An important perspective

Take the time to read this thought provoking op-ed in today's New York Times. In it, Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie reports from Karachi on the complex feelings and reactions of average Muslims to the infamous Danish cartoons - and the broader issues of their relationship with the West. Shamsie writes:

The idea that the cartoons were a deliberate provocation to get us to behave badly is being encouraged by officialdom: various political groups have condemned "the planned conspiracy by the West to instigate the Muslims"; the Foreign Office has said the cartoons are part of "sinister agendas"; the chief minister of the country's most religiously conservative province, himself a leading member of the religious alliance that gains much of its popularity from its anti-Western stance, has said the cartoons are aimed at bringing about "the clash of civilizations."

This is an extremely important perspective to acknowledge, particularly because it reflects the reality inside one of the few countries in the region that calls itself our ally. It is a point of view to be considered carefully and intelligently when forming attitudes and policy toward the Arab world. It's something that we all need to know, something that should open our eyes and make us watch our Administration's next move in the Middle East VERY closely.

Quoting a family member, the author continues:

"It's just racism. You act in ways that you know will provoke the extremists to start ranting and then you get bearded men frothing at the mouth, and - because those are the only images that get significant news coverage - you can then turn around and say, 'You see, all Muslims are fanatics.' "

Shamsie's piece is also intriguing in that it shows the glimmer of hope which exists in those common bonds we share with most human beings around the globe - one of which is to instinctively distrust the motives of those telling us what to do these days. As for the other...

"Listen," said [the author's] father. "The most important thing here is not to confuse a group within an entity for the entity itself. Europeans, Muslims, European Muslims - most people just want to live in peace. For us to start believing Europe is represented by its right-wing fanatics would be as wrong as for them to believe Islam is represented by our right-wing fanatics."