What Obama should do for Muslims
Editor's Note: Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.com and contributing editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington. This is one in a series of letters to the new president that will appear on CNN.com in the next several weeks.
(CNN) -- First of all, as one of more than 66 million Americans of all races, religions and ethnicities who voted for you, your electoral victory was one of the proudest moments of our collective lives.
As our American political history witnessed the magnitude of our nation's first African-American president, our society was also able to collectively (and finally) exhale, knowing that the mailbox at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. would now read "Obama" instead of "Bush."
With hardly a moment's rest, as you transition toward Inauguration Day, our nation (and the rest of the world) will not wait for long before seeking your leadership on many pressing global issues.
From an economic recessionary mess to a perpetually broken health care system with 46 million American neighbors as uninsured casualties, your soon-to-be administration will face some monumental domestic and foreign policy issues that will affect us for generations.
From an ill-conceived war in Iraq to an oft-forgotten war in Afghanistan, from global flashpoints from Tel Aviv to Islamabad, your diplomatic and political interaction with the Muslim world may decide the success (or failure) of your foreign policy legacy.
Your unenviable task will be to undo the catastrophic policies of George W. Bush and his fellow neoconservative ideologues, facing the specter of al Qaeda's sinister terrorism while undertaking public diplomacy efforts addressing anti-Americanism around the world.
Similarly, since the tragedy of September 11, the global Muslim community has continued its own daunting task of undoing catastrophic damage caused by Osama bin Laden and his creepy terrorist cronies.
From global debates on religious extremism broadcast on BBC World Television to global interfaith outreach with the Vatican, we Muslims are in the midst of our own internal dialogue condemning terrorism and reclaiming the mantle of Islam from the rusted claws of dinosaur extremists.
Again, let it be known to the world that Barack Obama is not (and has never been) a Muslim. Sadly, your presidential position vis-à-vis the Muslim world is still unenviable because some Republican adversaries sinisterly tried to paint you as a "crypto-Muslim" during the presidential election, although Sen. John McCain did not join in these absurd accusations.
However, in one fell political swoop, former Secretary of State Colin Powell bravely challenged the xenophobic undertones of his own Republican Party on "Meet the Press" by highlighting the ultimate sacrifice of a Muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq for the United States.
Regarding Iraq, it is important for your administration to keep its promise of removing our troops in a "responsible and phased" manner. Furthermore, we need to press Iraq's elected leaders (Sunni, Shiite and Kurds) to take responsibility for their own democratic future by spending their $79 billion surplus of oil revenues on their own civil reconstruction.
Additionally, if any sort of prolonged military security presence is necessary, the League of Arab States should take an increased role and be recruited to provide some services in exchange for increased foreign aid development in education and health-care arenas for their impoverished people.
On Afghanistan/Pakistan, your administration must help re-launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to attain stability in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (more commonly referred to as "Waziristan").
This is especially daunting because President Bush decided to support a tin-pot dictator named Gen. Pervez Musharraf for more than seven years. Thus, Bush's acceptance of a soft dictatorship in Pakistan has increased anti-American sentiment in the region.
In light of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the September 2008 bombing of the Islamabad Marriott; for anyone to expect Musharraf to deliver on his democratic promises was like waiting for a Hershey's chocolate bar to belt out a Shakespearean sonnet.
On the subject of al Qaeda, according to a recent CNN report about a secret summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Taliban leaders met under the auspices of the Saudi king with Afghan government officials to end the bloody conflict in Afghanistan.
Sources close to the historic discussions said the Taliban representatives said it was no longer allied to al Qaeda. This sends a resounding message that even Taliban members in the bubbling cauldron of Osama are now rejecting his ungodly principles as being un-Islamic and beyond the pale of human civilization.
On our domestic front, we must immediately close Guantanamo Bay, implement a universal health insurance system, stop racial profiling/domestic spying, improve No Child Left Behind and overturn every unconstitutional provision of the (in)famous Patriot Act.
As proud members of Generation Obama, more than 66 million Americans (and billions more worldwide) wish you Godspeed in your administration, and we will channel our collective "audacity of hope" and pray that your presidency will be a radiant silver lining within our collectively war-ridden, globally warmed and craven dark sky.
P.S. Please send Bill Clinton as chief diplomatic envoy for the Israelis and Palestinians; plus, tell him not to come back until he has a signed peace accord from both begrudging sides. He is probably the best qualified individual in America to serve as an honorable Middle East peace broker who will be respected by all sides because of his legacy at the Oslo Accords.
(CNN) -- First of all, as one of more than 66 million Americans of all races, religions and ethnicities who voted for you, your electoral victory was one of the proudest moments of our collective lives.
As our American political history witnessed the magnitude of our nation's first African-American president, our society was also able to collectively (and finally) exhale, knowing that the mailbox at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. would now read "Obama" instead of "Bush."
With hardly a moment's rest, as you transition toward Inauguration Day, our nation (and the rest of the world) will not wait for long before seeking your leadership on many pressing global issues.
From an economic recessionary mess to a perpetually broken health care system with 46 million American neighbors as uninsured casualties, your soon-to-be administration will face some monumental domestic and foreign policy issues that will affect us for generations.
From an ill-conceived war in Iraq to an oft-forgotten war in Afghanistan, from global flashpoints from Tel Aviv to Islamabad, your diplomatic and political interaction with the Muslim world may decide the success (or failure) of your foreign policy legacy.
Your unenviable task will be to undo the catastrophic policies of George W. Bush and his fellow neoconservative ideologues, facing the specter of al Qaeda's sinister terrorism while undertaking public diplomacy efforts addressing anti-Americanism around the world.
