The United States has worked to free Christian, Muslim and
Buddhist nations without discrimination. Religious freedom is equally granted to the
followers of different faiths. Islamic countries do not grant that much religious freedom
to the Muslims, let alone religious freedom to the non-Muslims who live in the Islamic
world. More than 60 percent of international food aid comes as a gift
from the people of the U.S. The American nation has grown filled with moral, human
and religious zeal
The purpose of this article is
to offer an alternative account of America’s true image, and to counteract the
distorted and ugly image reflected in the Arab media, plagued as it is by irrationality
and subjectivity.
This article was first featured in Alhayat Newspaper-London in Arabic
The United States: A Force For Good By Magdi Khalil
Recently, the United State policy has become the subject of a continuous debate, usually
ending with a heated discussion about the grave lapses of said policy. There is no doubt
that Americans do make mistakes, and they are usually the first ones to acknowledge and
criticize their own shortcomings. However, the Arab outlook differs from the American one,
as Arabs tend to judge others from a cultural and religious perspective. An article
written by Fran Heather in the American edition of <Newsweek> issued in January 20,
2004, recorded the impressions of an American woman about the Egyptian people and the
enthusiastic greeting she received when she put on the Arab head covering!
One wonders, if such is the criteria that Arabs use to accept or reject others, would they
be able to understand the way the American nation views itself, as a nation appointed with
a holy universal mission?
Many of the forefathers who founded the United States are believed to have been
evangelists who reached this virgin land to spread the Christian message; they crossed
mountain chains to spread the Word across the continent and then their vision expanded to
encompass the whole world. Thus, the American nation has grown filled with moral, human
and religious zeal.
On the other hand, the pilgrims and early settlers who came to the New World were fleeing
from religious persecution in Europe. And in setting up the young nation, one of their
principal tenets was that of separation of Church and State. So, based on Christian
principles, they established a nation that embraces democracy, human rights, and freedom
of religion. They laid down the foundation for the newborn nation with this basic moral
rule: “Honesty is the best course of action to achieve success”. According to
the Oxford dictionary, the word “honesty” has several significant meanings and
synonyms: justice, virtue, integrity, honor, fairness, openness, frankness and
objectivity.
This ethical and admirable rule served as a foundation for the growing nation, which
dedicated itself to serving just and worthy causes.
If we take a brief look at what the United States has accomplished during the last
century we can confirm that, to a great extent, it has acted as an honorable super power.
1. A Nation With No Colonial Ambitions
Throughout its history, the US never occupied another country, quite the contrary, when it
first emerged as a super power it strived to put an end to the European colonization of
the Third World countries including the Arab countries. “The League of Nations”
was founded in 1920, inspired by President Wilson’s program which included 14
principles, one of the most important being the right of independence and sovereignty to
all states – whether great or small.
To quote David Humphrey, a disciple of George Washington: “The old empires owe their
power to shameful invasion, plunder and bloodshed. But we have learned from their example,
the sins they committed, the heavy price they paid and the legacy they left behind. We are
now living in a better age, and we have a constitution strongly based on freedom that
encompasses the virtues of all human nations and serves the causes of all mankind.”
2. A Nation with a Noble Humanitarian Vision
In recent history, the United States has always referred to itself as a nation with a
sacred mission; and though its strategies aimed to achieve its national interests, this
vision remained a basic element of the United States’ dealings with the outside
world. Looking back at American history we can confirm this fact. If not for the United
States, the world would continue to be under the submission of the Nazis, and Europe would
still be suffering under Hitler and Mussolini.
The United States managed to free many states from the clutches of communists, and with a
few exceptions, rid the world of communism. In recent years it freed the state of
“Kuwait”, handing it back to its own people and rulers. The same applies to
Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. The United States had no designs on the riches of these
countries. Indeed, if the United States was after the Kuwaiti oil, it would have not left
it untouched as it did, furthermore it would have accepted Saddam Hussein’s tempting
offer of oil privileges in return for non-interference in Kuwait.
It is noteworthy that the United States has worked to free Christian, Muslim and
Buddhist nations without discrimination.
Lately, the United States’ self-appointed mission is to put an end to terror -
another worthy endeavor, and one that it will, hopefully, accomplish, so peace may reign.
