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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND
POLITICIANS
ARE INTERESTED IN ISLAM
The interest of the American people in Islam is shared
by government administrators. Often, speeches made by government
officials and politicians praising Islam and urging people to find
out the truth about it have drawn people toward Islam.
America's foreign relations often require forging close
relationships with Muslim countries, despite various disagreements
between them. For this reason, the American public has been talking
about Islam and Muslims. Thus 9/11 can be accepted as a turning
point in American history. With this tragic event, Islam has become
a matter of discussion and study as never before in America, and
Muslims have come to gain a share of influence in the country.
For the first time, Muslims living in America in the
1990s, under the first Bush presidency (1988-1992), began to have
some influence on American politics. Under Bill Clinton (1992-2000),
direct relations were established between the White House and the
Muslim community. George W. Bush's administration (2000- ) has
established the closest relations so far with American Muslims. The
well-known Middle East expert Daniel Pipes describes this situation
as follows:
And since September 11, the president and his team
have devoted intensive efforts to explaining what role Islam did
and did not play in the recent tragedy. "Islam" now trips off the
tongues of American statesmen, politicians, and diplomats with an
almost dizzying frequency. 1
According to Pipes, no matter how new the present
situation may be, the present Bush administration's interest in
Islam is not new. The reports we hear today and the matters that
capture our attention are the product of a certain policy over the
past decade, one that may be characterized by four main points:
There is no clash of civilizations, terrorism is not Islamic, Islam
is compatible with American ideals and adds to American life, and
Americans must learn to appreciate Islam. 2
This approach outlined by Pipes is very important from
the point of view of showing the White House's attitude toward
Islam, for it is positive and thus is a starting point that will
bring the American people and Islam closer together. This may be the
beginning of profound changes in world history and in the make-up of
societies, as well as the impetus for basic changes in the relations
between societies.
THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION: "THERE IS NO TERROR IN
ISLAM"
Some analysts have said that this policy conceals a
hidden agenda and is no more than a show designed to get the Muslim
world on its side. There certainly may be some truth in this, for
America is pursuing this policy for its own national ends. But there
is another obvious fact: No matter what the facts may be, this
policy will enable Islam to become known by more people and will
allow the West to correct its erroneous opinion about Islam. Signs
of this are already visible.
Samuel Huntington's 1993 thesis about a "clash of
civilizations" between the West and the Islamic world has never been
accepted by the American administration. This is an important
advance. The White House countered this claim at the outset and, in
subsequent events that brought it head to head with some Muslims,
made it clear that it had no negative feeling about the Muslim world
or Islamic values.
America has never targeted Islam in reaction to the
aggressive behavior of some circles that call themselves Muslims but
have no connection with Islamic morality; on the contrary, it has
stressed that there is no place for terror in Islam. This attitude
was maintained in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. For
example, during his 1994 tour of Indonesia, Clinton said:
We have had problems with terrorism coming out of the
Middle East … this is not inherently related to Islam, not to the
religion, not to the culture. 3
In a Department of State report prepared during the
Clinton administration on the fight against terror, America said
that there was a clear line separating Islam and terror:
Some Muslims, and others, believe that the U.S. has
seemed, at times, to link terrorism with Islam. This is not U.S.
Government policy… Islam and the West are not in confrontation.
While we may have political differences with some countries whose
populations are mostly Muslim, most Americans and most Muslims
share fundamental values such as peace, justice, economic
security, and good governance… Terrorism is not a principle of any
major religion, including Islam. There are over one billion
Muslims in the world. Among that number, one finds a few
extremists who misuse Islam as a justification for their violent
criminal acts. 4
The same view was stated several times by variously
ranking members of the government. In a speech made in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, John Beryle, acting assistant secretary for the American
State Department's Bureau of Newly Independent States, explained his
government's attitude toward Islam:
The United States abhors terrorism and we reject
extremism, but we have great respect for Islam… I draw this
distinction forcefully, because so many people fail to draw it at
all. Some believe that the United States opposes Islam, that the
Cold War has been replaced by a clash of civilizations. Others,
including some in my own country, believe that terrorism is
somehow related to Islam. They are both wrong. The distinction I
want you to understand is this: the United States opposes those
who use terrorist methods. We do not oppose any religion. We
distinguish our friends from our enemies on the basis of actions,
not beliefs… Americans recognize Islam as one of the world's great
faiths. It is practiced on every continent. As Westerners, we
acknowledge Islam as a historic civilizing force among the many
that have influenced and enriched our own culture. The legacy of
Islam, which reached into our civilization via the conquest of
Spain at just about the same time it arrived in Uzbekistan,
brought us, as it brought you, a rich scientific, artistic, and
cultural heritage, as well as a tradition of
tolerance.
