2010-05-30
Prejudices, Racism, and War
Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
O Muhammad, say to the Jews and Christians, "Dispute you with us about Allâh while He is our Lord and your Lord? And we are to be rewarded for our deeds and you for your deeds. And we are sincere to Him in worship and obedience."
(Qur'an 2:62 and 2:139)
I suppose in every war, there is an effort to demonize your opponents and the prejudices that are formed in this process can last for a very long time. For example, when President George H.W. Bush went to the funeral of Japanese Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) in 1989, millions of Americans (mostly from generations that were experienced WWII) were upset and enraged. This despite the fact that WWII had been over for well over 40 years and Japan and their beloved Emperor were staunch American allies. The idea that the Japanese (or anybody who looked like them to the uneducated American eye) couldn't be trusted was a stereotype that millions of people simply couldn't overcome, even after the civil rights movement in this country. Similarly, many British men and women still consider the Germans war mongers and the implications of the Iran-Iraq War are still proving troublesome today.
This shouldn't be surprising.
It wasn't just the 1940s. There are still a lot of people who have unreasonable distrust for the Russians because of the Cold War. Even as late as the First Gulf War, movies like Hot Shots! were being made ridiculing Iraqis. Heck, even the WWF got in on the action when Sgt. Slaughter became an Iraqi Sympathizer. Even though it was all for show, Sgt. Slaughter (Robert Remus) was sent bomb threats, refused services in restaurants across the country, and in need of heavy security for him and his family.
I miss being a kid and thinking this was real.
Thankfully, the "Greatest Generation" produced some more forgiving leaders, such as George H.W. Bush in the United States and around the world so that these prejudices wouldn't lead to future wars between states. And I don't normally have many nice things to say about the liberals who are in charge of Hollywood and our entertainment industry very often, but they have done an excellent job of promoting tolerance over the past few years. Some might even argue they've done too good of a job.
However, racism isn't something that's created by writers, producers, and directors. Studios and production companies don't invent prejudices. Instead, they simply have sought to profit from them in the past. There were already people who hated the Japanese and mocked them as "Japs" and "Japanzees" before Popeye's spinach-induced Roid Rage. Likewise, there were people who hated Iranians prior to the Iranian Iron Sheik's wrestling reign in the 1980s and who hated Iraqis before Sgt. Slaughter returned to his heel roots in 1990 and sided with Iraq in the Gulf War. Prejudices and intolerance are simply a natural part of the social psyche during war. The phenomenon likely stretches back to prehistoric times and was a necessity to keep communities together during times of conflict. Nothing brings people together like hatred.
What does this mean for the Global War on Terrorism?
Well, unfortunately, this isn't a war that's going to "end" any time soon. And seeing as how it's been publicized in America for almost nine years (although it goes back quite a while before that), it's already been a relatively long war for us. A lot has been written and said about the difficulties our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are facing when it comes to identifying the enemy because they dress and live like civilians. The lack of distinguishing characteristics is a problem for civilians, too.
In the past, we've been able to target the British, French, Indians, Mexicans, Spanish, Germans, Ottomans, Japanese, Italians, Russians, Vietnamese, Chinese, Libyans, Eastern Europeans, Iranians, and Iraqis. As our interests and their governments changed and our generations replace themselves, our attitudes towards former enemy nations have been able to change. The problem we face today is that there are no "enemy nations" in this war (except arguably Syria). Iran is undoubtedly a destabilizing force in the region, but the Persian Shiite population is as much at risk by the goals of the the Sunni extremist terrorists as we are in the United States. Osama bin Laden actually offered to help Saudi Arabia fight Saddam Hussein's Iraq after they invaded Kuwait (it was Saudi Arabia's decision to bring in the United States that enraged bin Laden, but they still hated Saddam and Saddam hated them).
So, because there aren't any distinguishing, national characteristics of our enemies in the Global War on Terrorism, too many Americans are falling prey to the idea that what unites them all is Islam. While technically true, it's like Hindus blaming Christians and Jews for terrorist attacks in India because we believe in the same God as Muslims and we're all spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham. Or beyond that, it's like a fish blaming every human being for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico because we have 2 legs, thumbs, and breathe air.
Islam does not condone terrorism, especially against Christians and Jews. In fact, Islamic Law forbids a Muslim to even call us "kafir" or infidels. Yet, many Christians in the United States and Europe have "reinvented" Islam as a 21st century equivalent of Communism, being something that simply is not compatible with the American way of life, and therefore inherently evil. Yes, the logic is horrendously flawed and there is no shortage of right-wing preachers, televangelists, and conservative media personalities who are responsible for this.
In truth, Islam is as compatible with the American way of life as Christianity, which is to say: hardly at all. On one hand, conservative Christians bash Islam relentlessly while, with the other hand, actually agree with Muslim critics of the United States about how America is a country without morality and religious conviction. In some ways, particularly in economic terms, Islam is more compatible than Christianity because of the strict language throughout the Gospel that makes a capitalist economy virtually impossible.
What makes a Muslim terrorist different from an ordinary Muslim is that the terrorist believes, for one reason or another, that their target (be it Christians, Jews, the United States, the West, Russia, India, or what have you) is evil and that terrorism is the only way to defend their faith or people. Thus, the War on Terrorism is essentially a war for the hearts and minds of 1.5 Billion people.
Now tell me, if you heard that Muslim entertainers were going around Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, energizing ordinary Muslim civilians by saying things like, "Christians worship monkey gods. There can be no peace with them!" - you'd probably be offended.
So, how are we supposed to win this war of hearts and minds when people like conservative radio show host Mark Williams say the same thing about Muslims? Not only does this sort of rhetoric hurt the war for hearts and minds, but it's used as a recruiting tool by al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations. In other words, guys like Mark Williams are making it easier for Osama bin Laden to kill American troops in Afghanistan and American civilians here at home.
But hey, Mark Williams is a Republican and he hates Barack Obama, so therefore he's beyond scrutiny. (Sarcasm intended)
I understand that prejudices such as these during times of war are entirely natural. Unfortunately, they are also unnecessary and have already begun to hurt the war effort. We need leaders from both political parties and all sectors of life to step forward and tell the Americans (and Europeans) who are proliferating this hatred to stop it immediately because they are only fueling the terrorists' propaganda machine.
