April 18, 2007
"BEFORE WE SAY: NONSENSE":
To much of the Muslim world, American culture is the culprit (Bruce Ramsey, 4/18/07, Seattle Times)
"Most Muslims did not view it as a torture story at all," writes Dinesh D'Souza in his book, "The Enemy at Home." To the Muslims, Abu Ghraib was a story of sexual perversion. D'Souza quotes a Muslim businessman in Turkey: "What the female American soldier in uniform did to the Arab man, strip him of his manhood and pull him on a leash, this is what America wants to do to the Muslim world."Before we say: Nonsense! — we might consider D'Souza's argument. His book makes other claims I set aside, but on the 9/11 question — Why do they hate us? — he argues plausibly that their objection is our spreading of an immoral culture.
We like American culture. We may criticize it, but it is ours and we resent it when others pick at it. When we see that much of the world is drawn to our ways, we think it's good. There is a thought, often not expressed, of an American world — which, as you might expect, may be unwelcome. And because America by global standards has a liberal culture, the strongest resistance is from the world's conservatives. Particularly the Muslims.
There's a failure here to differentiate the culture from the mass media. Those who believe in the culture are just as offended, though sadly not as resistant.
Moslems aren't conservative.
Objective reality quiz: Who does he mean by "other worldwide conservatives"?
Although Dinesh D'Souza bangs on the "immoral culture" drum too much, there is a salient point in what that Turkish Muslim businessman said. Large portions of Muslim culture do need the leash treatment, if the moral culture aspects of Islam are to be preserved.
Posted by: Brad S at April 18, 2007 8:40 AMGiven that many American females have stripped their husbands, put them on leashes, and made them vote of tax referenda for schools...
(the number of men who say they were "forced" to vote 'yes' by their wives would amaze you)
...the worries of the Muslims in the piece seem somewhat justified. Save the baubles, green lawns, and gadgets, I can't see much difference between the metrosexualized US male and the guy in the Abu Ghraib picture.
While OJ is correct that the media isn't exactly the "culture," that is the way that it is trending.
Posted by: Bruno at April 18, 2007 8:57 AMRamsey's mostly right although when US conservatives protested about the Virgin Mary exhibit, they didn't start off street rallies urging the gallery owner and artist to be killed. The murderous and overwrought nature of Muslim protest doesn't help our image at all.
Still, he and D'Souza raise a good point. Talk to a Muslim in the Third World - heck, any Thirdworlder for that matter - and they assume US society is accurately portrayed by all the American TV and movies they get.
Posted by: Ali Choudhury at April 18, 2007 10:43 AMMuslims are, Islamicists aren't.
Posted by: oj at April 18, 2007 10:44 AMThe mass media downplayed the fact that the guards at Abu Ghraib were investigated and punished.
They know the reactions they are going to get from Third Worlders, and they want them.
Posted by: Chris B at April 18, 2007 12:04 PM(the number of men who say they were "forced" to vote 'yes' by their wives would amaze you)
These weenies hide behind their women's skirts. Do they know they can vote whatever and whomever they wanted in the voting booth? No one has to know. No one, even the wives, have the right to know.
Posted by: ic at April 18, 2007 12:20 PMSome Moslems are, not all by any means.
Posted by: erp at April 18, 2007 2:39 PM