bathroom where dad had gone in for a shower earlier . . . much earlier. There, dad, a slightly-built, wiry man, was curled up unconscious on the shower floor. Once again, the ambulance came and he was rushed to the hospital. His sugar level had dropped. Way down.

At the kitchen table, mom in her monotone characteristic of a person who’s going through prolonged, post-angioplasti depression had kept asking where was dad? My husband in his own quiet way had responded to her murmur when the rest of us were "yaking" away.

It’s only the 4th day of the new year but so far it’s been pretty good. The first good news has been to do with dad again. On the 2nd, his pace maker procedure was a success and feeling good, he’s home now.

Hope the year is filled with a lot of good news . . . for all of us.

Ciao! Ro