U.S. does not understand roots of hatred

Lawrence Pintak, Howard R. Marsh Visiting Professor of Journalism, The University of Michigan

Once again American strategic interests in the Islamic world have been sucker-punched by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and much of the U.S. body politic remains oblivious to the fact that they are even in the fight.

For the past two years, Americans -- and their president -- have been asking the question, "Why do they hate us?" But they have not wanted to hear the answer, which lies, in part, in the blood-soaked soil of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In the weeks after Sept. 11, I encountered a parade of talk show hosts who either dismissed the notion that there might be a connection between terrorism and U.S. policy in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict or who violently objected to even suggesting such a thing.

Little has changed since. It is still possible to have an otherwise rational conversation with someone about Muslim perceptions of the U.S., then watch as they recoil at the idea that the sight of the U.S. president embracing the man Arabs consider the Butcher of Beirut just might upset some people in the Muslim world.

What many Americans do not seem to understand is that the issue is not who wears the black hats and who wears the white in a conflict painted in shades of gray, but rather, what the implications are for the security of Americans at home and abroad.

How we see the world is shaped by the lens of our culture. After watching television stories about the Haifa suicide bombing, in which the families of victims sobbed in mourning, and an earlier Israeli attack on the West Bank, that showed angry chanting crowds and masked militiamen waving weapons, one of my students recently asked, "Why are the Arabs always screaming for blood?"

She saw the anger, but not the decades of humiliation that brought it about. Likewise, it was only after she and her classmates were given a capsule history of Ariel Sharon's role in the invasion and occupation of Lebanon, the Sabra and Chatilla massacres, the events that prompted the disastrous U.S. intervention in Lebanon, the beginnings of the al-Aksa Intifada, and after they were told of Sharon's belief that the real Palestine lies in Jordan, that they began to understand Arab concerns about Washington's reaction to the Syria bombing.

Her ignorance of recent Middle East history is emblematic of the American public as a whole. One recent survey found that only 21 percent of Americans follow international news closely and 65 per cent say they "lack the background" to absorb overseas news.

Is it any wonder that they fail to understand how Arabs perceive a presidential declaration that Israel "must not feel constrained" about attacking its enemies? Is it a surprise that they do not grasp that when Bush divides the world into "us" and "them", Muslims have little doubt in which camp they fall?

Though there is a creeping recognition, the majority of Americans still fail to grasp the fact that while the Palestinian-Israeli conflict may not be what drives Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, it is what helps inflame the shock troops of the terror war. Even as he prepares to leave for Indonesia, President George W. Bush -- like his countrymen -- remains oblivious to the notion that even the Indonesian militants convicted of the Bali bombing cite televised images of Israeli tanks on the West Bank as a reason for their anger.

And it is obvious that he genuinely does not understand that his cozy relationship with Sharon has helped to squander the post Sept. 11 reserve of sympathy among mainstream Muslims.

As for the recent Israeli attack on Syria, most Americans would dismiss as a far-fetched conspiracy fantasy the idea that many Muslims believe it is part of a new U.S. campaign against Hizbullah, or that it underscores the intimate link between U.S. and Israeli policies.

The critical role of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the legacy of hate was acknowledged by a Congressional task force in an 80-page report on what the U.S. can do to improve its image in the Muslim world, which was issued this month.

"Surveys indicate that much of the resentment toward America stems from real conflicts and displeasure with policies, including those involving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iraq," noted the Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World.

The mandate of that task force was to recommend a series of initiatives to improve U.S. communications with the Islamic world. It was the eighth such government study in two years. Now, even before the ink on the report is dry, the president who authored a doctrine that calls for pre-emptive regime change has given Sharon the green light to strike at Israel's enemies.

So why is it they hate us? The next time the president wonders that aloud, rather than commissioning another government study, the White House might want to take a cue from Bush Senior's re- election campaign and invest in a sign to hang in the Oval Office: "It's the policy, stupid."

The writer, a veteran journalist who has covered the Islamic world for more than 20 years, is the author of Seeds of Hate: How America's Flawed Middle East Policy Ignited the Jihad, published this month.