Trump, ISIS and Other Simpletons of the World
This week U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a temporary, “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” As the vast majority of the American political establishment reacted with horror and disdain to the proposal, Mr. Trump’s idea nonetheless seemed to strike a chord with much of the Republican base. “A lot of Muslims hate us,” they reasoned, “so this is the sort of thing we need to do to keep America safe.”
After the recent shootings in California and the attacks in Paris, segments of the American (and European) public appear ready for anything that promises them security. Reactionary and populist voices in the media and politics oblige them, calling for harsh measures against real and imagined enemies and declaring that privacy and civil liberties will need to be forfeit in the process. The strident discourse against foreign “others” as a source of danger attracts and encourages racists and bigots who never dared speak their mind before, as spineless media allow the likes of Mr. Trump to hijack what should be a serious and careful public discourse.
In an increasingly complex and ever-changing world, we should never underestimate the appeal that simple solutions hold for the bewildered. Trump’s proposal is of course ludicrous. Besides completely running roughshod over cherished American values of religious liberty, anti-discrimination and acceptance of diversity, such a policy would prove completely unworkable and ineffective.
The mere suggestion of such a policy option in America ironically plays right into the hands of the “Islamic State” (ISIS) and other jihadis. The likes of ISIS want to attract more supporters and recruits, and there is probably no better way to do so than engendering discrimination and bigotry towards Muslims in general. In the world as the jihadis see it, convincing everyone that a clash of civilizations really exists will put some 1.3 billion Muslims into their pool of constituents, supporters and recruits – as opposed to the small minority of Muslims who currently support the jihadis.
http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/10122015
