Parallel Standards Offer Way Out Of Violence
One step to a change in Mideast relations is a
change in the U.S. mindset
By Kristin Christman
January 18, 2016 "Information
Clearing House"
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Ten thousand Americans are
killed annually by drunken American drivers.
Fourteen Americans were killed in December by two
Muslims. So Donald Trump suggests banning — alcohol?
No; he wants to ban Muslim immigrants. And Muslims
don't even drink.
Candidates' tough talk is not about saving lives.
It's about ignorance. ISIS and Al Qaeda adhere to
hijacked forms of Islam which reject Islam's call
for peaceful tolerance. Furthermore, the ability of
ISIS to attract global followers doesn't even stem
from its intolerant ideology, but rather from its
determination to resist foreign and sectarian
domination.
It was the U.S. invasion of Iraq and anti-Sunni
brutality of the U.S.-installed Shia government that
led to ISIS' following, not its ideology. The issue
isn't religion. It's domination. If the U.S. wants
to ban something, it ought to ban U.S. invasions.
The problem with the U.S. reaction to both 9/11 and
ISIS is the U.S. belief in hammering out peace by
controlling people. There has never been earnest
effort at cooperative negotiation, as if this would
be spineless appeasement or a pact with the devil.
There has never been any reassurance on the part of
the U.S. that it will discontinue its military,
political, economic, and cultural intrusiveness in
the Mideast.
Many factors contribute to Middle Eastern violence;
U.S. policy is only one factor. But instead of
adding more killing to the killing in vain attempts
to achieve physical control over people's minds, the
most powerful step the U.S. can take is to change
its own behavior to reduce tension within Middle
Eastern minds.
Imagine the tables turned. Would you feel safe with
the FBI being supplied by Egypt with weapons to
suppress American civilians, the U.S. military
trained on Saudi bases in Texas, a popular president
deposed by Iran, U.S. oil fields managed by Iraq,
Afghanistan invading to construct pipelines, and ads
and movies everywhere featuring Middle Eastern
products and values? The U.S. seems to think the
Mideast should take all this without complaint.
We need to take leadership and make a proposal to
Middle Eastern civilians, Al Qaeda and ISIS
militants, and national leaders, while emphasizing
that the proposal is made despite ISIS violence, not
because of it. The proposal should describe U.S.
unilateral actions but encourage the Mideast to
adhere to parallel standards. Like this:
"If you choose to kill, torture prisoners, assault
women, inflict inhumane punishments, or promote
terrorism, we won't support you.
"But for our part, we're going to stop killing you,
stop the invasions, night raids, bombs, drones,
weapons shipments, and mistreatment of prisoners.
"If you want to dominate other genders, religions,
and nations, deprive people of rights, or conquer
the world, we won't support you.
"But we're going to stop dominating you. Any threat
to freedom experienced by Americans from terrorists
pales when compared to threats to freedom endured by
Middle Eastern civilians as a result, in part, of 60
years of U.S. policy. Most Middle Eastern militants
aren't fighting to trample our freedoms but to gain
their own.
"In various decades we've funded and armed several
Middle Eastern leaders who've brutally crushed their
people's freedoms. We'll discontinue this practice
and stop CIA coups and regime changes of leaders who
thwart U.S. government and business interests.
"We won't make deals with one segment of your
population while disregarding others. Instead of
arming one side to fight another, we'll strive to
resolve conflicts. And we'll respect humane
governments, whether secular or religious, because
both types are capable of kindness and cruelty,
tolerance and intolerance.
"If you want to support corruption, kidnapping for
ransom, oil wealth hoarding, drug trading, or war
lords who extort money from civilians, we won't
support you.
"But our foreign policy will no longer be driven by
desires for wealth and possessions. There will be no
more Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan
doctrines that treat the Mideast like America's
personal oil reservoir and provide for dirty deals,
nor U.S. money and weapons to Middle Eastern
security forces to suppress Islamists and other
opponents of tyrants in exchange for U.S. access to
tyrants' oil.
"We'll renegotiate fair trade terms and provide
investment and aid that benefit your poor more than
our rich, with none of our typical military,
political, or economic strings attached.
"If you force people to convert, pressure women to
conform to repressive dress codes or face a
flogging, ignore women's intellect, scorn them as
inferior, or make women the scapegoated, beat-up
targets of males' tension, we won't support such
un-Islamic behaviors.
"But we'll take pressure off the Mideast to convert
to Westernization, secularism, materialism,
conspicuous sexuality, and capitalism. We'll stop
inundating you with Western ads, movies, fashions,
and luxuries and respect your aversion to bars,
cinemas, and luxury hotels.
"If you kill reporters, falsify news, and hijack
Islam to preach violence, we won't support you.
"But we'll quit the half-truths and aim for broad
coverage of Middle Eastern and American perspectives
on conflict and solutions. We'll clarify that peace
and violence are parts of both Muslim and Christian
history. And we'll correct false beliefs that
violently spreading Christianity, Islam, and
democracy is justified in the name of God, Allah,
and Freedom.
"Some choose a militant path in search of noble
purpose, employment, adventure, or camaraderie.
Let's channel these motives into non-violent,
meaningful careers. Let's develop Islamic forms of
recreation, playgrounds, outdoor adventure, and
scenic parks. Let's make it our priority to help all
people feel cherished."
If we honestly address legitimate concerns
motivating ISIS violence, can we attract away from
ISIS those followers who don't admire brutality and
intolerance? Can we prove to ISIS followers they can
achieve just goals without violence? Will our
unilateral actions serve as a powerful role model
and ease the tension that breeds violence and
extremism?
Kristin Christman is author of "The Taxonomy of
Peace."
https://sites.google.com/site/paradigmforpeace
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