Understanding Muslim Opinion

 

By Freshta Azizi
 
America's troubled relationship with the Islamic world was the topic at a recent conference held by The World Affairs Council of Washington along with the League of Women Voters and the American Academy of Diplomacy¹. Since Islam is now the world's fastest growing religion with some 1.2 billion adherents², conference speakers said reaching a proper understanding of it and of Muslim opinion is urgent.

John Esposito, director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, said Muslims today feel under attack:

"The fact is across the Muslim world today, not among extremists, but among mainstream³ Muslims, the belief is that what they are seeing for many of them is a war against Islam in the Muslim world. And I think one needs to ask why?"

The reason, according to conference participants, is to a large extent the war in Iraq, which they opposed. Edward Gnehm, professor of international relations at George Washington University and a former U.S. ambassador to Jordan and Kuwait, was emphatic:
"Iraq -- a cataclysmic decision without question. Extremely unpopular in the Middle East. Our Arab friends, the king of Jordan, offered advice in a very friendly way: don't go there militarily."

Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at Washington's Wilson Center, said a solution to the war requires the help of surrounding Muslim countries:

"I think you need to call in the neighbors. I mean you can't get peace in Iraq without having the participation⁴ of the Iranians, the Turks and the Syrians. They have to be a part of the future of Iraq."

Mr. Esposito said the West often fails to distinguish between mainstream Muslims and extremists:

"What we are faced with today and what any administration will be faced with is in fact a relationship with the Muslim world that requires on the one hand going after terrorists and on the other hand, building bridges with the mainstream. When I say mainstream, I am talking about people that cut across society, diplomats⁵, business people, military who are concerned about this relationship."

Ambassador Gnehm said there is a tendency to view the United States in the tradition of past imperialism⁶, rather than as a liberator⁷ of the Middle East:

"We look more and more like the colonial and imperialist powers that the Arabs got rid of decades ago. But we now are part of the problem, where we as Americans see ourselves and thought of ourselves as going there as a solution to the problem."

Mr. Gnehm said an over-riding concern of Muslims is the ever-festering Arab-Israeli conflict:

"Peace process -- there isn't a more important issue in the Middle East than the Arab-Israeli dispute to Arabs. If anybody tells you otherwise, they either don't know what they are talking about or they have another agenda. Believe you me Arabs want to see a solution to that dispute."

But speakers also warned against putting too much blame on the United States and the West. There is plenty to go around in the Muslim world as well, said Mrs. Esfandiari:

"It is not always the West that is at fault when it comes to the region. I think we in the region must also show an effort and a will to advance."

Shibley Telhami, director of the Peace and Development project at the University of Maryland, echoed that opinion:

"When you look at the Middle East as a region, not just Arab countries but the Muslim countries, we hear all about their economic, political problems, and they are vast. The Middle East has enormous problems that are not related to the Arab-Israeli issue, that are not related to America, that are not related to foreign policy."

Mr. Telhami said Middle East countries may have more problems with one another than with the United States.

注释：
The World Affairs Council 世界事务委员会
adherent 信徒
Georgetown University 乔治城大学
mainstream 主流
cataclysmic 大变动的
Syrian 叙利亚人
imperialism 帝国主义
decade 十年

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 adherents   

n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙

参考例句：

• He is a leader with many adherents. 他是个有众多追随者的领袖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The proposal is gaining more and more adherents. 该建议得到越来越多的支持者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

4 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 imperialism   

n.帝国主义，帝国主义政策

参考例句：

• They held the imperialism in contempt.他们鄙视帝国主义。
• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。

7 liberator   

解放者

参考例句：

• The best integrated turf quality was recorded in Ram I、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator, which could be adopted in Shanxi. RamI、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator综合质量表现均衡且分值较高，是山西省推广应用的重点品种。
• It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. 这是一部新世界的发展史，是一部后浪推前浪的历史。