Why do Americans Hate Muslims?

Question

Who hates who?

Why Do Americans Hate Muslims?
Reem Al-Faisal, Arab News


A few weeks ago an American I met at a friends house asked a much repeated query, “Why do you the Muslims hate the Americans?” To which I answered in the same way as all the preceding instances in which this question was posed to me: “We don’t hate the Americans, we might disagree with a certain US policy and dislike recent American actions in the Muslim world but we surely don’t hate the American people.”

The American who interrogated me was clearly not convinced with my answer and secretly I wasn’t either. The truth is that at present the Muslims hate America and now, they hate not only its policymakers but most of the American people since they have proven recently without a shadow of doubt that they agree with their elite by voting back into office, by a comfortable majority, the Bush administration inspite of it’s obvious record of lies and abuse of power. The Americans can never claim from now on that they didn’t know that there where no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They can’t claim that they didn’t know torture wasn’t widespread in American prisons, from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib, and the thousands of other secret detention centers. They surely can’t claim not to know of this entire episode in which thousands have lost their lives and much more have seen their homes and lands destroyed as a result of the American military and its leaders who don’t hesitate in using the massive destructive power of the US on defenseless civilians.

My American friend was right, we do hate them now, but he never asked himself the question “Why?” Why should a people living on the other side of the planet feel any sort of emotion toward the Americans, be it hate or love? Does anyone ever ask if the Muslims hate the Chileans or love the Chinese or dislike the Uruguayans? No, we are forever asked to express some sort of intense emotion toward the Americans. So, I have to admit finally, after decades of relations with the US, that they have convinced us that we should feel something and that our feelings have been boiled down today to pure hate. And why not? What have we as a people seen from the US in the past half century but an absence of respect for Muslim life, culture or religion, contempt and disregard for our rights and finally murder and torture from Afghanistan to Iraq.

The US has further driven us to dislike America with its blind support for a colonialist power such as Israel, in fact the only one left in the region. Whenever we have tried in the past to help alleviate the plight of the Palestinians we only got vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council followed by the free flow of arms and money to kill our fellow compatriots from Palestine to Lebanon. And whenever we Arabs try to get arms to defend ourselves against one of the strongest armies in the world, which has never hesitated in using its destructive power with impunity against us, we are blocked by America from acquiring the means by which we could defend ourselves.

We have watched America attack us, destroy us, impose embargoes against our nations and then conquer our lands, imprison our people and generally deal with us as though we are savage animals whereby every single law be it international or even American is totally disregarded when it concerns the rights of Arab and Muslim individuals. Then they ask us why we hate them? Tell me why do you hate us? What terrible crime have the Muslims committed against you in the past to deserve your interminable enmity? What have we done to see you rampage through our lands destroying and killing, then claiming obscenely that it was worth it for the sake of liberty and democracy?

Is it worth it for the million and a half Iraqis murdered in the embargo or the thousands of Afghans killed by your ever so “smart” bombs? Or should we ask the Iraqis of today, whom you’ve killed by the thousands? Was all this death and destruction worth it for them? Did you ever bother to ask their opinion before you played God with the lives and destinies of this nation?

Finally, you take aim at our religion by humiliating our beliefs. You abuse our book, use our convictions to torture us and degrade us, disregarding your own laws and religion which is as noble as ours and to which torture and humiliation is anathema.

What were you thinking when you threw the Qur’an in the toilet or when you used religion as a means of torture? I fail to see the efficacy of such actions in the so-called war on terror. These methods only point to a deep sickness in your society to which it will take decades for us and the rest of the world to understand its cause and to measure its destructive results. No, the question which someday will have to be answered is why, why do you the Americans hate us the Muslims so much?

— Reem Al-Faisal is a Saudi photographer and writer based in Jeddah.

Answer 1

I can give you almost 3000 reasons, raise you 163 marines, 26 sailors, and countless other deaths at the hands of Muslims UNPROVOKED.

(When lazy, half-brained nut jobs blame other people for their own misfortunes, I ignore them. No wonder they resort to murder, they don't have enough values to find work, they certainly don't care about the lives of others.)

The real question is why don't Muslims hate Muslims? Don't they have the same level of concern for human life that we do?

Answer 2

Comfortable majority, I don't think the last election cen be called that. I mean 50.7% of the popular votes and 286 of the electoral for Bush and 48.3% of the popular votes and 251 of the electoral votes is a minimal majority at best. To me it seems like the main problem in America isn't so much that we reelected Bush as it is lack of good candidates. The lesser of two evils so to speak shouldn't be what we vote for but for the past couple elections that is exactly how it has seemed to be for me.

