sorry seems to be the hardest word...

I watched Traitor on TV last night - I turned it on because I like its star, Don Cheadle. It's a good (not great) movie about Islamic terrorists, American anti-terrorists, and how one foils the other. There was a scene in the film where one of the terrorist leaders is explaining why they do what they do to prospective recruits, why this war against America must happen, and why everyone needs to participate.

True or not, one big motivator is that "they [Americans] have invaded our countries and killed our women and children, and destroyed our way of life; to remove them and prevent this, we need a persuasive deterrent. Since we don't have an army that can defeat America, terrorist acts are our only option. We must do what we can to stop them." My paraphrasing of the sentiment from that scene.

A quick search led me to this essay on how the Koran has been interpreted to favor the terrorists' goals, and this essay explaining how the only sure path to Paradise for a Muslim is to die fighting in defense of Allah. Finally, I found this excellent paper entitled Motivational Parameters in Islamic Terrorism by Michael Taarnby of the University of Aarhus in Denmark that talks also about the social and Western influences on Muslim reality and how they have resulted in disaffection and desperation. This paragraph from page 16 is telling:

Furthermore, the perceived, and often very real, oppression carried out by the respective governments contributes to the loss of existential meaning for the individual. The Muslim notion of the concept of honor and shame makes this situation hard to bear. Perceiving oneself as a failure is very much like a stain on personal honor, one that does not rub off easily. The correlation between the consequences of modernity and the real or imagined oppression creates a void, a social space in which the desire to change unfortunate circumstances leads to action, sometimes violent. Fundamentalism represents an important tie between the individual and a larger social group, and although this group is a construction it becomes very real for those personally involved. Seemingly incomprehensible acts of terrorism, and in particular the issue of martyrdom, become the ultimate manifestation of meaning and identity.

But what about the West and America in particular - why are they so vilified? Here are four issues that seem to come up a lot:

1. America's seemingly blind support of Israel
2. America's open disdain for any political and social system that is not like theirs, and specifically their antipathy towards Muslims and their forms of government
3. America's willingness and ability to unilaterally perpetrate warfare on countries they don't like
4. America lack of accountability for creating, enabling and supporting some of the worst Middle Eastern situations in recently history, including the Taliban and Saddam Hussein

All this (and much more - read Taarnby's paper) says to me that it's no surprise that Muslims are so easily able to align against America, but not against Christianity for example - it's not a fight among religions.

This is an incredibly complex problem with no simple answers. But if America, the West and Muslims are truly seeking peace and prosperity for all, I wonder if there aren't a few simple steps that could signal the start of a new beginning?

First, I believe America needs to realize that this is their game to control, win, or lose. There is no other player that plays as pivotal a role - America is the quarterback.

Second, as with business habitats, it behooves America to viscerally understand, without judgment, the truth and social reality that is the heart and mind of a Muslim.

Third, America needs to recognize that the approaches taken thus far have failed; and like the typical tourist in a foreign country, saying the same thing progressively more loudly in English does not miraculously endow the French person with comprehension; it just pisses them off.

Here's my proposal for the first steps in this thousand mile journey - but you aren't going to like it:

1. America must apologize - it must publicly demonstrate contrition for all its unilateral actions and how it has disdained Islamic (and other) ways of life just because they are not the American way.
2. America must stop exclusively favoring Israel, and be equal in its support of all peace-loving people in the Middle East, never excluding, or giving any special treatment to any one people. This will cost the American administration a bunch of grief and certainly fund-raising power in the next election, but it's easily worth the price.
3. America, starting immediately, must never have a unilateral military presence in the Middle East, ever. To do this, Secretary Clinton must negotiate a safe transition with the UN and Middle Eastern leaders.
4. America must convert it's Defense investments into foreign investments designed specifically to develop the infrastructure for and economic well-being of Muslims in the Middle East. One approach is this proposal for foreign policy transformation, though I would amend the scope to make it globally-funded with strong personal and financial participation from Middle Eastern leaders.

Beginnings come at a high price, but if nurtured, result in valuable and sustained dividends.

Let's face it there is no way to trump a guaranteed entry into Paradise by dying in defense of Allah. Implication: taking away the perception and reality of a threat to Allah removes this incredibly powerful incentive from the equation!

Let us begin by believing and acting in ways that demonstrate our genuine respect and admiration of Islam and all Muslim people. This is saying that we prioritize Muslims, their religion and their homelands equally to everyone else, their faiths and homes in the world. Steps 1-4 are the beginning of this journey, and in doing this, we must recognize what Taarnby talked about at length in his paper, that this is a matter of face and honor. We must be a part of helping restore face and honor for our brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith.

If our intention and acts are genuine, we will remove the perception and reality of a threat against Allah, and build a pathway towards peace, prosperity and harmony. It won't be easy, but boy will it be worth it.