Beryle continued his speech by quoting Surat al-Baqara:
62 and Surat al-Ma'ida: 69, and concluded:
Those who have faith, and those of the Jews, the
Christians, and the Sabaeans - whosoever has faith in God and the
Last Day and works wholesome deeds - their wage awaits them with
their Lord, and no fear shall be upon them, neither shall they
sorrow (Surat al-Ma'ida: 69). These are the words of tolerance.
They stand as a striking demonstration that tolerance is part of
the foundation of Islam, that fundamental Islam should be a force
for tolerance, that extremism is not truly Islamic… I wonder
whether there is any other nation on earth in which so many people
have been converted to Islam over the past several decades. Islam
in the United States is becoming more widespread, better known,
and more influential. For five years now the end of Ramadan has
been celebrated with a feast in the White House. A similar
tradition was established in the Pentagon and this year included
the first-ever Muslim chaplains to serve in the U.S. military. The
Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, held her second annual
Iftaar Dinner at the State Department on December 21. Similar
celebrations occur all across the U.S. Muslims are becoming an
important and respected part of the American mosaic… And finally,
from the Koran, Sura 2, ayat 256: "Let there be no compulsion in
religion." 5
This attitude of the American administration did not
change after the events of 9/11. Some days after the attack,
President Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington and stressed
in his speech that Islam and terror could not be mentioned together
because Islam was a religion of peace:
The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam.
That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists
don't represent peace. They represent evil and war. When we think of
Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people
around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and
peace. And that's made brothers and sisters out of every race - out
of every race. America counts millions of Muslims amongst our
citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to
our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members
of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they
need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our
fellow Americans must treat each other with respect. 6
Words like these have been repeated time and again
after 9/11 by high-level officials. For example, White House press
spokesman Ari Fleischer, when asked whether this attack had been the
result of a clash of civilizations between Islam and Christianity,
said: "This attack had nothing to do with Islam. This attack was a
perversion of Islam." 7
American State Officials Praise Islam
The fact that American state officials recognize that
there is no connection between Islam and terrorism shows that they
know what kind of religion Islam is. As they get to know Islam, they
naturally come to admire it and often mention it in their speeches.
This has been noticeable especially in the last three presidential
administrations. So, the idea put forward by theorists after the
Cold War that Islam would be America's next target has come to
nothing.
But there is an important point here: Some of the
American government's decisions with regard to the Muslim world must
be examined in the light of the advantages that it hopes to gain as
a nation from its international policy and strategies. These
decisions must not be confused with the American administration's
and people's interest in Islam. This book examines the following
topics: the approach of American state officials and the general
public toward Islam in the last few years, the fact that Islam is
always a topic on the public agenda, and the resulting rapid rise of
Islam. This is certainly a remarkable historical development that,
when considered from these aspects, should make every Muslim happy,
enthusiastic, and excited.
As we said earlier, the American government's approach
toward Islam began in the 1990s and reached its high point during
the Clinton administration. Clinton was the first to commend Islam
and its moral teachings in his speeches, and the first to issue
invitations to the White House on Islamic holidays. Under Clinton,
for the first time invitations were arranged at the administration's
top level for Muslims to attend an iftar meal. Subsequently, this
became a tradition. When Clinton spoke about Islamic morality, one
of the topics that he dwelt upon was the compatibility of Islamic
moral values with those of the West. Clinton believed that "Devotion
to family and to society, to faith and good works-are in harmony
with the best of Western ideals."8 In another speech he said;
That is why we welcome Islam in America. It enriches
our country with Islam's teachings of self-discipline, compassion,
and commitment to family. 9
And on another occasion, he said that Islam was highly
regarded by America:
America is made stronger by the core values of
Islam-commitment to family, commitment to family, compassion for
the disadvantaged, and respect for difference. 10
Hillary Clinton, who began the tradition of inviting
Muslims to the White House, once stated during one of these
gatherings that she admired the following things about Islam:
Universal values - love of family and community,
mutual respect, education, and the deepest yearning of all - to
live in peace - values that can strengthen us as a people and
strengthen the United States as a nation. 11
The Secretary of State at the time, Madeline Albright,
in an article that she wrote for State Magazine, "Learning
More about Islam," drew attention to a very important point and said
that the American people must learn about Islam.12 As a result of
her comment, State Department officials prepared a report on how
people could familiarize themselves with Islam:
Our society can solve it through education,
people-to-people exchanges, and by encouraging responsible
reporting in the mass media and accurate portrayal in the movie
industry. 13
The decision of the Clinton administration that the
people should be taught the truth about Islam is extremely
important. As we shall see in the following pages, priority has been
given to this, especially since 9/11, and newspapers, television,
and other media outlets have presented news, programs, and
inquiries.
