graceadieu
Posts: 1518
Joined: 3/20/2008 From: Maryland Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: xBullx It seems they want to hold all Americans accountable for the comments of a few. Yet it seems we're not supposed to do the same? Frankly I doubt all Arabs hate America, though I am concerned that it is possible that most, if not all Muslims have a discontented feeling towards the west, as they like to call us. I think that holding all Arab people accountable for the actions of a few will only cause us problems. I mean, be angry at all of them if you want, whatever - but in our foreign policy, we have to distinguish between our friends and our enemies in the Middle East. And people that could be swayed to become friends or enemies. During the attack on the consulate in Libya, there were friendly Libyan militia groups that tried to defend the consulate against the terrorists. We have to figure out how to win over new allies in the Muslim world and improve our image, while also working against our enemies. And for what it's worth, I think that being "the better man" and not just going "well our enemies are doing _____, why shouldn't we?" is part of the way to do it. I read an article a couple years ago, I might have to try to dig it up, written by a former member of a Muslim terrorist group. IIRC, he said that what changed his heart and made him quit was that he was to prison without a trial in Egypt for years, and Western civil liberties groups kept trying to help him while his terrorist buddies did nothing. He basically realized that the people in the West he hated actually cared a lot more about justice, fairness, human rights etc than his side ever did, and gave up being a terrorist after he was released. Obviously that's just one guy, but I feel like always holding the moral upper ground and being the proverbial "light on the hill" really could help us.
|