Northwestern and University of Chicago professors presented a public forum about Islamic views of the United States before a large crowd in Harris Hall 107 on Thursday night.
Sponsored by NU’s Center for International and Comparative Studies, the panel centered on the challenges facing followers of Islam in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The panel, titled “U.S. Relations with the Islamic World Since Sept. 11,” included six NU professors and one professor from the U of C.
Fundamentalist Islamic groups oppose traditional Muslim values and oppose the secular Arab governments that practice the true tenets of Islam, Jewish studies Prof. Jacob Lassner said.
“The true enemy of fundamentalist Islam is not Israel, and it is not the United States,” he said.
Panelists also highlighted historical events that have shaped the way Muslims in the Middle East and former Soviet republics view the United States.
History Prof. Carl Petry said the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism stems from Israel’s defeat of Egypt in 1967’s Six Day War. U of C Prof. John Woods attributed strained U.S.-Islamic relations to American activities after World War II.
Before the war, Muslim nations saw the United States as an ally against British and French imperialism, and U.S. groups funded universities in Turkey and Lebanon, Woods said.
Muslim discontent with the United States began in earnest with the U.S.-supported overthrow and assassination of Iran’s prime minister in 1953.
“The picture changed after World War II, when there really was a new world order.” Woods said.
Panelist and political science Prof. William Reno said this history has pertinent lessons for today’s situation. Reno warned against heavy U.S. retaliation because he said Islamic fundamentalist groups might wish to draw U.S. fire in an attempt to display U.S. aggression.
“If stopping attacks requires eliminating this enemy, then the solution must not be violent, or else we will only feed the goals of the fundamentalist organizations,” Reno said.
Oakton Community College student Jayraj Panchal said the panel underscored the complexity of U.S.-Islamic relations.
“There are many different types of relationships between members of the Islamic world and the U.S.,” Panchal said. “There is a lot to be learned from both sides.”
Weinberg senior Jeff Tucker said he appreciated the varying opinions of the panelists.
“(The terrorist attacks are) probably the most important thing that’s happened in my lifetime,” Tucker said. “We have to take advantage of so many of the great views expressed on this great campus.”
Thursday’s dialogue was one of several discussions that Lassner and history lecturer Fariba Zarinebaf-Shar are planning for the year. One upcoming event, a “Day of Education” on Oct. 11, will include more panels and lectures.
Zarinebaf-Shar said she hopes the dialogues will foster an environment of “understanding through interaction.”
