Kull
recounts four themes common to Muslim complaints of oppression:
1. The US as
Coercively Dominating
The United States
seeks to and largely succeeds in coercively dominating the Muslim world, using
the threat of military force to shape it in ways that serve its interests.
Large
majorities of people polled throughout the region told him that they believe
the U.S. coercively
dominates the Muslim world -- often through the threat of military aggression --
to shape it in America's
interests.
"How much of what happens in the world today would you say is controlled by the U.S.?" he asked. Majorities throughout the Muslim world went with "nearly all" or "most" of what happens. Fifty-nine percent of Egyptians (pre-Arab uprising) said "nearly all."
"That the U.S.
is really this 800-pound gorilla in the minds of people in this part of the
world, and they feel threatened by it," Kull pointed out.
2. The US as
Hostile to Islam
The United States
is hostile to Islam and seeks to undermine it and to impose a secular social
order or even Christianity. They frequently cited American support for Israel as an illustration of the fear that the U.S.
dislikes Islam and maneuvers to dominate the region.
3. Support
for Israel
Driven by
anti-Islamic prejudice and seeking regional domination, the United States supports and enables Israel
in its victimization of the Palestinian people.
4. The US as
Undermining Democracy
The United States undermines democracy in the Muslim world so as to preserve its control and to ensure that Islamism is kept under wraps.
Majorities
in every country but the United Arab Emirates
said they believe democracy is not a real U.S. objective in the region. They
argued that the U.S. favors
democracy in Muslim countries, but only if the government is cooperative with
the U.S.
People
frequently told Kull that they admired the values America once embodied --
fairness, equality, self-determination, respect for human rights -- but that at
some point in a linear timeline, the U.S. had abandoned those values, and on
its responsibility as a world superpower to promote them abroad.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
