Islam's Glasnost

John L. Esposito September 16, 2002 00:00 IST Islam's Glasnost -0001-11-30T00:00:00+05:53

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush was careful to emphasise that America was waging a war against global terrorism, not against Islam. However, America’s pursuit and prosecution of its broad-based war against terrorism, and the rhetoric and policies of the administration that have accompanied it, reinforce the belief among many Muslims that the Bush administration is at war with the Islamic world. Several factors have contributed significantly to a widespread anti-Americanism that cuts across Muslim societies: the broadening of the US-led military campaign’s scope beyond Afghanistan; use of the term "axis of evil," with the threat of action against Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein; subsequent calls for the US to reconsider its policies towards long-standing allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and, importantly, the continued "pro-Israel" policy of the Bush administration and Congress during the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The lack of balance in rhetoric and policy, in words and in deeds, of the Bush administration has reinforced...