Speaker criticizes U.S. policy in Mideast

Addressing issues varying from Osama bin Laden's motivations to the validity of Israel to the possibility of war with Iraq, guest speaker Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad spoke passionately to a diverse audience last Wednesday night in the third of a series of presentations hosted for Islam Awareness Week.

Focusing on the prompt "Why is the Muslim World so Angry?" Ahmad directed students to examine bin Laden's self-proclaimed declaration of war on the United States.

"He didn't say he hates democracy, he didn't say he hates McDonald's... he identifies three specific policies," Ahmad explained. These policies, Ahmad informed students, were America's responsibility for one million deaths in Iraq since the Gulf War, United States occupation of Saudi Arabian soil and American support of Israel's policies regarding Palestinians.

"One should remember that Osama bin Laden is a product of U.S. foreign policy... and the shortsightedness of policy makers," Ahmad concluded.

Therefore, prospects for peace, in his opinion, rest on the U.S. adopting a long-range view as well as avoiding selectivity in its judgements. Ahmad went on to speak of a discrepancy that Israel, a U.S. ally, has violated more United Nations resolutions than Iraq.

When questioned point-blank from audience members whether Israel has a right to exist, Ahmad responded no. He went on to qualify this statement, claiming it was not a "pragmatic objection." Thus, he favored compliance with the Oslo Accords, saying, "I think we should accept this compromise for all of its flaws... within the context of international laws."

Speaking on what the Muslim Student Association President Ahsen Janjua called "topics that are relevant to the current issues of Islam," Ahmad also spoke against preemptive strikes on Iraq. "We're opening a terrible Pandora's box here," he said.

Finally, Ahmad addressed bias in the media against the Islamic world, citing both misrepresentations of women's rights as well as dismissal of Palestinian casualties.

"Even in Israel, the newscasts are much more unbiased than in the U.S.," he claimed.

Yet, Ahmad faced students with a message of activism, not victimization. He encouraged the audience, "I think it's time the Muslim world started looking to themselves. We've got to go out and get involved in more aspects of society... to let people know" the truth about the Muslim world.

Following a similar ideology, College freshman Sabah Khan attended the event out of "support for the club." Khan admitted she was "surprisingly completely on par with what [Ahmad] was saying."

"I wish that people felt more comfortable with their ignorance," Khan said. "Asking questions is the best way to learn."

Ahmad, too, encouraged questioning and debate, specifically philosophical debate. "In political debate, you take your opponent's case in its worst form... in philosophical debate, you refute the best form, and that's the attitude I think a college audience should adopt," he said.

The event took place in Logan Hall and was attended by about 60 people.

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