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| Volume IX, June 2002, Number 2 |
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| EXCERPT: Arab-American Perceptions of U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East |
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| Ziad Asali |
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Dr. Asali is the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He presented these remarks at the U.S. State Department "Secretary's Open Forum" on March 26, 2002.
Arab Americans are in the unique position of understanding and caring deeply about both societies. We are able to identify the positives and negatives about both. From our perspective, it is a moral imperative and an overriding strategic necessity to avoid any drift towards what has been termed a "clash of civilizations," a generalized conflict between the West and the Islamic world. There are malevolent but powerful voices in both Arab and American societies that cast the momentous events of our time in terms of such a clash. In reality, this clash does not exist yet, and it must not be allowed to develop.
The Arab-American community can play a key role in promoting understanding and exploring avenues of mutual benefit between Arabs and Americans. The task of educating both cultures about each other, by interpreting the multitextured Arab world to America, without intermediaries who harbor their own agendas, and by educating the Arab people about the system that makes America great, is our calling and our challenge. As Arab Americans, we know there is no inherent contradiction between these two societies, and we are keenly aware of the unexplored opportunities that improved relations offer.
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