I saw the news about the earthquake in Pakistan Saturday, right after it happened. My first thought, after hoping the best for the survivors, was that this would be a great opportunity for the West, and in particular, the U.S. I was, and still am very afraid that as a nation, we will squander this opportunity to help change how we are perceived in the minds of the 95% of ordinary, good-hearted Muslims in Pakistan and the rest of the Middle East.
It is more of an opportunity in this year than it might have been in other years; we had a national (nay, global) outpouring of support and monetary donations for the Asian tsunami disaster and Hurricane Katrina. How would it compare if there was no similar outpouring for the victims of the Pakistan earthquake?
They are estimating 20,000 to 30,000 dead in this disaster, compared to 275,000 for the Asian tsunami and under 1,500 for Katrina. While the tsunami was an unparalleled disaster and Katrina hit close to home, I think we must respond in kind to the Pakistan earthquake. This is a region of the world that is poor, isolated, and for which our response will be judged critically by the people we need on our side to help end terrorism from Muslim exteremists. I believe that if Muslims as a whole in the Middle East didn't hate the U.S. (even if the ones that currently do don't participate directly in terror activities), then children would not grow up sanctioning the actions of Al-Qaeda and perhaps becoming active members of such terrorist organizations. We have to respond quickly and with overwhelming support, so we have a chance of showing ordinary people in the Middle East that we are not a nation of "evildoers" and "infidels".
Yes, I recognize that even if we do throw our hearts and money at earthquake relief, our actions could be twisted and used against us. They might say we are trying to buy them or that our money/support doesn't make up for all the wrongs previously committed. But what would be the effect of responding weakly, or not at all?
Monday, October 10, 2005
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2 comments:
U.S. relief will be twisted. Not a big surprise when the administration's middle east p.r. is guided in significant part by Karen Hughes. But it's the humanitarian thing to do and in a perfect world, that alone is reason enough.
We twisted other countries' contributions to the Katrina relief, but we took it anyway. Money is money.
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