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MULTIMEDIA
May 26, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 

Obama uses Islamic soft power against terrorism
by
KADİR AYHAN*

13 August 2009 / ,
Two months ago, US President Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world from Cairo. There he repeated what he said in Ankara, that the US was not at war with Islam. Many may not remember, but this was exactly what Bush said when he was in office.
Firstly, let's ask why two US presidents had to stress that the US was not at war with a religion that is followed by more than 1 billion people. Could it be because the US has been fighting “the war on terrorism” and that the terrorism in question is what has often been referred to as “Islamic” terrorism? If the terrorism is Islamic, then does not it imply one way or another that the US is at war with Islam in its war against terrorism? That is why Muslims and some columnists in the West have strongly opposed the phrase “Islamic terrorism” and suggested alternative names for the kind of terrorism that manipulates the resources of Islam in order to attract Muslims to their cause. Something being Islamic attracts Muslims, and terrorism should not attract them; therefore the use of Islam and terrorism together in a phrase should be avoided. However, the mainstream Western media, politicians and professors used this term without realizing that by doing so they helped the terrorist ideology appeal more to Muslims in the marketplace of ideas.

The perception (or misperception) in the Muslim world that the US has been at war with Islam contributed to increasing anti-American sentiment in predominantly Muslim societies and may have made terrorist groups more attractive to Muslims, who would have been less likely to “buy” the terrorist groups' ideology under fair conditions in the marketplace of ideas. The terrorist groups' apparent stand against US “aggressors” made them more attractive than their ideology alone.

Secondly, we must ask why Obama's speech has been more welcomed by the Muslim audience, whereas Bush's quotes about Islam have totally been forgotten. Could it be because Obama drew Muslims' attention by using appealing language, quoting from the Quran and asking Muslims to be against terrorists based on what Islam's holy book says whereas Bush was infamous with his reference to the Iraq War as a “crusade” (a term that reminds Muslims of not very good memories from history)?

Obama seems to have learned from the mistakes of his predecessor, George W. Bush. In an attempt to reach out to Muslims all around the world from Cairo on June 4, Obama tried to benefit from Islam's soft power with the Muslim audience rather than relying on the world-famous American soft power alone. That is because he realized that Islam's soft power is more appealing, more attractive to his audience compared to American soft power, which could be more appealing in other cases. Obama began and end his speech with an Islamic greeting, assalamu alaikum (peace be upon you) and drew the attention of the audience from the very first minute. During the speech, he cited the Quran three times and referred to Prophet Muhammed's sayings twice, both being the most significant and most credible soft power resources of Islam that all Muslims are attracted to.

During Obama's speech, he used Allah's words from the Quran as a source of credibility to make his speech “stick” more in Muslims' minds and to attract Muslims against the terrorist organizations as he said: “The Holy [emphasis added] Quran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind." Reciting this verse from the Quran is the most effective way to ask a Muslim to be against extremist terrorism. Compare this with Obama saying that “you should not kill innocent people” with no reference to credible Islamic sources. It would be a good message, but less resounding and less attractive for Muslim recipients.

Imagine what could have changed if Bush recited this verse from the Quran rather than calling the Iraq War a “crusade”! An American president referring to Islamic sources to make peace with Muslim people all over the world is symbolic: As the title of the speech suggests, it offers “a new beginning.”

*Kadir Ayhan is a master's student at the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University. kadirayhan@gmail.com

 
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