Middle East Reacts to Obama Win
Cautious Anticipation Marks Response of Mideast to US Election
Nov 10, 2008
These are really confusing times for the Middle East. Governments and peoples alike expressed shy hope that Barack Obama's victory will somehow begin the end of the decades-long struggle victimizing millions of people in the Middle East. Among them was Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who issued a letter congratulating Obama on his victory -the first time an Iranian leader has congratulated the winner of an American election since the Iranian revolution, The New York Times reported Friday, November 7, 2008.
Others viewed the election result as a disgrace to George W. Bush, a message to the neoconservatives who have plagued Washington for so long that their policies have not only failed in the eyes of the world, but also in the eyes of the American people. Islamic parties in Egypt and Jordan both said this election was a clear signal that the Bush policies of the past 8 years have failed on all fronts.
Looking Ahead
Obama has an unenviably tough task ahead. While expectations are high, the quagmire left by the Bush administration will take a long time to clean up. America's image in the world is at an all-time low, although Obama's victory has definitely jump-started its recovery. The economic disaster in America has affected every corner in the globe and will do so for some years to come. Terrorism has not receded. The last eight years of US Middle East policy have allowed terrorists to recruit young, desperate youths blinded by despair to carry out heinous crimes in the name of religion.
Dare to Hope
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama made it into the history books as the first black president. Also on that day, Muslim and Catholic leaders met at the Vatican and pledged to improve relations and work together to bring the two faiths closer.
Should the Middle East dare to hope? “I do not think that Obama is going to be the answer to our hopes and dreams, simply because the answer is not in Washington. It lies deep within and around us,” insists Nasib Bitar, a media consultant in Dubai, UAE.
Amer Al Muhaisen, a businessman from Jordan, believes that people in the Middle East tend to focus too much on leadership and democracy forgetting the core problem: the self. “While only democracy could help lift us from our current dark ages, it must be sustainable. Joe/Joan the Plumber in the Arab world should somehow focus on his/her inner paradigm of values in order to create the momentum for sustainable change to the betterment of our Arab societies.”
Hungry for Change
Young voters in America made it very clear that they are hungry for change. And so is the rest of the world.
It is common to see people on the streets of Vancouver, London, and many other cities today wearing kaffiyas (black and white scarves, also called plos in reference to the Palestine Liberation Organisation), almost as a show of defiance against the status quo, unthinkable a few years ago when it was part of Yasser Arafat's “militant” uniform. But is this enough? “We have to make the change,” insists Nasib. “We need to be noticed not because of our plos. We need to be heard but not because we are shouting.”
The Answer?
Hope is vital. Human suffering cannot go on forever. Terrorism will have nothing to hide behind. It will show for what it really is: pure evil, stemming from nothing but human greed. Arabs, Muslims, and everyone in the free world today should dare to dream of change and believe that anything is possible. “I think the most we can hope for is greater emphasis on diplomacy rather than militancy as a means to resolving issues worldwide. At least we know we have an educated, sophisticated and worldly leader,” observes Lena, a Palestinian artist.
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