President Bush's approach to Muslims began with his
election campaign. Known to be a religious person, Bush received
support from a significant section of American Muslims during his
campaign. For this reason, he is constantly engaged in dialogue with
Muslim communities. The 9/11 attack has become a vehicle by which he
has been able to assert more often the closeness he feels toward
Muslims, and frequently to remind his fellow citizens to understand
Islam correctly and establish good relationships with Muslims.
During one speech, he stated that:
The Islam that we know is a faith devoted to the
worship of one God, as revealed through The Holy Qur'an. It
teaches the value and importance of charity, mercy, and peace. And
it is one of the fastest growing religions in America, with
millions of American believers today… The Holy Qur'an says: "Piety does not lie in turning your face to the East
or West. Piety lies in believing in God." (2: 177)
14
The American Government's Iftar Invitation
Another important development that shows the coming
together of the American administration and American Muslims is the
iftar invitation, which has become a tradition in the last few
years. Each invitation provides the opportunity for dialogue between
the two groups. The tradition of hosting of Muslims in the White
House was started by Hillary Clinton, who received them to offer
them Eid congratulations. For the first time in 2001, Muslims were
invited to an iftar meal in the White House that the president had
organized.
As stated earlier, these iftar invitations began in the
State Department with the participation of the then-Secretary of
State, Madeline Albright. It is often said that these invitations
were very important for developing relations between Muslims and the
American people, a project on which Albright laid great importance.
In Ramadan 2000, at the second iftar meal, she described these
efforts:
I am very, very pleased to welcome you all to the
Department of State. And as many of you know, we had a similar
Iftaar Dinner here last year for the first time, and tonight we
continue what I hope will become a tradition that lives on for
many years to come...
The month of Ramadan and the daily fast are powerful
reminders for Muslims of the centrality of God and of the potency
of the message conveyed through the Prophet Mohammed...
I am pleased that since last year the State
Department has inaugurated a new website entitled "Islam in
America." Its purpose is to help people everywhere learn more
about the positive force that Islam has become in American life
and about the growing role of Muslim Americans as they are there
to play a role in ensuring the security, prosperity, and freedom
of our land.
Equally vital are the international exchange and
people-to-people programs we conduct with Muslim-majority nations.
These efforts bring distinguished Muslim visitors to our shores to
exchange views and promote understanding...
We are strongly encouraging young Muslim Americans to
apply to the Foreign Service as part of our overall effort to
attract talent and promote diversity, and we have had a lively
discussion at my table on that subject.
Together, during the past few years, we have made an
important beginning in providing that answer, not only through
these dinners but also through our religious freedom roundtables,
open forums, conferences, and seminars. We have established and
expanded a dialogue, but obviously much more remains to be done.
It is vital for Muslim Americans to know and have access to
American policymakers. It is even more vital to become
policymakers. 15
As we see, the State Department regarded it as its duty
to build a bridge between the Muslim community and the American
people and administration. This played an important role in the
rising interest in Islam. This speech was very important, for it
showed what an influential position Islam had gained in America. Ten
years earlier, American Muslims had lived a cloistered social
existence encountering many difficulties in their daily lives, but
now they have been invited by the Secretary of State to be directors
of American policy.