Theodore Roosevelt used to say that history has been flowing in a steady line beginning
with a barbarian state, heading towards a civilized state, and in between the two ends is
an intermediary state of autocracy. In 1900, Roosevelt divided the world into two
categories, one that is enjoying civilization and another that is still suffering from
barbarism and autocracy. Will the United States’ coming mission succeed in ridding
the Middle East from barbarism and autocracy?
3. A Nation working for Human Sustenance and Welfare
In his State of the Union Address, the American president G. Bush stated that,
“Across the Earth, America is feeding the hungry. More than 60 percent of
international food aid comes as a gift from the people of the United States.”
He requested the American Congress to commit $10 billion for the fight against AIDS in
Africa, saying: “We wish to help the afflicted, and defend the peace, and confound
the designs of evil men. In Afghanistan, we helped to liberate an oppressed people, and we
will continue helping them secure their country, rebuild their society and educate all
their children, boys and girls. In the Middle East, we will continue to seek peace between
a secure Israel and a democratic Palestine.”
The size of American aid, academic grants, and humanitarian assistance is astonishing. The
United States chose to pay billions of dollars to support the peace process between Egypt
and Israel, a choice that is truly beyond imagination. American aid is not exclusively
offered by the US government, but also by public and private institutions and individuals,
such as Bill Gates, who donated millions of dollars to help AIDS victims, Ted Turner who
donated billions of dollars to help the under-privileged throughout the world, and
hundreds of American institutions such as the Ford Foundation, Fulbright Program and the
Carnegie Corporation. There are hundred of institutions all around the United States which
receive small donations from individuals and use them to support humanitarian missions
across the globe, to fight disease and poverty and to assist the orphans and homeless.
Unlike the Arab world, these donations are neither abused nor used to support terrorism.
4. A Religious and Tolerant Nation
The great majority of Americans (90%) believe in God, while practicing different
religions. The United States has the highest rate of regular church attendance in the
world. However, there is no place for fanaticism in this devout country; religious
freedom is equally granted to the followers of different faiths. It is a safe bet
that the Islamic countries do not grant that much religious freedom to the Muslims, let
alone religious freedom to the non-Muslims who live in the Islamic world, where freedom is
either highly compromised or completely non-existent. The secret of American greatness
possibly lies in the fact that it is a tolerant and decent nation, which stands in defense
of human rights and religious liberties across the world. To Quote President George Bush
in his State of the Union Address: “Our founders dedicated this country to the cause
of human dignity”.
5. A Nation that Helped to Liberate and Rebuild Other Countries
West Germany, Japan and South Korea come to mind as vivid examples of the American efforts
to liberate and rebuild other countries; they also stand as examples of fruitful
cooperation between the United States and other countries. Today, the Japanese and German
economies rival the American economy. Unfortunately, the new generations in Europe do not
recall past history, young Germans have no memory of the post-war Germany, the French do
not recall how the US assisted in liberating France not once but twice, and the Europeans
in general have forgotten about the “Marshall Plan” that succeeded in restoring
a devastated Europe to its former glory. They may even have forgotten recent history when
the US encouraged the European Union to include other states that were, just a few decades
ago, at complete odds with Europe and have now become members in the European Union thanks
to American support. The US is even trying to persuade Russia to become a member of the
European Union. The US took a bold decision to interfere and change the course of events
when Europe fell victim to the Nazis and Fascists and stood on the brink of total
destruction. Sadly, when confronted with a similar situation in the Middle East, Europe is
hesitating, reluctant to give its support to the US endeavor to restore balance to this
troubled region.
6. A Nation that Takes Credit for the Establishment of International Organizations
The US contributed greatly in the establishment of international organizations, starting
with the League of Nations, through the United Nations, the Monetary Fund, the
International Bank and the World Trade Organization.
7. A Super Power With Relatively Few Mistakes
While the US is worthy of praise, it is by no means an ideal or perfect nation. It has
committed grievous errors throughout its history, some of which can only be labeled as
atrocities. However, a careful examination of human history will also indicate that the US
has committed fewer mistakes than any other super power.
The purpose of this article is to offer an alternative account of America’s true
image, and to counteract the distorted and ugly image reflected in the Arab media, plagued
as it is by irrationality and subjectivity. by Magdi Khalil |
