Experts explain Muslim anger

Experts explain Muslim anger

by Kate Andrews
Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA)
10/07/2004

Muslims do not hate America for its freedoms, but many resent the United States for a series of “humiliations” over the years, Ambassador David D. Newsom said Tuesday night.

In 1967, the U.S. was accused of helping Israelis against Libya, a David-and-Goliath defeat that could only have been achieved with the help of the West, many Muslims believed, Newsom said.

The “sense of humiliation” continues in Iraq today, he added, with many Iraqis embarrassed that foreign help was required to overthrow dictator Saddam Hussein.

Maj. Gen. William L. Nash, an Army brigade commander in the Gulf War, and Abdulaziz Sachedina, a University of Virginia religious studies professor, joined former acting Secretary of State Newsom in the Rotunda for a “Hope not Hate” town hall meeting to discuss the future of U.S.-Islamic relations.

The series is a national event prompted by the 9-11 Commission’s recommendation that Americans share their vision with Muslims worldwide.

All three men emphasized the importance of resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the most important piece in establishing good relations with all Muslims, Sachedina said.

Nash agreed, but added that the U.S. would still have much work to do. He noted that a French acquaintance told him recently that U.S.-European relations won’t return to “the good old days” until there is peace in the Middle East.

Sachedina also criticized American and Muslim media outlets. Non-American deaths in Iraq go underreported, he said, and Muslims are “constantly” called terrorists in Western news reports.

“Muslim brotherhood is not always terroristic,” he said.

Iraqis have appreciation for the United States’ intervention in their country, “but there is a sense of insecurity,” Sachedina added.

Nash said that without respect for Iraqis and other Muslims, Americans are “going to have a hard, hard time in the future.”

Newsom, however, was more blunt about the conflict in Iraq, saying Americans had “the most inadequate understanding of what we were getting ourselves into.”

Contact Kate Andrews at (434) 978-7261 or kandrews@dailyprogress.com.