Even before U.S. President Barack Obama utters a word of his long-anticipated June 4 address to "the Muslim world," there is already a problem with the rhetoric. As well meaning as it sounds, the term "Muslim world" is a trap. There is no unified Muslim world. And describing it as such legitimizes the idea that it is "us vs. them" -- just the sort of divided world that al Qaeda wants to create. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
To:
Separate email addresses with commas.
25 recipients max.
Note:
The author makes a case that there is no defined (in a idealogical or political sense) "Muslim world", but he does not address the fact that when there is the perception on an attack there does seem to be some coming together.
Every time the United States speaks to the “Muslim world,” then, it inadvertently legitimizes the extremists’ vision. More »
A thought provoking piece. While he's certainly correct that essentializing identity is often not very useful, there are some U.S. foreign policy ... More »
Retrieving Comments
