6 - 12 December 2001
Issue No.563
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 6 - 12 December 2001 Issue No.563 |
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Fault lines
Mustafa El-Feki * foresees a rift
Attempts to follow the rapid developments in Afghanistan and the US-led military strikes against the Taliban only leave one bewildered, reeling in confusion. It is, however, possible to discern some general trends in the morass of details.
The international community hoped the US's campaign against terrorism would be limited in time and space, and that it would target the sources of terrorism in Afghanistan without claiming innocent victims. Official US statements now suggest that the campaign will extend to other countries: the Philippines (the Abu Sayaf group), India (the movement for Kashmir's independence), and Somalia (alleged members of Al-Qa'eda), to name but three. The last possibility seems particularly likely now that Ethiopia's leader has indirectly invited the Americans to intervene. If the campaign is indeed enlarged, it will be difficult for Muslims to believe that the war on terrorism is not a war on them.
If the US takes military action against an Arab country, public opinion will be divided, and major changes in the region's political map could ensue. US interests could be threatened, and the popularity of American policies will deteriorate still further. US policy, however, will no doubt be sufficiently comprehensive to evaluate the situation accurately.
An attack on Iraq, specifically, cannot be justified within the context of the campaign against terrorism. It will be always be seen for what it is: a prolongation of the situation before 11 September. Now, however, a strike on Iraq will lead to major changes domestically. The Afghan model may even be replicated there, with the Turkish role in the north and Kurdish projects for autonomy coupled with Shi'a revolts in the south. If Iraq is divided and Saddam Hussein falls, the Arab world as a whole will change irrevocably. This is, understandably, a cause for concern among Arab leaders and peoples alike.
At any rate, all the signs point to a future rift in the Islamic world. A silent confrontation between Arab and Asian Muslims has been emerging in recent days, since the collapse of Taliban and the surrender of thousands of its fighters and supporters, including a considerable number of Arab Afghans. The massacres the Northern Alliance carried out under US and British supervision both intensify and corroborate this hypothesis.
As these changes occur, a propaganda campaign is raging in the West that equates Islam -- traditionally a tolerant religion -- with terrorism. Of course, it is difficult to speak of "the West" as a monolithic entity in this respect. Perhaps the equation prevails only in the media and among the uneducated, who know little or nothing about Islam and its history. Many others, in contrast, are defending Arab- Islamic civilisation and assessing the situation with objectivity and wisdom.
What can we do to help the truth emerge? Christian Arabs, in particular Copts as far as Egypt is concerned, could play an important role in supporting such objectivity. They are full partners in Islamic civilisation. They have fought colonial and imperial ventures alongside Muslims throughout the history of the Middle East, from the Crusades to the French expedition and the British occupation. Their views, furthermore, enjoy greater credibility in the West: as non- Muslims living in Islamic countries, they are best placed to evaluate Islamic tolerance, or lack thereof. Speaking out will be a gesture of national solidarity, which will strengthen the Arab cause.
*The writer is a veteran diplomat and head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the People's Assembly.
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