Behind the curtain – American public diplomacy in the Islamic world

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ
Behind the curtain –
American public diplomacy in the Islamic world

“The defining feature of the modern world is not terror, nor is it trade nor technology, although terror, trade, and technology are manifestations of the defining feature of the modern world, which is interdependence…..The main point I would like to make about the interdependent world that applies to the relationship between the United States and the Islamic world is that the interdependence we enjoy has been of great benefit to some of us, but it is unequal, unstable, and unsustainable.”

This was how Bill Clinton started to address the audience at the US-Islamic world forum in Doha by looking forward to benefit even more from our lands, properties and minds. Bill Clinton himself knows very well that the current American policies and interests have not been hidden nor their harmful and destructive consequences. What is more difficult to see is the style and moves the United States is using to benefit from our lands, properties and minds. Clinton has not forgotten how he as a true Machiavellian used to mislead the Islamic ummah under the umbrella of globalization.

The Islamic nation must understand the style and moves America are outlining to occupy and plunder our lands. We have to distinguish between American policies and how America is carrying out these policies. One particular political concept is very central according to our view. This concept goes under the name of public diplomacy and its impact on the Islamic nation is great and very harmful. Public diplomacy is the promotion of the national interest by informing, engaging and influencing people around the world. (i)

Public diplomacy is very important in these days because the Bush administration has realized that the Islamic ummah opposes the cultural and political ideas and the policies of the western countries. What America also has realised is that this war against the Islamic ummah is a struggle for ideas, exactly as former ambassador Edward P. Djerejian highlighted in the paper ”Changing minds winning peace”.

Public diplomacy is built on the following principles: (ii)

• Youth represent an opportunity

• Expand exchange programs

• Intra faith dialogues

• Emphasize value-based policy

• Creating US information centres in the Islamic world

• Building closer alliance with NGOs

American public diplomacy is especially build on two cornerstones. The first is the great opportunity presented in our youths in the Islamic world and the second is to reduce Islam to merely a religion by making forums for intra faith dialogues.
 

Youth represent an opportunity

The people of the Muslim world are candidates for revolution. They are young: over 60 percent are under twenty five years of age. (iii) Even today there is a growing majority of youth and that is a challenge for the Americans. American interests would be in danger if the youth is not being poisoned by the western culture.

As means for this purpose the Americans have created the Hi magazine, satellite television and radio channels.

There has been suggested a strengthening of the Fulbright and Humphrey exchange programs and make a new effort on join cooperation between the American universities and the universities in the Islamic world.

If the Americans succeed in this aim then the next generation of the Islamic ummah would be a generation far from Islam. They will be carriers of capitalism if we fail to explain what these political means destructive aims are. The youth is naturally a good investment if we want the Islamic dawah to succeed, that is why we have to be aware of what kind of projects are being launched in the Islamic world.

Examples of these kind of projects can be found at MEPI (The Middle East Partnership Initiative) which is a Presidential initiative founded to support economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and champion opportunity for all people of the region, especially women and the youth. The initiative strives to link Arab, U.S., and global private sector businesses, non-governmental organizations, civil society elements, and governments together to develop innovative policies and programs that support reform in the region. (iv)

Another example is the National Endowment for Democracy which Ronald Reagan created to promote capitalism around the world and which is now used as a centre to promote capitalism in the Islamic world.
 

Inter-faith dialogues

The purpose of inter-faith dialogue is to show Islam as merely a religion. Khatami who is a great exponent of this idea has on several occasions tried to reduce Islam to some sort of spiritual religion which has to go hand in hand with modernity.

Actually the real discussion is about Islam being a new alternative to the western culture and capitalism and not dialogues between religions in the frame of western hegemony.

These debates and dialogues show the wrong picture of the real ongoing struggle between Islam and capitalism. The struggle is between iman and kufr, between aqeedah islamiyah and secularism, between democracy and the Khilafah-ruling system and between the western world order and the Islamic alternative.

This is actually the political reality but the west tries to make the Muslims use their energy and resources on dialogues between priests and ulema instead of using their energy and resources to present the Islamic ruling system, economic system and its political and cultural ideas. Instead of finding similarities between Islam and christianity we have to challenge the western culture and capitalism because this is our course today on our way to re-establish the Khilafah.

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ
“Allah promises those of you who believe and perform righteous actions, the he will of surety grant them inheritance of power, Khilafah, as he granted Khilafah to those who came before them...” [TMQ An-Nur:55]

The Muslim ummah must really comprehend the various political concepts so that it is able to understand the moves of the colonial powers. The Muslim ummah must understand the difference between policies and styles. We have to realize what is behind the curtain and stand firm against it. Politics is an art and the one who can master it is the real artist who paints the international situation by leading his nation and state to success. Re-establishing the Khilafah needs political awareness and the full knowledge of the policies, styles and moves of the most influential states on the world stage. To understand the aim of public diplomacy you have to understand the interests of the colonial powers. The question is no longer whether the west is in a war with Islam and the Muslim ummah but how this war and struggle for ideas is fought.

To quote from a poem by Mao Zedong:

So many deeds cry out to be done always urgently. The world rolls on. Time passes. Seize the day. Seize the hour

We have to seize the opportunity to lead the world into a new era where justice, opportunity and the respect for human dignity exists. We have to take up the challenge which the United States is advancing. A new Cold War has been launched, the clash of civilizations is now inevitable and we have to come out victoriously from the struggle of ideas.

FOOTNOTES

(i) Changing minds winning peace by Edward P. Djerejian
(ii) The Brookings project on US policy toward the Islamic world
(iii) p. 203 Seize the Moment; Richard Nixon
(iv) http://mepi.state.gov/

Khilafah.com Journal
30 Muharram 1425 Hijri
21 March 2004

Click here to E-mail us regarding this or any other article on Khilafah.com