THE briefing came swiftly, right after George W. Bush announced that he would appoint a special envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Karen Hughes, Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, appeared at the Washington Foreign Press Centre to explain the US efforts to reach out to the Muslim world.
Foreign journalists in New York followed the briefing on digital video-conference.
The seriousness of the US administration on the issue was unmistakable, though, as pointed out by a Middle Eastern reporter, the president’s announcement went by without any live TV coverage. (Neither was it front-page news in a number of newspapers here.)
“I think it’s unfortunate if our journalists and TV stations here did not choose to cover that event because I think it is a message that’s important for fellow Americans to hear,” Hughes said, referring to Bush’s presence at the 50th anniversary of a Washington mosque on June 27 when he made that announcement.
She said the United States must work very hard to address the misperception that the West was somehow in conflict with Islam.
“America is not perfect, but it is a place where many devout people of different faiths have learned to respect each other and to celebrate the richness that comes about as a result of our diversity,” she said.
Citing a project called Citizen Dialogue, she said American citizens who were Muslims were sent out to engage in dialogue with communities around the world.
“That has led to a lot of town hall meetings and media interviews. In Malaysia, as a result of an appearance on a TV channel there, a Malaysian TV station is now sending a camera crew here this fall to do a big series on Islam in America,” she said.
Also, for the first time, Hughes said, the US administration had hired people to engage blogs in Arabic.
“I have a couple of employees at the State Department whose job is to get on the blogs and to look for misinformation or rumours and to respond officially on behalf of the US government,” she added.
These two Arabic speakers hold full-time jobs.
“We’ve got very popular websites in Arabic, Farsi, Chinese; in I think six languages. We’ve improved our ability to engage,” Hughes noted.
“You know, the government is not necessarily as fast-paced as the private sector, so it’s sometimes hard to keep up with technology that is changing as dramatically as it is in today’s world. But I think we are improving our ability to communicate.”
There is also a Rapid Response Unit which monitors media from around the world in native languages.
“It really helps inform US policymakers about what is driving news and what the impression of American news and policy is around the world,” she said.
Hughes kept stressing on interfaith dialogues, claiming that Americans have taken it upon themselves to try to learn more about Islam in the aftermath of Sept 11.
She spoke of being touched by a Muslim woman who came to her church and stories about Christians and Jewish colleagues who went to a mosque.
“We are a diverse nation and I think efforts to learn more and to respect the tenets of each other’s faith only enrich us as a nation,” she said.
She said the media should play its part in fostering such ties, especially since many mainstream Muslim voices had no access to the media.
“I think that’s one of the reasons that I hear from fellow Americans, sometimes, complaints that why don’t more Muslim voices speak out against terrorism. Well, they do. But sometimes, what gets covered are the more strident voices, not the mainstream voices,” said Hughes.
“So, I think the media has a role to play in this as well, in making sure that the voices of reason, the voices of non-violence, the voices of respect and understanding, get covered as well as the most strident voices.”
On the OIC, Hughes commended secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for being a strong voice for reason and tolerance.
“Under his leadership, the OIC has sponsored an international conference on interfaith dialogue in the United Kingdom and it will host a similar conference at Georgetown University here this fall,” she said.
But how sincere is the US government in wanting to reach out to Muslim nations?
Rajmah Hussain, who has met Bush a number of times in her capacity as Malaysia’s Ambassador to the United States, said the US government valued Malaysia’s views as it knew that the country played an important role in influencing other Muslim countries.
The United States, is trying hard to reach out to these countries and it has shown its sensitivity to the needs of the Muslims.
“During Ramadan, the White House would host breaking of fast events. There would be an imam to lead the prayers, besides a prayer room for the Muslim ambassadors,” said Rajmah.
She pointed out that Bush had removed his shoes before entering the Washington mosque and the American women all had worn scarves.
“They were all quite aware of the requirements in entering a mosque,” she said.
Rajmah was involved in the preparations for the mosque’s 50th anniversary as Malaysia is on its board of governors.
All said and done, she said, the United States, having made some mistakes in the past, was indeed serious in wanting to build bridges to the Muslim world.
