The globalization of conflict

Nasir Tamara, Chairman, The Center for Globalization and Social Studies, Jakarta

The Muslim world in general has encountered globalization with a lot more fear and suspicion, and in the most extreme cases, rejected it. Many among its educated people strongly debate and the role of globalization in their lives. Many see globalization as a threat to their religious and cultural identity. Furthermore the wealth created from globalization is said to drive many people toward a more materialistic society where religion no longer has as important and elevated a function.

Moreover, many Muslims resist globalization because they believe it comes with an agenda dominated by the Christian Western World. And the U.S. has become the dominant superpower with the European Union following in the U.S. lead most of the time. As the forces to change have become stronger, so have resistance and fundamentalism among Muslims.

So we are in a potentially explosive situation wherein the Western and Muslim civilizations have lost trust in each other -- even though the true teachings of the major religions in both civilizations are based on the principles of peace, love, tolerance, openness, empathy and respect toward others.

The gulf has become bigger since this second Gulf war. If an all-out war between the Israelis and Palestinians were to be added, there would be a major world crisis. Here we see a shift from economic globalization to the globalization of conflict.

President George W. Bush provided a single answer to an important question in the Congress on the motive on the terrorist attack. "Why do they hate us? They hate our freedom. Our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other". Since the terrorists of Sept. 11 were all Muslims, there is tendency in the U.S. to think that Islam is synonymous to terrorism, which is totally wrong.

Muslims, including Indonesians, do not hate U.S. freedom. The Sunni branch of Islam and the moderate Muslims in Indonesia are the driving force towards democracy. During the revolution against the Dutch colonial power, revolutionaries were inspired by the democratic idealism and slogans of American Revolution.

Are Muslims jealous of U.S. as a very prosperous, modern and strong nation? Yes, but so is the whole developing world and some western countries which do not have America's power, wealth and development.

Muslims have a long list of unhappiness toward U.S. as a reaction to the U.S. foreign policy and attitude towards the Muslim world.

They are angry because of the unjustified second war in Iraq and because of unfair U.S. chronic support and siding with Israel in the conflict with the Palestinians. For Muslims Jerusalem is the second holy place after Mecca. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the longest conflict involving Islam in modern history. The image of Palestinians beaten and deprived of their basic rights, are impregnated in the Muslim soul, and is felt to be much more painful than the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Army or Bosnia by the Serbs.

Muslims are unhappy and on the defensive after the bad treatment of innocent Muslims, including those who are U.S. citizens being suspected and accused of helping the terrorists. Muslims also feel offended by the humiliation by Christians preachers such as Pat Robertson attacking Islam and the Prophet Mohammad -- and by the Christian conservative coalitions with the Jewish lobby in the U.S. in their defense of Israel.

Muslims, many of whom who are well informed about the oil business, perceive the recent U.S. decision to attack Iraq is in order to gain control of Iraq oil, to advance Christian cause and to finish a family business (a revenge because "Saddam Hussein tried to kill my father") -- and not so much to build a genuine democracy in that country.

If democracy is the real concern, they question they raise is why the U.S. government does not use its power to establish democracy in some other undemocratic but oil-rich Muslim countries.

The writer is currently a visiting researcher at Georgetown Univversity, Washinton D.C.