These iftar invitations have continued under her
successor Colin Powell. During his short address on November 29,
2001, at a State Department iftar meal, he stressed the following
basic points:
Ramadan is a time of prayer and fasting for followers
of the Muslim religion. This year, it is also a time of reflection
for all Americans. Less than three months after the tragedy of
September 11th, we were all examining our lives and reaffirming
the importance of family, faith, and country. In fact, this year
marks the first Ramadan for many non-Muslim Americans who have
been made aware of the great significance of this period for the
first time in their lives.
But there remains much ignorance and confusion about
Islam, and that presents an opportunity for those of us who are
not Muslim to learn from those of you who are. I hope that all of
you here will seek out opportunities to talk with non-Muslims
throughout your communities about your faith; to help all of us
learn from, understand, and appreciate one another; and that you
will encourage others in turn to talk to you about their
faith.
And I heard some wonderful stories at my table about
how you are doing that, reaching out to Christians and Jews, and
letting everybody know we are all -- we are all creatures and
children of a benevolent God, and we must come to understand that
to love one another is being faithful to our God.
I was very moved by some of the conversations that we
had at our table, as we talked about discrimination, we talked
about profiling, as we talked about how we have to be sensitive to
each other and to be sensitive to the diversity that we all
represent. This touched me deeply, because I am a minority. I have
been profiled. I will never forget my background; I will never
forget what those who came before me did so that I could be in
this position today ... I will always be sensitive to the issues
that have been raised this evening… 16
The Defense Department also has hosted iftar meals.
This tradition, which goes back officially to 1998, consists of an
iftar meal ordinarily arranged by the deputy secretary of defense
and attended by Muslims working in the department and the army. At
the 1999 iftar meal, the then-Deputy Secretary of Defense, John
Hamre, said:
I am very honored to be invited to be here tonight. A
little over a year ago I was invited to address the first Iftar
celebrated here at the Department of Defense. The fact that you
would ask me back for a second time is a tremendous honor. I am
very grateful. As I said last year, I am a Lutheran in my own
religious background and not a Muslim, so I cannot fully
appreciate how important this Night of Power is for all of you.
But I can understand why this Night of Power is deeply important
to you, because I am a religious person myself. I can understand
how moving it is, in this season of dedication, that all of you
have spent the entire day focusing on your relationship with
God.... I believe that vision in our Constitution springs directly
from our shared religious values. There is not a word in the
Constitution for which a good Muslim would not fight…. It is the
same ideal expressed in the Holy Koran: "O mankind, I created you
from a single pair and made you into nations and tribes that ye
may know each other, not that ye may despise each other."
17
Hamre's address was notable for his declaration of
personal religiosity, the closeness and love he showed toward
Muslims, and for quoting the Qur'an. The Defense Department's third
iftar meal was held on November 30, 2001, and attended by the Deputy
Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz. He began his address with the
words As-Sallamu alaykum, which he learned while serving as
ambassador to Indonesia, and continued:
Each time faithful Muslims gather in prayer and in
peace, you reclaim your faith and reaffirm the great gift that
Islam has been to humanity through the centuries.
Mohammed said that those who provide a fasting person
with something to eat will be blessed as though they themselves
had fasted. As we gather tonight in this spirit of generosity, we
are mindful of the great blessings that we enjoy. We are thankful
to share them with others. 18
Hillary Clinton first invited Muslims to the White
House for the Ramadan Eid in 1996, and on every subsequent occasion
gave significant messages to those in attendance. Among those who
attempted to explain what Ramadan means for Muslims was Huma Abedin.
Mrs. Clinton said that she personally learned a lot from this woman,
and frequently mentioned the special importance she placed in
establishing dialogue with Muslims. At the 1999 reception, she even
said she prayed for this:
I have been told that a common Muslim prayer tells
us: "No struggle is easy unless you make it easy for us. And only
you, my Lord, can make a hardship easy to overcome." With God's
help, and with the kind of determination, courage, and hope that
is lived out in the lives of all of you and millions of others
around our country and throughout the world, I believe that we can
do more together to help build a more peaceful, prosperous, and
hopeful future in which all of God's children can live in peace
and fulfill their God-given promise. 19
This tradition begun by Hillary Clinton was continued
by Bill Clinton during his final year as president, when he
personally received Muslim guests for the Ramadan holiday. The meal
began with quotations from the Qur'an. Bill Clinton also quoted from
the Qur'an in his address, and frequently expressed his interest in
Islam:
And I thought it was particularly moving that the
Imam read the passage from the Koran that said that Allah created
nations and tribes that we might know one another, not that we
might despise one another.
