By EDDIE RYAN
Student contributor
In this campaign, both sides fiercely attacked the other candidate’s ability to be President of the United States. One of the more absurd attacks was the allegation that Barack Obama was secretly Muslim. Although President-elect Obama spent much of his childhood in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, he is a practicing Christian. Not only was this attack ignorant, but it was also intolerant in its attempt to prey on the fears of others. It was a conscious attempt to associate Mr. Obama with Islamic terrorism by means of a religion he doesn’t practice.
Even at Poly, one can find students who still believe the myth of an “Islamic Barack.” Obviously, Poly students are intelligent, and if the myth resonated with them, then it is a testament to the vehemence with which it was perpetuated. Now that the election is over and the “Muslim” won, many see it as a sign that American relations with the Islamic world will improve. Although this notion is true in the sense that the Obama administration will be a tolerant and just one, seeking to mend foreign relations and improve the overall image of our great nation abroad, it is incorrect to think that the new administration will specifically cater to Muslims as a result of Obama’s “religion.” Similarly, although many will see improvements in tolerance and understanding between Americans, including Muslims, some will undoubtedly point to the improved “standing” of Muslims alone and use it to further perpetuate the fallacy introduced in the campaign.
Although the presidency will change, some of our fellow citizens will not. Many will reconsider their assumptions and prejudices as a result of “the black man in the White House,” but the hate that exists amongst us will not be vanquished by an executive order or the color of our president’s skin. It is ridiculous to think that President-elect Obama’s “Muslim faith” will remedy America’s treatment of Muslims at home and abroad. It is preposterous simply because it is non-factual. Such thinking is worthy of contempt, not attention. At the same time, it is not so ridiculous to ponder how the Obama administration will handle domestic intolerance, including Muslim prejudice, and our foreign relations with other countries, including those that are predominantly Muslim. One must understand that the Obama administration’s objective is not to mend relations with Muslims, due to the personal religious convictions of Mr. Obama, but rather to mend relations overall, including, but not exclusively, those with Muslims.
The tarnishing of our nation’s image has dimmed our image of the “shining city on a hill.” This can be largely attributed to moral failures in the Bush administration and its inappropriate responses to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. But it must also be attributed to the public that elected and then re-elected Mr. Bush. Earlier this month, however, that same public astonished the world. The world, which united behind us in the wake of the terrorist attacks, had lost its respect for us as a result of our actions over time. Many doubted that Americans had it in them to elect the likes of Barack Obama. They were wrong. If America was becoming a “not great” nation, we have pivoted, and now have an opportunity to re-illuminate our “city on the hill.” But restoration of our greatness is not served by ludicrous narratives and counter-factual nonsense. In fact, it is just more sand in the air—another example of non-serious, non-great thinking.
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