Life Outside The Tunnel - Part IV

In this closing article I would like to introduce one of the Middle East's great voices of change and take a look at how a billion Muslims think about some key issues that cause a great deal of friction in Western perceptions.

As I have tried to show in this mini-series, there are many positive and hopeful things happening in the Middle East and in relations between the West and the Muslim world. We can't judge what we don't know and we can't develop informed opinions based on insufficient, skewed or deliberately distorted information. Has it become a dangerous liability that the citizens of the world's most powerful nation, one which has such an outspoken desire and track record of imposing its vision on other parts of the world, primarily see the rest of their world through the narrow tunnel of the American mainstream media?

Queen Rania of Jordan

One of the Arab world's most intelligent and eloquent spokespersons is Queen Rania of Jordan. In 2006 and 2007 she was one of Forbes most 100 influential women in the world. She is a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and a frequent speaker at their various worldwide events.

She fights for children's health, education and rights and is now UNICEF's first Eminent Advocate for Children. She is working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. She is also very active in promoting and implementing international microcredit programs which are a key component in her impassioned work on behalf of women's rights and the empowerment of women.

Queen Rania’s leadership on these issues demonstrate not only her own personal values. These issues are also very important to her as an Arab in general and as a Muslim woman in particular. She is also very active in building bridges of understanding and tearing down the walls of misconception that not only create a dangerous world but hurt her deeply, as she said in Time magazine:

“I'm amazed by the misconceptions about Muslim women and the Arab world that I hear, and that really does hurt me. I don't believe that there is fair enough understanding of either our status as women or the total context of our lives, which is very rich and multi-faceted. It is all too easy to draw conclusions and make sweeping judgments about millions of Muslim women based on fleeting television images. That is not right. I think we have to try harder.”

Let's take a look at some of the questions that Queen Rania often receives. Many will legitimately question whether her answers represent only her own thinking or does she really voice sentiments that are widely shared in the Muslim world. To answer the latter we can draw on the results of a six year study conducted by the Gallup Organization, recently published in a book entitled, "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think."

This landmark study is based on 50,000 interviews conducted in 35 countries that are either predominantly Muslim or have large Muslim populations. It covers a six year period beginning shortly after 9-11.

Why do they hate us?

One of the greatest and most dangerous myths that has been cultivated since the 9-11 attacks is that those attacks were born out of a hatred towards the American way of life, America's freedom and democratic institutions. Shortly after 9-11 Queen Rania appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show and was asked to address this question:

Oprah: When this first happened on September 11, I think it came as a shock to so many of us that other people in the world hated us so much. Can you help explain that to us?

Queen Rania: I think it's very important that you realize that for the majority of Muslims, they do not hate Americans. They do not hate the American way of life. In fact, many countries look at the American model as one that needs to be replicated, one that they aspire to achieve. We are talking about a minority of people who feel that they have been unjustly treated by the United States. Some of them feel that U.S. foreign policy might have been partial and not completely fair to all parties involved, and they wanted their voice to be heard. Unfortunately, the means that they have used are ones that are condemned all over the Arab world. We do not approve of these terrorist acts or any gruesome activities like the ones we saw on September 11.

Six years later, this myth still persists as evidenced by a question from a Time reader in a recent Q & A with Queen Rania:

Q: How much change can you effect, and how fast, given that religious extremism and aversion to the West is so entrenched in the culture you are trying to alter?

A: I don't necessarily agree with your assumption. Extremism is not endemic in my region, nor is anti-Western sentiment. No doubt there is discontent and distrust. That is towards more the American and some Western policies, and not toward the American people. Polls show that Arabs admire a lot of the Western values, cultural aspects in the West. It is more about policies than about way of life.

And what do one billion Muslims think about America, its way of life, democracy and religious extremism:

1) "When asked what they most admire about the West, Muslims pointed to (1) technology, (2) a value system of hard work, self-responsibility, rule of law, and cooperation, and (3) fair political systems, with respect for human rights, democracy, and gender equality."

2) "Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustifiable."

3) "Among the Muslims surveyed, 7 percent condoned the 9/11 attacks. When asked why they supported the attacks, the radicals gave political rather than religious reasons. They have a sense of political frustration and feel humiliated and threatened by the West. Those who opposed the attacks often gave religious reasons for doing so (emphasis added)."

4) "Large majorities of Muslims would guarantee free speech if it were up to them to write a new constitution AND they say religious leaders should have no direct role in drafting that constitution."

5) "Muslims around the world say that what they LEAST admire about the West is its perceived moral decay and breakdown of traditional values -- the same answers that Americans themselves give when asked this question."                                                     

6) Large majorities cite the equal importance of democracy and Islam to the quality of life and progress of the Muslim world. They see no contradiction between democratic values and religious principles.                                                                                           

7) Most want neither theocracy nor secular democracy but a third model in which religious principles and democratic values coexist. They want their own democratic model that draws on Islamic law as a source.

Islam subjugates women and makes them hide behind a veil

Again, from a Time reader:

Q: Do you think that women will ever truly have equal rights in the Middle East?

A: Absolutely, I believe they will. I think that mind-sets are changing in the Middle East. Poll after poll is showing that men see the value of greater female participation and empowerment. We still have a long way to go, but Islam should not be used as a scapegoat. The obstacles that face women today are more cultural. It's not about the religion.

Or this question:

Q: What do you think about hijab [veil, or headscarf], in relation to Islam and modernity?

A: For many, the hijab represents modesty, piety and devotion to God, and I truly respect that. Unfortunately, too many people in the Western world mistakenly perceive it as an expression of powerlessness and oppression. And increasingly it is being turned into a political tool. Modernity is not about dress codes. Religion and modernity are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In Jordan, a woman cannot be forced to wear a veil against her will.

I can tell you from my own experience in a Muslim country like Malaysia that there are large numbers of women working as lawyers, doctors, engineers, computer specialists, businesswomen, etc. who wear the headscarf and as many women in those kinds of positions that do not. And I know that the situation is similar in other Muslim countries like Indonesia and Turkey for example. But what do a billion Muslims think about gender equality issues?

1. "Majorities in most countries believe that women should have the same legal rights as men: They should have the right to vote, to hold any job outside the home that they qualify for, and to hold leadership positions at the cabinet and national council levels."  

2. "Majorities of men in virtually every country (including 62 percent in Saudi Arabia, 73 percent in Iran, and 81 percent in Indonesia) agree that women should be able to work at any job they qualify for."
3. "In Saudi Arabia, where women cannot vote, 58 percent of men say women should be able to vote." 
4. "While Muslim women favor gender parity, they do not endorse wholesale adoption of Western values." 

On many key issues it appears that Western and in particular American perceptions about Muslims are largely based on gross misconceptions and fantasy fears. These fears and misconceptions gave the American administration free hand in executing both domestic and foreign policies which have in the end been far more deleterious than beneficial in the most important front on the so-called 'war on terror' - winning hearts and minds.

And what advice did Queen Rania have for one American Time reader who asked, "What can the average American citizen do to solve the crisis in the Middle East?"

"Start by learning more about the real Middle East. Challenge your own assumptions about the Middle East. Lobby for diplomacy and dialogue in foreign policy. And simply reach out to your Muslim neighbor."

In other words, take a look at life outside the tunnel from time to time.