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KERİM BALCI k.balci@todayszaman.com Columnists

USA Elections and Our Vote


The reality of globalization has not become a part of our prayers and servitude yet. I am not accusing anyone, but just evaluating a small survey of my acquaintances. The number of Muslims who prayed: "Oh Rabbi! Please conclude this election in a way that is most beneficial for the Muslim world, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Palestine, in short, all people in the world" the night before the elections was very small.

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There are two dangers in this conclusion. The bigger one is the possibility that we cannot realize the fact that Allah is the intervener in history with all His power (the expression "intervener" should not remind you of an external effect as He is closer to us than our jugular vein!). This issue exceeds a single article and me. It is worth trying to solve such a problem if there is such a probability, and quitting anything that we are currently doing as a whole nation.

The smaller danger is the possibility that Muslims are unaware of globalization. Today we are saddened by the events in Samarra and Fallujah, and we pray for the children in Fallujah. But we do not appreciate the fact that the shower of bombs in Fallujah today is a reflection of the approval vote that George W. Bush received yesterday. We do not have the information that will help us think that Kerry is any better than Bush, but the votes that re-elected Bush as president were more like referendum votes than election votes. This referendum has approved the bombing strategy in Afghanistan, civilian deaths in Iraq, faithless plans played out in Darfur, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib prison, and finally, all the policies that this government is applying all around the world. Fallujah cannot be the only reflection of this. It also affects Gaza and the West Bank, Darfur, Kabul, and Indonesia.

If you did not vote saying, "I vote for the sake of Allah's wide Mercy and want the most beneficial result from the election," first check your belief and heart, which is subject to the bigger danger, and then try to accept the reality that the world has become a global village. If there is a fight at the Sheriff's house, this fight affects all the houses in the village. The debates on Turkey's EU adventure, the Cyprus problem, whether Arafat is alive or dead, and who his successor will be are important in this global village concept. Jerusalem, alone, is already important, but its fate is more important because it affects the balance of war and peace in the world. Cyprus is a problem by itself, but its fate is more important because it affects the future of the world of Turks and Muslims.

The times when our ancestors governed the world on their prayer rugs have passed. If only we could at least use our praying to vote for the world's fate on the same prayer rug…

November 8, 2004

08 November 2004, Monday
KERİM BALCI
   
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Other Articles of the Columnist

  USA Elections and Our Vote
  The Spirit of Europe and Us
  We, at the Gates of the EU
  Writing the Unwritable
  Beirut is now Najaf
  Palestine, Oh, Palestine…
  Five Articles on Kidnappings
  Israel Plays the Knight on the Chessboard (Just Beside the King)
  What if Al-Aqsa is Bombed!
  About Tearing Down the Wall of the Era
  Bringing Democracy to the Arab World
  The Demand Circle
  Five-Article Notes on Religious High Schools
  Winning in the Losing Zone
  [COMMENTARY]Ten 'Writable' Writings on the Captive Scandal
  An Imposed Solution by Bush and Sharon
  European Turks and European Union Membership
  Three Neglected Factors in Turkey's EU Journey
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Columnists
ABDULHAMİT BİLİCİ
ABDULLAH BOZKURT
ALİ BULAÇ
ALİ H. ASLAN
AMANDA PAUL
ANDREW FINKEL
ASIM ERDİLEK
AYŞE KARABAT
BEJAN MATUR
BERİL DEDEOĞLU
BERK ÇEKTİR
BÜLENT KENEŞ
BÜLENT KORUCU
CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON
DOĞU ERGİL
EKREM DUMANLI
EMRE USLU
ETYEN MAHÇUPYAN
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
FİKRET ERTAN
GÜRKAN ZENGİN
HASAN KANBOLAT
HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE
İBRAHİM KALIN
İBRAHİM ÖZTÜRK
İHSAN DAĞI
İHSAN YILMAZ
KATHY HAMILTON
KERİM BALCI
KLAUS JURGENS
LALE KEMAL
MEHMET KAMIŞ
MICHAEL KUSER
MUHAMMED ÇETİN
MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE
NICOLE POPE
ÖMER TAŞPINAR
ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
PAT YALE
ŞAHİN ALPAY
SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI
SUAT KINIKLIOĞLU
YAVUZ BAYDAR