I was asked two separate but related questions by two different classmates of mine after contributing my latest blog “Cultural Inoculation” to the already existing discussion thread entitled “Weekend Shenanigans.”
1) Do you have a take on how the average Muslim on the Arab Street views our Super Bowl complete with its weekend shenanigans? My guess is that those pre-inclined to anti-American anyway would just view it as another example of American brutality and pornography. Thank goodness that most of the world ignores our Super Bowl. I'm trying to figure how the Islamic Fundamentalist terror groups would portray this incident in their propaganda.
2) Another question that you might have some insight to: It was recently reported that in the last election 72% of Muslim citizens voted for Bush. Think that he will be able to repeat that level of support in the Muslim community?
To answer your first question, I think that the average Muslim on the street just like the average American is not too surprised. With the proliferation of satellite TV around the world this isn't a new phenomenon to them. I'm sure that plenty of people on the Muslim street have already seen plenty episodes of Baywatch.
This latest event does however represent the fear though that lots of Muslims have of the exportation of American culture, that they believe is part and parcel of the whole American package that we are promoting around the world. Your average person on the street likes the freedom and capitalism part, but is afraid of the loss of Muslim identity in the face of the US dominated mono-culture. They see the downside of the freedom in our culture (divorce rate, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, STD's, etc.) and are afraid that if they adopt the good part of the package that they'll also get the bad part.
In the khutbah (sermon) today at one of the mosques in Austin for Friday prayers, the imam (prayer leader), who is an American born and raised convert, was talking about his visits to Internet cafes in the Middle East and he was remarking about the HUGE problem (news to me) of Muslim youth being majorly addicted to pornography. He said that in today's world of globalization there is no place to run to and no place to hide that there is effectively one global culture and I guess in many ways he's correct.
It is definitely more fodder for the fundamentalists, but they are always going to find what they are looking for - even if the half-time show consisted of nuns in habits singing religious songs. I don't think it figures in their propaganda though, as all of their propaganda that I've seen is about the West's "attack" on their way of life-not the West's negative impact on it's own members. You know that kind of they get what they deserve sort of thing.
On the second question, I don't think that Bush can count on that level of support this time around. It is ironic and the irony hasn't been lost in the Muslim community that with such a close election and with there being a sizeable number of Muslims in Florida that Muslims were albeit a small but determining swing vote that maybe gave Bush the win with their bloc vote.
The reason that Muslims bloc voted for Bush was because during his campaign he made an indirect reference that he would repeal the Secret Evidence Act and he made some positive gestures to the Muslim community. I can speak first hand that we felt that enough here in the capital in Austin, TX that when he was governor we held an event on the capitol grounds where they let us have a program with speakers and we conducted congregational prayers outside in public. We were very encouraged that he would take our concerns with him to Washington. Additionally, his father was less pro-Israel than all other modern presidents and I think that there was a secret hope, especially with the families oil ties in the Arab world, that the son would follow in the father's footsteps.
Well as they say, 9/11 changed all that. There was an entirely new calculus to contend with.
I don't think that Muslims cared about Lieberman as being a pro-Israel Jew as a reason to vote for Bush. No American president in the modern era has ever seriously questioned our relationship with Israel and I don't think the Muslims thought that either candidate would be a radical change from the status quo. Just like most Americans, most Muslims are not single issue voters.
So Bush will definitely get less support than last time. How much less? It really depends upon whether or not any of the Muslim political groups endorse the Democratic candidate and whether or not Muslims feel any obligation to listen. The average Muslim on the American street has some idea of what these Muslim political groups are trying to do, but doesn't hold them in very high regard and like the average American thinks politics are rotten and that getting in the game is just going to compromise their values and not achieve anything. I think these American Muslims are wrong, but I think that all Americans who think this way are equally wrong.
I know that in our community we had a voter registration drive at our Eid celebration (one of two festivals during the year) last Sunday and that the person who gave the sermon put forth the challenge that God Almighty would hold each and everyone of us accountable on the Day of Judgment if we didn't register to vote and then go out and cast our vote in the upcoming election. He even threatened not to end the sermon until the voter registration table was brought inside the prayer hall. Wow! That's the kind of call to action that we all need in this country.