Washington's 'Dialog with Islam': Is it going in the right direction?

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Farish A. Noor, Berlin

"These days it has become terribly fashionable for Western politicians to talk about the "need for dialogue" with the Muslim world. No more so that in the White House, whose occupants are largely responsible for the global crisis we see around us today and which has become the main reason why such dialogue is now so important.

After a succession of blunders from Afghanistan to Iraq, the Bush administration and its Neo-Con coterie now seek the help of "moderate Muslim" leaders to help them fix the thing they broke in the first place. It is safe to say that the reputation and image of the United States of America is at an all-time low worldwide, and in the Muslim world in particular.

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Then there is the historical role of the West -- notably America itself and its allies like Britain and Australia -- that have further contributed to the breakdown of state institutions and the norms of governance in the Muslim world. Washington may be abuzz today with spurious talk of "holy terror in the name of Islam", but their argumentation is as holey as it is shallow. For was it not the U.S. that funded groups like the Taliban in the first place, and supported repressive, militaristic and anti-democratic regimes all over the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia? Are these moderate Muslim leaders prepared to raise such issues as they chit-chat over tea and biscuits in the White House?

These are some of the crucial questions that need to be addressed openly, honestly and transparently as the leaders of the West and the Muslim world engage in the dialogues they are raving about. Unless and until questions of political structure and institutions are discussed critically and objectively, such flaccid attempts at dialogue will bring us no closer to mutual understanding, much less accommodation and meaningful co-existence. And if the leaders of the Muslim world are not prepared to raise such concerns, they might as well write off their bookings for the next flight to the U.S. If all they want is another photo-shoot with them shaking hands with the President of the United States, that can be done easily with Photoshop. Its amazing what computers can do these days!

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20040922.E04&irec=3

I don't agree with all he writes, but his articles are always worth reading.