Here’s a lesson Bush’s public diplomacy czarina Karen Hughes should already know: Respect is a two-way street.
Hughes got an earful, particularly in Jeddah, about negative American perceptions of Islam and the Arab world in general.
She might have better understood the problem had she heard Bruno’s story before heading to the region.
Bruno is a Lebanese-American businessman based in Beirut who imports containers full of end-of-season clothing and accessories from chains such as the Gap and Macy’s. He then sells these goods in his stores. Bargain shopping ranks somewhere behind motherhood and Apple Pie as a core American value.
Recently, Bruno e-mailed a firm in Wisconsin to buy their leftover apparel. He received a disturbing response: “We do not do business with terrorists.”
Thinking there was some misunderstanding, he indicated that he was a US citizen, a businessman in good standing and that, in any case, such an accusation was rather unprofessional.
The reply came back: “We do not do business with terrorists.”
Now Bruno was angry. So he sent a letter to the commercial section at the US Embassy and the Chamber of Commerce, including a copy of his e-mail exchange. He didn’t want them to intervene (he has no interest doing business with racists); rather he thought that both should be aware of the problem. He doubted it would be the first such complaint they had ever received.
No one has bothered to answer his correspondence.
Of course, there isn’t a government in the world that can control what citizens think and how they act. But they can do a better job setting a good example.
On a recent trip to Washington, a delegation of Gulf intellectuals was waiting for a meeting with a US congressman. When he left his office and saw them in the waiting room, he remarked (within earshot) to his staff, “Who are they, terrorists?”
To win Arab hearts and minds, Hughes should consider deploying her diplomats at home, not just abroad. Fortunately, she won’t have to gin up a new program, one already exists.
Many State Department officers and staff are, without fanfare and often at personal expense, going to their hometowns to talk to Lion’s Clubs and other community groups about life overseas. Less than a quarter of all Americans have passports. There is a real hunger for information, particularly after 9/11.
Hughes would do well to expand the program, using 21st century communications tools and some old-fashioned plain talking (chats, not scripted remarks) to engage Americans. Even a modest effort will earn huge dividends in the market she’s charged with conquering: The Arab world. She can demonstrate that she really was listening when those she met with raised the issue of American misperceptions. There’s not much she can do about their foreign policy grievances.
As every poll from Pew to Zogby has amply demonstrated, Arabs don’t “hate us for our values”, but for our policies. In fact, there is widespread frustration that our actions don’t reflect our values. Simply put, they wish we’d do a better job of practicing what we preach. Or preach a lot less. So here’s some unsolicited advice from one mother-of-four to another: Karen, next time you blitzkrieg your way through the Middle East, make your security detail work overtime and hit the streets.
A Saudi woman’s perspective would seem less alien if you stepped into her world. If you looked out and saw a sea of black, the common US media description of your meeting at Dar Al Hikmat College, then you missed the point.
The only thing that’s black and white about the Kingdom is the clothes people wear.
When you return to Jeddah, take an hour to go abaya shopping. Slip into one. I find it not unlike that staple item in every American woman’s closet — the perfect black cocktail dress. There’s no sleeveless model and all reach to just above your ankle. But they move, fit, and are accessorized in ways you cannot imagine. They are a Godsend when you’re running late to work. Have you ever shown up at a business meeting in your pajamas? Yes, they cover up — and I’m often thankful for it.
The abaya does not come with a gag. You undoubtedly observed that some women are covered head-to-to in black. That doesn’t stop them from speaking out. Some may be coerced to adopt such austere attire, but many choose to do so as a way of observing their faith.
As for driving, that doesn’t make my “Top 10” list of core values. So stop advertising it as a central issue for all American women. To me, the right to equal application of the US Constitution to both men and women is a more fundamental concern. Regrettably, mustering support for the Equal Rights Amendment is not a priority for your boss. Then there’s the pay gap between genders. According to one study, 42 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women’s pay is 74 percent of men’s for the same work — even for those women with college degrees.
Clearly, there’s a lot of work to be done on both sides of the Atlantic.
Maybe that common concern of misperceptions — them of us, us of them — should frame your agenda. At least it’s a good place to start.
— Maggie Mitchell Salem was a US diplomat who served overseas as well as in Washington where she was special assistant to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Then went on to direct communications and outreach department at the Middle East Institute.
