THE ISLAMIC UNION AND THE WEST

The resulting stability in the Islamic world, created by the political and economical cooperation between Muslim nations, will enable the West to establish balanced relations with Muslims. With the formation of the Islamic Union, Muslim nations will first resolve their own internal differences and then follow balanced and stable policies toward the external world. Differences between Muslim nations, as well as tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim nations, will be resolved by the Islamic Union in a peaceful and just manner.

The Negative Impact of a State of Conflict on America

The artificial tensions between Islam and the West, as well as the “clash of civilizations” scenarios promoted by certain circles, are damaging to the Islamic world and to the West. Thus, the masses live in fear and worry. This situation became more noticeable after 9/11. A large portion of the American people suffers from the psychological effects deriving from the media’s ongoing insinuation that “we can be attacked again at any time.” The research figures published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. William E. Schelenger are noteworthy. A survey conducted in Washington, D.C., and New York with 2,273 subjects that sought to measure the effect of 9/11 on the American public yielded the following results:

The prevalence of probable PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) among people who were in New York City on September 11 was 11.2 percent, compared to 4.3 percent for the nation as a whole. . . . In addition, the researchers found that the prevalence of probable PTSD was significantly associated with the number of hours of TV coverage of the attacks that participants reported watching, and with the number of different kinds of potentially traumatic events they reported seeing.44

These figures are only a small example of the damage that tension and conflict inflict upon the human soul. Clearly, it is dangerous to escalate tension and feed people’s anxieties.

It is certainly important for the Bush administration to take the necessary precautions to protect America against attacks as well as to remove any worries in this respect. However, the proposed strategy should not further increase tension, and the public mind should not be left under the impression of constant danger. Policies should evoke calmness and follow peaceful methods.

The best way to relieve the Bush administration’s anxieties, as well as those of the public, is the formation of the Islamic Union. This event will prevent the efforts of those people and organizations that try to legitimize terrorism by misinterpreting Islam. Moreover, it can reveal that their flawed religious interpretations, which place all Muslims under suspicion, have no validity whatsoever, and thereby prevent any mental confusion among the masses. The effectiveness of the propaganda of those seeking to create tension, as well as their efforts to spread it, will naturally weaken and stall. An environment conducive to tolerance, peace, dialogue, and cooperation will be created, and peaceful policies will gain the upper hand.

The Danger of the West’s Disintegration

America’s Post 9/11 policy, especially the invasion of Iraq, caused serious disagreements and a rift in the West. In America, a polarization between the advocates of war and the defenders of peace materialized, and each party accused the other of barbarism or treason. During the run-up to the invasion and in the post-invasion period, serious disagreements emerged in such international bodies as the UN and the EU, which led some strategists to state that the Western alliance would disintegrate. For example, millions of people throughout the West and the world demonstrated against the invasion.
All of this could have been prevented by a strong Islamic Union, which could have rapidly answered the legitimate demands of the West for decommissioning Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction and preventing support for terrorism. Measures taken by the Islamic Union would have yielded fast results, and the desired results could have been achieved without the resulting military campaign, which caused a massive loss of life and property.