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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2001 - Page 7 Opinion/Editorial Egypt is An Ally — It Must Act Like One By Ken Stein The war against terrorism will not end if we neutralize savage killers, their training facilities and handlers, elusively clandestine bank accounts, and regimes that support them. This is also a battle of definitions, words, and market ing; it is about the contents of mal ice poured out against the U.S. by Arab newspapers and other Arab media outlets. With dozens of Arab writers and commentators spewing out venom toward the U.S., we need our Arab coalition partners, and those who seek our support to reduce their hateful attacks on the U.S. Credit the Jordanian govern ment for reducing anti-American media attacks. Origins for anti-American feel ing can be found more or less reg ularly in the Palestinian, Saudi, Syrian, Iraqi, and London Arab press. But the U.S. has a special and necessary relationship with Egypt; it is in Cairo where the first effort to tone down anti-American anger must start. No. I do not suggest telling oth ers what to write or what to think. But from allies, more should be expected and demanded. Twenty years after President Sadat’s assassination, sustaining American foreign aid to Egypt remains central to our national interest. It should not stop. However, if we do not lean on Egypt, a long-time friend and leader of Arab public opinion, no remote chances exist for anti- American feeling to subside in the Middle East. Egypt’s influence on Palestinian attitudes is greater than any other Arab state. If Prime Minister Sharon’s remarks [about the U.S. allegedly appeasing certain Arab countries to gain their support in our coali tion building] warranted a reply from the Bush White House as “unacceptable,” the repeated abuse of America in the Egyptian press is indisputably unacceptable. In this realm of words and mar keting, we have an up-hill battle in dealing with autocratic regimes that do not permit open criticism of their own governments. Most Arab citizens live under pervasive government scrutiny (see Edward Said’s June 2001 article in Cairo’s al-Ahram Weekly, http://www.ahram.org.eg/week- ly/2001/539/opl0.htm), making the press in much of the Arab world the only release mechanism for anger and frustration built up from other sources. In Egypt and other Arab states, the core culprit is Israel and its leaders. But plenty of abusive language is reserved for the U.S. It is sheer nonsense to believe that if the U.S. administration or Congress altered its pro-Israeli positions in any small or drastic fashion, the Arab press would stop vilifying America and its leaders. Dislike for the U.S. is broader and deeper. It cuts to American-led encirclement of Iraq, the century- long intrusion of Western values, Washington’s alliances with mod erate Arab leaders, almost exclu sive U.S. focus on domestic issues, and the absence of a reli able super-power patron for the Arab world in the post-Cold War period. Said the extraordinary articulate Hani Shukrallah, in al- Ahram Weekly, 4-10 October 2001, “Bin Laden and his cohorts are not a function of an inherent hatred of democracy by ‘Islamic civilization’ but of its increasing obliteration at the hands of ‘Westem’-driven capitalist global ization.” All year the Egyptian press has regularly attacked American poli cy and Bush, Cheney, and Powell by name. After the terrorist attack, an Egyptian writer wrote in the prestigious Egyptian weekly al- Ahram, 13-19 September 2001, “Peoples around the world once felt for the U.S. as a champion of liberty, democracy and self-deter mination, [now there is] universal suspicion and mistrust, a transfor mation [due to] Washington’s mis use of power and abuse of the morai foundations upon which it built its civilization. ... Anger and frustration at Washington’s for eign policies [is] not confined to the Middle East or, more accurate ly, to Arab and Islamic peoples.” Said the editor of Cairo’s Akhbar al-Yawm, two days after the 11 September 2001 attack, “The United States is the object of hatred in scores of countries ...” Cairo’s Al-Akhbar, 20 September 2001, the most consistently viru lent anti-American and govern ment supported paper, implied that U.S. leaders themselves were responsible for the death of 6,000 American citizens. We cannot alter what religious leaders rule about suicide attacks, how Jihad is defined, what is writ ten in Arab textbooks, or what pri vate television stations say about us. But we can and must ask our friends to turn down the decibels of anti-American rancor. Notice how the Egyptian government numbed initial anti-American public response to the 7 October 2001 bombing in Afghanistan. Proof: if the Egyptian leadership has the will and the courage, slan derous attacks against America can be significantly diminished. O Kenneth W. Stein teaches' Middle Eastern History and Politics at Emory University. CAROLINA MARKING DEVICES, INC. P.0, BOX 32143 3405 S. TRYON STREET CHARLOTTE, NO 28232-2143 TEL. 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Some are from relatives, distant both in geography and in blood relation ship; some from acquaintances and professional asssociates whose greetings serve to renew old connections and remind us of days of yore. We look over the cards again. Aside from the repetition of Shanah Tovah, in Hebrew and English, they express a remark able sameness of content. We are wished happiness in the coming year, good health, peace and glad ness, a good, sweet and healthy New Year, a happy New Year, and a repetition of all in various forms. We appreciate the good intentions of the senders, and in our mind, if not always in writing, we recipro cate the good wishes. We cannot help but note the great discrepancy between the optimistic expressions and the bleak and gloomy reality that faces us, perhaps not individually in every case, but collectively for the world, and more specifically for the State of Israel, the United States and the Jewish community everywhere. Let’s be realistic. A great wave of terror, enjoying the support of masses of religious fanatics, has been unleashed on the world, and we are in the fore front of the projected victims. If this sounds exaggerated, think back to the 1930s, when in many circles Hitler was regarded not as a menace but only as a European nuisance. After all, it was only the Jews he was after. The world learned better, and just in time. Back to the present: we still have the obligation to acknowl edge all those cards that have accumulated, and we take this opportunity, though long past Rosh Hashanah, to give expres sion to realistic wishes and hopes to make the coming year truly one of peace, security and happiness for all of us in the civilized world. These are our hopes and expecta tions: Early in the coming year may skillful intelligence and good for tune direct the first bombs of Operation Enduring Freedom directly on the headquarters of bin Laden in Afghanistan, wiping them out completely, and obviat- (Continued on page 10) Dream Discover During the demanding holiday season, remember to be kind to yourself. Snuggle into the indulgent warmth of a pedicure, or dress your manicured nails with festive holid^ colors—from winter whites to berry reds. Or, treat yourself (or your friends) to the gift of a facial, massage or body treatment to feel and look your best. Sow down, relax and enjoy the season atMadSpa! DON’T DREAM IT. DO IT. 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