In Muslim Asia, US Loses Hearts of Those It Educated
Wed March 26, 2003 09:25 PM ET
By Dean Yates
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Amien Rais has fond memories of studying in the United States more than two decades ago.
A legislator and contender for Indonesia's 2004 presidential election, Rais came to admire American democracy while pacing the corridors of the University of Chicago with students such as Syafii Maarif, now head of Indonesia's second biggest Muslim group.
But since U.S.-led forces marched into Iraq, Rais feels those qualities he so respected have been turned on their head.
He said the administration of President Bush was alienating the elite in the world's most populous Muslim nation, many of whom lived on U.S. campuses, and it could take years to rebuild trust in U.S. intentions toward the Islamic world.
That sentiment is found elsewhere among the U.S.-educated elite in Pakistan, Malaysia and among the Muslim minority in India, raising the question of the consequences for U.S. policy on such an influential body of public opinion in Muslim Asia that one would expect to be normally sympathetic toward Washington.
"We are disillusioned. We believed that America was the bulwark of democracy. We know about the noble system of American values, but then suddenly the United States....mobilizes hundreds of thousands of (soldiers) to remove Saddam," said Rais, referring to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Despite harsh words from Indonesia's Muslim elite -- Maarif calls Bush a "war criminal" -- few expect them to become outright militant, but some fear their many moderate followers could.
Maarif, for example, has repeatedly urged his 30-million member Muhammadiyah group and other Muslims not to resort to violence.
In Muslim Asia, support for the war on terror might be the first casualty if the elite lacks the will or ability to keep followers on a peaceful path.
That concern exists especially in Pakistan, where anger is strengthening the hand of Islamic radicals and leaving the liberal elite that is supportive of the United States and the war on terrorism feeling threatened and isolated.
SUPPORTERS OF U.S. NO MORE
"I used to be among the staunchest supporters of U.S. foreign policy prior to this war. But I think Bush has antagonized a lot of people like me worldwide," said Javeria Abdullah, a U.S. graduate who works for a multinational company in Karachi.
Added Aslam Khan, a businessman from a prominent Muslim Indian business family: "I used to support and argue strongly in favor of U.S. market policies and liberal political values."
"But after Iraq, I feel embarrassed I did that. If I go on a holiday today, I would not go to the United States. I don't want to be harassed...because of my religion," said Khan.
At the moment most governments have too much to lose by going beyond verbal criticism of the United States, a vital trade partner. That could change if the war drags on, street protests explode and America's normal friends lose the will to sell a non-violent and cautious approach to the conflict to the public.
"We are in a real dilemma. When journalists ask me do I agree to cutting off diplomatic ties I say, 'No, don't even think about that, you are being emotional'," said Rais.
BACKING FOR WAR ON TERROR WANING?
In Asia, the spotlight of the U.S.-led war on terrorism has been on Pakistan and more recently Indonesia in the wake of October's Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
Moderate Muslim leaders in Indonesia openly backed the war on terror following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
They may be less inclined to give unqualified support now.
The religious right in Pakistanis is already on the rise since the invasion of Iraq, and "jihad," or Muslim holy war, is back on the political agenda. At risk, liberals there fear, could be Islamabad's partnership with Washington in the war on terror.
Rais said he still supported the battle against terrorism but warned the Iraq crisis could jeopardize the fight.
"I can accept the simple logic held by many...that sometimes people will be transformed into a kind of radicalization, if these moderate people see injustice is not addressed," he said.
Other U.S.-educated elite in Asia such as Azyumardi Azra, head of the State Islamic University in Jakarta, said the United States had lost the moral high ground when talking about democracy and respect for human rights.
This had deepened skepticism about U.S. intentions and policies in Muslim Asia, moderate leaders said.
For many, there was a clear difference between going after Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network -- blamed for the September 11 attacks -- and seeking to remove Saddam.
"They had an excuse when they went after Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. What excuse do they have for Iraq? None," said a retired civil servant in Islamabad whose two children are U.S. citizens and live in the United States.
A Malaysian trader who went to a U.S. business school echoed a common theme, saying he sympathized with ordinary Americans.
One U.S.-educated Indonesian who was less caustic was former science minister and Muslim scholar Muhammad Hikam.
"I think the U.S. is excellent in other fields, just because it's led by George Bush and his men does not mean it's the end of the United States," he said, adding he still opposed the war.
(With reporting by Achmad Sukarsono in Jakarta, Kamil Zaheer in New Delhi, Tahir Ikram in Islamabad and Jalil Hamid in Kuala Lumpur)
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