RSS ideologues on Obama’s address to Muslims

Islam and the West

08 Jun 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

RSS ideologues on Obama's address to Muslims

I found two things missing in Obama's speech. Firstly, he did not explore, even tangentially, the theological roots of religious intolerance and extremism. Secondly, he nowhere mentioned India in his descriptive, analytical or normative narrative. After all, India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world. More important, in its own 1,400-year-old interaction with Islam, India has changed it in ways that would certainly interest Obama. And unlike Egypt, India's pre-Islamic civilisation or spirituality did not simply vanish in this interaction. In talking about the "proud tradition of tolerance" in Islam, Obama says, "We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today." Mr. Obama, if Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, presents a tolerant picture of Islam, it certainly has something to do with the civilisational and spiritual history of India. -- Sudheendra Kulkarni  ------------ What saddened me most about President Obama's speech was that without actually apologising for America's mistakes he made it sound as if all the mistakes were on one side. It would have been nice when he mentioned American mistakes if he had mentioned a few made by Islamic countries. Pakistan ran a black market in nuclear bombs. Saudi money builds madrasas in Indian villages that poison our happy heathen atmosphere. The war with the United States was started by Osama bin Laden. India is under constant threat from terrorist groups that continue to be nurtured by the Pakistani state. The release of Sayeed is proof. And, the reaction of President Obama's government is to give Pakistan more aid than ever before. President Obama seems not to know that there are more Muslims in the Indian sub-continent than anywhere and that we lived in relative harmony till Saudi money started to fund Wahhabi Islam. -- Tavleen Singh URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1449   -------------------------------------------   Obama's candour in timeless Cairo Sudheendra Kulkarni Jun 07, 2009 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/obamas-candour-in-timeless-cairo/472603/0 Barack Obama's speech in Egypt on Thursday is quite simply one of the most important articulations by any world leader on the relationship between Islam and the West—indeed, between Islam and the rest of the world. The first sentence in his speech—"I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo"—is, outwardly, a tribute to the hoary civilisational past of the country and its capital. But the choice of the word 'timeless' also befits several themes and thoughts that flow through the speech like meandering River Nile. It is heartening to see the president of the United States approach many global issues, including issues that have created a problematic relationship between America and the Muslim community, from the standpoint of truth and justice. He made the Holy Koran's injunction "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth" the touchstone of his speech and said, "That is what I will try to do—to speak the truth as best I can." Like 'truth', the word 'justice' figured several times in his long, 5,802-word speech.   Obama's choice of Egypt for delivering his much-anticipated address to the Muslim world, and his resolve to be candid and honest, reminded me of what the late Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt's greatest novelist, said in his speech while accepting the Nobel Prize in 2006. "I am the son of two civilisations that at a certain age in history have formed a happy marriage. The first of these, seven thousand years old, is the Pharaonic civilisation; the second, one thousand four hundred years old, is the Islamic one¿Gone now is that (first) civilization—a mere story of the past. One day the great Pyramid will disappear too. But Truth and Justice will remain for as long as Mankind has a ruminative mind and a living conscience."   Obama's speech reached the heights of greatness because he recognised both the mortality of human beings and the immortality of the ideals that ought to guide the journey of humanity. "All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time," he observed, and added words derived from the wisdom of the ages: "The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort—a sustained effort—to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings."   He seemed sincere in his soul-searching. "It is easier to start wars than to end them; it is easier to blame others than to look inward." He almost admitted that America's war on Iraq was wrong. Stating that his policy would be "Leave Iraq to Iraqis", he added, "I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources." This is music to the ears of many fair critics of America. And so also is what he said on the other war that the US is engaged in. "Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonising for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case."   Obama is entitled to saying that "We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security." But we in India will judge him and his administration on the basis of whether they address the root of the problem, which is that terrorists in Pakistan are, and have all along been, protected and patronised by its military rulers. If the US is entitled to worry about, and take suitable steps for, its own security because "al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on 9/11", isn't India, which has lost 20 times more people in attacks by Pak-based terrorists over the past nearly three decades, even more entitled to do the same? This is a question that Indians must keep asking our American friends. And it is also a question that India must be ready to answer on its own.   