Bridging the Divide?

Abstract

On January 9, 2006, in Washington, DC, the Saban Center for Middle East
Policy at the Brookings Institution hosted the highest level meeting between
the Bush administration and the American Muslim community. Entitled “Bridging the Divide?” and organized by the Brookings Project on US
Policy toward the Islamic World, representatives of various Muslim organization
were granted the opportunity to interface with C. David Welch, the
Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. The conference,
a follow-up to previous initiatives on “Bridging the Divide” theme, sought
to bring together key leaders and specialists “to explore the potential space
for the American Muslim community to assist and advance US policy
towards the Islamic world and capabilities within the community that might
be better tapped.” In attendance were representatives from the American
government, officials from a variety of American Muslim organizations,
American Muslim foreign policy experts, others from the Washington thinktank
and policy communities, and students.
In the opening speech, Welch acknowledged several unique characteristics
about the American Muslim community: its integration into American
civic life; being Americans as well as Muslims; and, despite post-9/11 tensions,
steering a moderate course while confronting extremist Islamist tendencies.
As evidence, he cited the Fiqh Council of North America’s recent
fatwa against Islamic terrorism that was endorsed by major Muslim organizations.
He recognized that American Muslims can play an exceptional role
in explaining the American position, given their cultural, linguistic, and ethnic
ties with the Islamic world, and acknowledged the history of conflict
between the United States and the Muslim world. In addition, he condemned
the seeming “civilizational strife” between Islam and the West as a pointless
“jihad/crusade.” He stated that he was more comfortable with the relationship
of the United States with the Muslim – especially Arab – world as being
defined by a dialog stressing the commonalities of belief in God, virtue,
family life, and socioeconomic justice ...