Little Red Blog

Pennywit's idea for discussion: [HT: The Moderate Voice]

President Bush should appoint a prominent American Muslim as a quasi-official ambassador to the Muslim world.

Why?

• Such an appointment could highlight the diversity of American religious faith.
  
• It could nullify the idea that fighting America is a "holy war" and further highlight that attacking America hurts fellow Muslims.
  
• Discussion of doctrine, religious law, and other religious issues is a large part of Islam.
  
• Such an "ambassador" could publicly contribute to such discussions, if selected from a moderate strain of Islam, could do so with credibility.
  
• The "ambassador" could meet with prominent Muslim cleric's on the United States' behalf. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for example, refuses to meet with non-Muslims.
  
• The "ambassador" and individuals like him could bridge the gap between Christian American officials and religious Muslims.
  

Democratic candidates Kerry and Edwards supported just such an idea:

"Appoint a Presidential Envoy to the Arab and Muslim World. John Kerry and John Edwards will appoint a presidential envoy to the Arab and Muslim world. The envoy’s task will be to promote dialogue and understanding by building social, cultural, and economic relations in key nations."

During the campaign, and now, I don’t have a strong argument against doing so. There are diplomatic opportunities behind the appointment of an "ambassador" or envoy and in the context of the global war on terror, relations with the Middle East or Southeast Asia, and the general advocacy of American policy and religious freedom generally only positive opportunities would be presented by such an appointment. Of course, no guarantee of any of those opportunities being realized can be had, but the cost would be low and the potential benefit significant.

Ambassador Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, currently U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan, and previously Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Islamic Outreach and Southwest Asia Initiatives for the NSC, has largely served in such a capacity.

The real challenge before us, with regard to building relationships with the Muslim population, here and abroad, stems from their unwillingness to hear (and in the Middle East lack of opportunity to hear) the real message of America's foreign policy. Groups such as MAS and others in the U.S. ignore the existence of Dr. Khalilzad and others because of his support for the U.S. and the war against terror.

Perhaps more can be done, but it strikes me that we've made a great deal of effort to "reach out." It takes two hands to shake hands.