Obama's Cairo speech covered a broad array of issues, from religious freedom to women's empowerment, from the tensions between globalisation and religious-cultural identities to the need to move towards a nuclear weapons-free world. He was most impassioned on the imperative to end the Israel-Palestine conflict on the basis of fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of both sides. "Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer." I, a Hindu, await that day as keenly as any peace-loving Jew, Christian or Muslim.   I found two things missing in Obama's speech. Firstly, he did not explore, even tangentially, the theological roots of religious intolerance and extremism. Secondly, he nowhere mentioned India in his descriptive, analytical or normative narrative. After all, India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world. More important, in its own 1,400-year-old interaction with Islam, India has changed it in ways that would certainly interest Obama. And unlike Egypt, India's pre-Islamic civilisation or spirituality did not simply vanish in this interaction. In talking about the "proud tradition of tolerance" in Islam, Obama says, "We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today." Mr. Obama, if Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, presents a tolerant picture of Islam, it certainly has something to do with the civilisational and spiritual history of India. (Write to: sudheenkulkarni@gmail.com) ----------------------------------------------------   Obama needs some more lessons in Islam   Tavleen Singh Jun 07, 2009 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/obama-needs-some-more-lessons-in-islam/472601/0 The day before President Obama set off to win Muslim hearts and minds last week, I had an interesting conversation about Islam with a Lebanese gentleman and his wife. I met them at a discourse by an ex-Buddhist monk who smiled a lot and talked of happiness. It was when he said that all religions were the same that trouble began. An Indian friend I was with pointed out that Indian religions did not urge believers to rush off and brutalise (or convert) the nearest unbeliever while Islam did. This made the Lebanese lady angry and she stomped off asserting that the Koran said 'to each his own belief'.   Then her husband got really angry when the subject of women's rights came up. He said the Prophet of Islam had given more rights to women than anyone ever. I pointed out that what was progressive fourteen hundred years ago may not be progressive today. Many Islamic countries continue to declare nine as the age of consent for girls because the Prophet's wife Ayesha was nine. I drew his attention to the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia (the Prophet's native place) and reminded him that 60 girls were burned alive in a hostel some years ago because the morality police would not let them out unveiled. This infuriated him. "What about Mumbai," he said, "where they sell the eyes and liver of young girls. If you hit on Saudi Arabia I will hit on Mumbai."   I recount this exchange to make the point that when it comes to winning hearts and minds, the exercise must happen both ways. It is not just President Obama who should be required to do all the 'outreaching'; the Muslim world has its share to do as well. Why should Saudi Arabia be allowed to get away with funding virulent strains of Islam in countries like ours? Why should Pakistan get away with textbooks that teach school children about 'evil' Hindus and Jews? Why should Pakistan get away with releasing Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed?   What is the point of fighting the Taliban in Swat and Waziristan if you can release the man who created the Lashkar-e-Toiba? The organisation he created has been declared a terrorist organisation not just by us but by the United States. It has been responsible for terrorist acts on Indian soil, including the attack on Mumbai. By any standards, that makes Sayeed a terrorist. If Pakistan were serious about fighting Islamist terrorism, they would have charged Sayeed with the crime of starting a terrorist organisation. Even before Mumbai was attacked.   The jihad did not appear one morning out of a clear blue sky. It happened because of a system of education in most Islamic countries that perpetuates the idea that Islam is the best thing that happened to mankind and that pluralism is wrong in Allah's eyes. As for us happy idol-worshipping types, we are doomed to damnation. This idea is in direct conflict with the Indian idea of 'sarva dharma samabhaava'. But, it is more than just religion that is the problem.   The Islamic sense of grievance is now so confused that the Americans are blamed for 'abandoning' Afghanistan after the Russians were defeated. Now that they are back, they are blamed for interfering in Islamic affairs. In the Middle East the stated objective of the jihad is to obliterate Israel but if Israel attempts to resist this fate it is charged with being brutal to Palestinians. It may not be politically correct to say this but the truth is that there could have been a solution in Palestine decades ago if Yasser Arafat had not been corrupt and amoral. The peace treaty that nearly got signed when Bill Clinton was President was as good as anything President Obama will be able to deliver. Do Palestinians ask why it did not go through?   What saddened me most about President Obama's speech was that without actually apologising for America's mistakes he made it sound as if all the mistakes were on one side. It would have been nice when he mentioned American mistakes if he had mentioned a few made by Islamic countries. Pakistan ran a black market in nuclear bombs. Saudi money builds madrasas in Indian villages that poison our happy heathen atmosphere. The war with the United States was started by Osama bin Laden. India is under constant threat from terrorist groups that continue to be nurtured by the Pakistani state. The release of Sayeed is proof. And, the reaction of President Obama's government is to give Pakistan more aid than ever before.   President Obama seems not to know that there are more Muslims in the Indian sub-continent than anywhere and that we lived in relative harmony till Saudi money started to fund Wahabi Islam.   URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1449