U.S. could boost its image in Muslim world through aid: Report
U.S. could boost its image in Muslim world through aid: Report
Karen Matthews, Associated Press/New York
The United States could improve its image among Muslims by adopting a more respectful tone and publicizing the aid programs it is has implemented to help Muslims and Arabs worldwide, said a report released on Wednesday.
The report, issued by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, said that emphasizing U.S. development aid to Muslim nations, such as tsunami relief in Indonesia, rather than focusing on persuading Muslims to support U.S. policies in Iraq, could be more successful in combating the rising anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world that now also extends to U.S. consumer brands.
The report, by Craig Charney and Nicole Yakatan, of Charney Research, is based on 14 focus groups conducted last December and January among college educated men and women in Egypt, Morocco and Indonesia. The educated elite were chosen because their support is vital for U.S.-backed reforms, the authors said.
"There are important openings for America to communicate more effectively and regain ground in the Islamic world, the focus groups show, despite the extent of hostility at the moment," said the report. "These opportunities can be realized by focusing on bilateral relationships and respectful partnerships, Muslim initiative, and agreeing to disagree on contentious security issues involving other countries such as Iraq or Palestine."
Anger at U.S. foreign policy and at the U.S. government dominated spontaneous reactions in all three countries, with one Indonesian man describing the United States as "Interferers, especially in developing countries."
Views of President George W. Bush were uniformly negative, with criticisms ranging from "selfish" and "rude" to "an enemy of Arabs and Muslims." All focus group members rejected U.S. views of the war in Iraq, saying the United States invaded on a false premise to further its own regional goals.
Misconceptions about the influence of Jews in American politics also contributed to anti-Americanism. Focus group members saw the United States and Israel as synonymous and estimated the proportion of Jews in the U.S. population at up to 85 percent, when it is actually 2 percent.
The report found that negative opinions of the United States are taking a toll on U.S. companies and that the amounts of U.S. aid were massively underestimated. It found that none of the focus group participants knew that the United States is the world's largest donor by dollar amount.
"Most Egyptians and Indonesians put U.S. support for their countries over 10 years in millions; the correct figures were $7.3 billion and $1 billion, respectively," the authors said.
When asked what they wanted from the United States, focus group members said respect and aid to develop as their countries choose.
The authors said that to be heard by Muslims the United States must agree to disagree on contentious issues such as Iraq.
"Despite the intensity of their anger, many Muslims appear open to new information and a different attitude from the United States. An effort to communicate and the right content for the dialog can help to change their perceptions, even if it cannot vanquish anti-Americanism altogether," they said.
The Council on Foreign Relations, founded in 1921, is a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to helping members and policy-makers better understand the world and governmental policy choices, according to its Web site.
Charney Research is a private consulting firm that offers opinion polling and market research. It is based in New York.