Similarly, since the tragedy of September 11, the global Muslim community has continued its own daunting task of undoing catastrophic damage caused by Osama bin Laden and his creepy terrorist cronies.
From global debates on religious extremism broadcast on BBC World Television to global interfaith outreach with the Vatican, we Muslims are in the midst of our own internal dialogue condemning terrorism and reclaiming the mantle of Islam from the rusted claws of dinosaur extremists.
Again, let it be known to the world that Barack Obama is not (and has never been) a Muslim. Sadly, your presidential position vis-à-vis the Muslim world is still unenviable because some Republican adversaries sinisterly tried to paint you as a "crypto-Muslim" during the presidential election, although Sen. John McCain did not join in these absurd accusations.
However, in one fell political swoop, former Secretary of State Colin Powell bravely challenged the xenophobic undertones of his own Republican Party on "Meet the Press" by highlighting the ultimate sacrifice of a Muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq for the United States.
Regarding Iraq, it is important for your administration to keep its promise of removing our troops in a "responsible and phased" manner. Furthermore, we need to press Iraq's elected leaders (Sunni, Shiite and Kurds) to take responsibility for their own democratic future by spending their $79 billion surplus of oil revenues on their own civil reconstruction.
Additionally, if any sort of prolonged military security presence is necessary, the League of Arab States should take an increased role and be recruited to provide some services in exchange for increased foreign aid development in education and health-care arenas for their impoverished people.
On Afghanistan/Pakistan, your administration must help re-launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to attain stability in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (more commonly referred to as "Waziristan").
This is especially daunting because President Bush decided to support a tin-pot dictator named Gen. Pervez Musharraf for more than seven years. Thus, Bush's acceptance of a soft dictatorship in Pakistan has increased anti-American sentiment in the region.
In light of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the September 2008 bombing of the Islamabad Marriott; for anyone to expect Musharraf to deliver on his democratic promises was like waiting for a Hershey's chocolate bar to belt out a Shakespearean sonnet.
On the subject of al Qaeda, according to a recent CNN report about a secret summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Taliban leaders met under the auspices of the Saudi king with Afghan government officials to end the bloody conflict in Afghanistan.
Sources close to the historic discussions said the Taliban representatives said it was no longer allied to al Qaeda. This sends a resounding message that even Taliban members in the bubbling cauldron of Osama are now rejecting his ungodly principles as being un-Islamic and beyond the pale of human civilization.
On our domestic front, we must immediately close Guantanamo Bay, implement a universal health insurance system, stop racial profiling/domestic spying, improve No Child Left Behind and overturn every unconstitutional provision of the (in)famous Patriot Act.
As proud members of Generation Obama, more than 66 million Americans (and billions more worldwide) wish you Godspeed in your administration, and we will channel our collective "audacity of hope" and pray that your presidency will be a radiant silver lining within our collectively war-ridden, globally warmed and craven dark sky.
P.S. Please send Bill Clinton as chief diplomatic envoy for the Israelis and Palestinians; plus, tell him not to come back until he has a signed peace accord from both begrudging sides. He is probably the best qualified individual in America to serve as an honorable Middle East peace broker who will be respected by all sides because of his legacy at the Oslo Accords.
Tags: afghanistan, clinton, iraq, israel, muslims, obama, palestine, taliban
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by siddiq rasuli on -
Asalaam Alaikum,
This is great comments written by you. The problem is that I think that you have high expectations for our new Pres. Elect. They first of all wont get rid of the patiot act or Fisa bill. This was there plan for years and they finally accomplished it. Second maybe they should send someone that really cares for Israeli Arab peace accord like 4Star Gen. Anthony Zinni, or Colin Powell, they probably well get something done. Remember these are two Republicans that Bucked against the Neo Cons, Gen Zinni more vocally. But like you I hope something gets done.
P.S. they should get rid of those prison camps that Pres. Bush just signed into construction.
Thanks
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Permalink Reply by Atif Ahmed Choudhury on -
Great thoughts! However I feel that it's not just about what the Obama administration can do for Muslims, but what we can do for ourselves. Barack Obama is as intelligent, dynamic, open-minded, widely-respected and all-around virtuous of a president that we can expect to witness in our lifetime. After all, this is a man who spent much of his childhood in a Muslim nation (Indonesia) and understands both Muslims and Islam in ways no prior US president has ever been able to. I'm not just basing this on his background, but his extremely insightful and though-provoking interview with Fareed Zakaria (esp. impressive are his astute observations about "Indonesian Islam" and the problems of overlooking the immense diversity of Islam): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9EafQ4bqiw
For the American Muslim community to remain cynically sitting on the sidelines and not recognize the unprecedented opportunity we have to finally have our grievances addressed would be the height of idiocy. All of my prior suggestions in terms of potential actions (such as forming lobbies, contributing to campaigns, establishing a common agenda, etc.) are indicative of the reality that it's not about whether our voices are currently heard or not, but whether we can make our voices WORTHY of being heard by the powers that be. After all, if our generation of American Muslims does not actively strive to unite and fails to capitalize on this unprecedented atmosphere of unity, optimistic hope and the desire for change and reform which has so permeated through American society (which might be hard for you and Rizwan to fully sense since you guys don't live in the States), then we have nobody but ourselves to blame for abdicating our responsibilities and it will be something that we will one day have to painfully explain to our children as we transfer this burden to them. Enough pessimism, enough cynicism, enough bitterness, and enough excuses. Now, more then ever, is the time for proactive action. Insha' Allah, yes we can.
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