Dear Arooj!

Since the September 11th, tragedy, the most common question that I was asked by my Canadian friends is, “Why do Muslims and Arabs hate America?” and my brief answer has been, “Because of America’s Foreign Policy”. With those friends who want to discuss the subject in detail, I share with them that people in Arab and Muslim countries have become suspicious of American motives. They feel America has been paying lip service to the concepts of freedom of expression, democracy and self-determination. They believe America does not practice what she preaches, and we all know that actions speak louder than words.

Over the years, the international community is becoming aware that America is primarily motivated by economic and financial interests. America has the dream to become the biggest super power in the ‘new world order’. In the last few decades an alarming pattern has been developing. People from the Muslim and Arab worlds feel that America gets involved in the internal politics of only those countries that have oil reserves. Some cynics have said that if Kuwait had been producing bananas rather than oil, America would not have been initiated the Gulf War.

There is also a gradual realization by nearly one billion Muslims and Arabs that America has supported those military dictatorships, religious extremist parties, royal families and autocratic regimes who agreed with her policies. On the other hand, America had no hesitation about toppling democratically elected governments, if they did not comply with American orders.

Dear Arooj! I, once listened to an interview with Stephen Lewis who was former Canadian Ambassador to United Nations. He shared with his listeners that he felt insulted many times when American delegates asked him to vote in favour of American policies without consulting him. He believed that America did not let the United Nations perform her duties honestly, independently and impartially. One politician once wrote, “the UN has become the mistress of the US.”

Dear Arooj! Some of my personal observations and experiences confirm the exploitative hypothesis of American foreign policy. When I was in Iran, I read a long telegram by American President Gerald Ford published in the national newspaper Kayhan. In that telegram President Ford admired the Shah’s government while the whole world knew that Shah ran autocratic regime. Through his secret service Sawak, many writers, intellectuals and students disappeared over the years when they voiced their opinion against his empire. It is no secret that the Shah was established in Iran after an CIA sponsored coup in 1953, replacing the Mosaddaq’s Government.

After the Shah of Iran had to leave and Ayatullah Khomeni took over, America supported Saddam Hussain in Iraq in a war against Iran for nearly a decade and gave him biological and chemical weapons. Saddam Hussain, the Iraqi dictator, was America’s friend before he became the enemy in the Gulf war.

People from the Muslim World always wondered why America never criticized the Saudi Government and the autocratic Royal Family. Why did America never help the Saudis to establish a democratically elected Government? Is it because Saudi Arabia is willing to share the holy oil with America?

Even in Pakistan, America supported army dictator Zia-ul-Haq, who ruled for a decade and undermined the secular democratic spirit of the country by imposing strict Islamic laws. America also used Zia-ul-haq to support the mujahideen in Afghanistan. As long as the mujahideen were fighting against communism, America considered them freedom fighters, but when they challenged America they became terrorists. It is ironic that even Osama bin Laden was considered a respectable freedom fighter by George Bush Senior before he became evil in the eyes of George Bush Junior. Some political analysts believe that ‘war on terrorism’ is a euphamism. They are sure that America seeks to control oil reserves flowing under Afghanistan. They brought to our attention that American diplomats were making a deal with Taliban. As long as they were accepting American offers, there was no discussion of terrorism, but when they refused to make a deal, American representatives became angry and gave them a choice: to accept gold on a carpet or be bombed under a carpet of bombs. The choice is very obvious.

Muslims and Arabs all over the world see no end in sight of American exploitation and manipulation. They are afraid that not only will they not be able to benefit from oil reserves, they will be unable to elect their own governments. They believe America will continue to support army dictators, religious extremist parties and royal families in the Muslim world in order to maintain political and economic power and control.

It is becoming clear to the whole world that Muslims and Arabs have lost trust in America. They are questioning America’s motives. There had been a lot of pent up anger and resentment and hatred in Muslims and Arabs worldwide and the September 11^th tragedy and the Afghan war brought it to the surface. America’s military action has confirmed their suspicions. They are angry that Afghani civilians, like many other Muslim civilians in the past, are once again suffering. Millions of them have become refugees and thousands of them might die in the bitter cold in the next few months.

Many peace loving people all over the world strongly feel that peace is more than absence of war. They believe that peace becomes lasting only when it is married to justice. They want American citizens and intellectuals to put pressure on their politicians and government to adopt just policies in the world. They want America to change her foreign policy. They are afraid that America’s policies will also hurt ordinary Americans in particular and Westerners in general as they would neither feel safe in their own homeland nor secure in many Muslim and Arab countries. I felt sad when I read that Robert Fisk, a well-respected journalist, who was always sympathetic to the Muslim cause, was badly beaten up by Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Muslims kicked and punched him and threw stones at him. It is also sad that it does not take long for Muslims, who consider themselves peaceful people to become violent against Western people in general and Americans in particular. It is tragic that the cycle of violence has been escalating.

Dear Arooj! I feel it is sad that ordinary people whether of the East or the West, Muslim or non-Muslim countries suffer because of the choices their political and religious leaders make. Let us hope that America and the Arab and Muslim countries can have a peaceful dialogue and people from different religions and cultures can live in harmony.

                                                                        Affectionately,

                                                                                    Sohail

Dated Dec 2001