Not a war on Islam

For some time, pundits have been debating the most accurate phrase that should be used to frame the challenge caused by terrorist groups operating in Syria, Iraq and now in Libya. It is hard to avoid the realization that there are those in the West who seek to equate Islam with terrorism.
Fortunately, the president of the strongest nation on earth turned the debate upside down by insisting that terrorist groups such as IS do not represent Islam. As he wrapped a three-day conference on “violent extremism,” President Obama made it perfectly clear that the culprit is not Islam but terrorists.
Obama could not be more correct. Islam does not sanction terrorism in any shape or form. Of course, some right-wing politicians and pundits would say that Obama was not accurate and that he was trying to be politically correct. But, even President Bush once said that his country was waging a war on evil rather than Islamic faith.
That being said, President Obama needs to understand that extremism is in part driven by the economic and political dysfunction ubiquitous in this part of the world. These socioeconomic conditions should be addressed by the international community as well. It is important to devote resources for encouraging good governance and improving political systems in this part of the world. On top of that, youth in the Middle East should believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hundreds of thousands of them go to university and earn degrees only to remain unemployed. Short of creating jobs for the increasing number of unemployed youth, we run the risk of making them easy target for terror organizations to recruit. If a global strategy to combat and defeat terrorism is to work, it should take into account the current ugly socioeconomic conditions.
But also let us not beat around the bush when we talk about whether terrorism is linked to any sort of interpretation of Islam, western policies in the Middle East has been a key reason for convincing the youth that the Arab world is still suffering from the residue of colonization. The Palestinians, for instance, are suffering from the last colonial occupation on this planet. Many in this region could not appreciate the failure of the current administration in putting the necessary pressure on Netanyahu. Also, sectarian strife only surfaced after the US occupied Iraq and failed in building an inclusive democratic country. Needless to say that there are many in this region who believe that the US harbor ulterior objective of further dividing the Arab nation.
While Obama said the right words about terrorism, his administration should not be oblivious to the fact that the hesitance of his administration in supporting the Syrian revolution has contributed to this mayhem in Syria. In her book, “Hard Choices,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton linked the rise of the IS to the failure of the American administration to support the rebels early on the conflict.
In his speech, Obama did not even refer to his failed strategy of leading from behind at a time Iran and Hezbollah are having boots on the ground. To defeat IS, there should be a strategy that is based on deeds rather than rhetoric.
We agree with Obama that it is not a war on Islam and it does not have to be like that. And yet, instead of rehashing the same policies and strategies to combat terrorism, Obama needs to change course. It is no longer comfortable to hear Obama say the right words without translating these words into action.
So when John Kerry insists on the need of good governance in this region, we wait the American to help in that arena, but sadly, the US is still talking about and dealing with the symptoms of the terrorism rather than help find solutions to the root causes.