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Making peace with the Islamic World

Reports of a clash of civilizations between America and the Islamic world have been greatly exaggerated. However zealously fanatics such as Osama bin Laden may be working to foment a cultural war, America has no national interest in accepting the assertion that the U.S. is an enemy of Islam, and vice versa. In fact, the U.S. has an abundance of accomplished and productive Muslim citizens, and substantial numbers of Muslim elites seeking an education at American colleges and universities. Moreover, the allegation that Islam, as a theological doctrine, is responsible for the deeds of a faction of Muslims who say they act in their religion’s name is every bit as tenuous as the claim that Christianity is culpable for the excesses of medieval Crusaders, or the insinuation that Judaism is to blame for the Israeli government’s failure to fully implement the fourth Geneva Convention. Whether they identify themselves as members of the Christian right or as prominent neoconservatives, partisans of American interests should hesitate before embracing Osama bin Laden’s logic as their own. Bin Laden has sought to polarize identity issues—preposterously declaring war on an entire civilization—because he does not have a policy (what good has he done for the Palestinians or impoverished Arabs lately?) and his followers have nothing to lose. In contrast, the vast majority of the world’s people have much to lose if their leaders—especially American leaders—fail to transcend “culture war” formulas and instead generate a coherent policy framework based on human dignity, cultural inclusiveness, and democratic participation. Improving the quality of public and policy-related discourse in the United States has thus become a paramount task for the international peace movement.