There's a wonderful passage in the Hebrew Torah,
which warns people never to turn aside the stranger, for it is
like turning aside the most high God. And the Christian Bible says
that people should love their neighbor as themselves. But it's
quite wonderful to say that Allah created the nations and tribes
that they might know one another better, recognizing that people
have to organize their thoughts and categorize their ideas, but
that does not mean we should be divided one from another...
Let me say, also, that there is much that the world
can learn from Islam. It is now practiced by one of every four
people on Earth. Americans are learning more in our schools and
universities. Indeed, I remember that our daughter took a course
on Islamic history in high school and read large portions of the
Koran, and came home at night and educated her parents about it,
and later asked us questions about it…
I ask all of you to help with that, to share the
wellsprings of your faith with those who are different, to help
people understand the values and the humanity that we share in
common, and the texture and fabric and fiber and core of the
beliefs and practices of Islam...
The Koran also teaches, in addition, to the fact that
we should do unto others as we wish to have done to us, and reject
for others what we would reject for ourselves, but we should also
make a commitment to live in peace… 20
Under the present Bush administration, for the first
time in American history a president organized an iftar meal. This
meal was attended by the ambassadors of Muslim countries and the
heads of Muslim organizations. In his address, the president
commended Islam and called for dialogue and understanding among
different faiths:
Ramadan is a time of fasting and prayer for the
Muslim faithful. So tonight we are reminded of God's greatness and
His commandments to live in peace and to help neighbors in need…
All the world continues to benefit from this faith and its
achievements. Ramadan and the upcoming holiday season are a good
time for people of different faiths to learn more about each
other. And the more we learn, the more we find that many
commitments are broadly shared. We share a commitment to family,
to protect and love our children. We share a belief in God's
justice and man's moral responsibility. And we share the same hope
for a future of peace. We have much in common and much to learn
from one another. 21
All of these iftar meals and the addresses given at
them are very significant for the relationship between Muslims and
the American administration, and indicate that Muslims have begun to
influence American society and culture. The relations between
Americans and Muslims are not limited to these invitations and
various talks, for Muslims are now an inseparable part of America
and active at every level of social life. A most significant example
of this is their position within the American army.
1. Middle East Quarterly, Winter
2002.
2. Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2002.
3. The
President’s News Conference, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Jakarta, November 15, 1994; http://www.gpo.gov
4. “US Government
Views on Terrorism,” Fact Sheet, December 7, 1999.
5. Department
of State Beyrle’s Speech in Tashkent, February 8, 2000.
6.
President’s Speech, Islamic Center of Washington, September 17,
1999.
7 . “Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer,” September 17, 2001;
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-8.html
8.
News Conference with King Hassan II of Morocco, March 15, 1995;
www.gpo.gov
9. “President Clinton’s Ramadan Message,” USIA,
November 27, 2000.
10. “President Clinton’s Message Celebrating
Eid Al-Fitr 2000”, US Department of State, December 22, 2000; 11.
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/islam/s122200.htm
11. Mofid Deak,
“First Lady Hosts Third Annual Eid Celebration,” USIA, January 22,
1999.
12. Madeleine Albright, “Learning More about Islam,” State
Magazine, September 2000.
13. “US Government’s Views on
Terrorism,” Fact Sheet, December 7, 1999.
14. “President’s
Message for Ramadan,” November 15, 2001.
15. Remarks by Secretary
of State Madeleine K. Albright at Iftaar Dinner, December 19,
2000.
16. Secretary Powell Hosts Iftaar at the State Department,
December 29, 2001.
17. John. J. Hamre, “2nd Annual Pentagon Iftar
Celebration,” The Pentagon Friday, January 1, 1999;
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/1999/c19990115-depsecdef.html
18.
Remarks as delivered by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz,
The Pentagon, Washington DC, December 30, 2001.
19. “Eid Al-Fitr
Celebration Remarks by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton,” The White
House, January 21, 1999;
http://www.amaana.org/ISWEB/ramadan.htm
20. “Eid Al-Fitr
Celebration Remarks by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton,” The White
House, January 21, 1999;
http://www.amaana.org/ISWEB/ramadan.htm
21. “President Hosts
Iftaar Dinner,” November 19, 2001;
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/11/20011119-14.html
    
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