One of the problems I see in America with regards to the Muslim world is the lack of people who are able to see the difference between radical Islamic beliefs and the beliefs of the majority of Muslims. I'm sure that the lack of understanding between our different cultures is the same in the Middle East. It's a clash of cultures. This is the closest statement I have for an answere to your question, we don't hate muslims, we hate the extremists. The problem with that, like I just said, is that people have trouble distinguishing between extremist and Muslims.

One thing I think that you are forgetting is that the violence in Israel goes both ways. Every cease fire is broken by one side or the other. I seem to look at it this way, after WWII the mass migration to Israel by Jewish people was a tradegy for the Palestinians even if it had caused by the aftermath of the Holocaust. Then many of the people were new to the area and were only able to call it home based on their religious views. Now it is the next generations fighting for there homeland, people who where born in the region (Palestinian and Israeli alike). They seem to be stuck fighting there fathers' war and I'm sure it is a situation that will get better before worse no matter what countries/groups get involved. Most of the time the outsiders that try to find a suitable solution (the US, UN, and even other Middle eastern countries) only make things worse because they bring their own biases and agendas into the situation.

I think the only country we had any right to invade was Afganistan in the War on Terror. I mean they were directly sponsering an organization that had declared pretty much total war on our country and we have a right to fight against any organization or nation whose ulitmate goal is our own destruction.

This all is only skimming the top of the problem and I think it would take someone without any connections to either culture to solve, which I don't think will be possible to find in today's ever shrinking world.

Answer 3

I am not going to point fingers at Muslims to say you guys did this and this wrong. That gets nobody anywhere. Both sides have committed atrocities against each others. We have have smart bombs, you have suicide bombers.

I think you need to look at where you get your information. I read DAILY the American news as well as Al Jazeera and the BBC. I have come to one conclusion. Those in power, (on both your side and mine) have their own agendas. Both sides claim to be victims and the ever so popular "We're doing this for our children". Just realize that what you see us doing, we see your side doing the exact same thing, just with different methods.

My leaders, as well as yours are full of s h i t. We are all pawns in a stupid game. "It's a rich mans battle and a poor mans fight". Just be smart enough to see that nobody is innocent here. Not your side, not my side. So does this American (me) hate Muslims? Not at all. I just hate extremists of any religion. Hopefully, after Bush is out of office, things will get better. I hope you in the Muslim world also have a change of leadership as well. Yours has failed you just as ours has. Both of our sides would be better off.

If only governments could sit down over coffee and cigarettes and resolve our differences, maybe the world would be a much better place.

Answer 4

Americans do not "hate the Muslims".

What we Americans hate are Muslims who do not hate the radical Muslim leaders who hate everybody but their own, and who hate all religions but their own.

I am of Arabic descent (Lebanese and Christian) and I hate with a passion Muslims who refuse to show outrage at their radical leaders who have a one-track agenda of hate and death wishes for Israelis and Americans and Western people in general.

Muslims should be appalled that their fellow Muslims are sheep and the Muslim people refuse to put an end to these radical Muslim leaders who preach nothing but death and destruction to other people, and who do not tolerate and accept other religions and the cultures of other people.

Answer 5

You know. What I would like to see is an unbiased 1 hour talk show every week on TV. With Arabians on one side. And Americans on the other side. With both educated and uneducated representatives from either side. Given a topic (like this one) to talk, discuss, argue, fight about with no restrictions on what can be said.

I would watch this show every week! I would find the exchange of views interesting, but most of all I would enjoy when the rednecks and the ....... well, I don't know what they call redneck kind of people in Arabian countries, start fighting each other like on Jerry Springer.

I don't watch Jerry Springer because they always argue about stupid things. But this would be a great show that I would love to watch!!!!!

I doubt it though that any station would broadcast this in either America or any Arabian countries. Because in my opinion I think that no government would want their public to develop a deeper understanding of the other side's opinions.

Answer 6

Americans dont hate muslims but we despise and laoth Jihadist Terrorists

Answer 7

In re Reem Al-Faisal's article,

My heart is not filled with hate for the Muslim people.

But rest assured that when any member of ANY faith attempts to remove from me the sanctity of MY beliefs, I will stand ready to defend my RIGHT to my belief, and the rights of my children's liberty!

Islam is producing militant persons of this kind. I will stand up and defend your right to your beliefs, so long as they do not infringe upon my own right.

Ideals and beliefs are as vast as the population of this world. Thank God for that.

Hate? No. The PASSION within my heart should not be misconstrued, nor should be the convictions to liberty that I hold dear; I'll not surrender me and mine to ideals of hate and malcontent.

***************
An aside:

Having read many postings in Y! Answers lately, I begin to wonder, "What do Americans hate America?" Maybe some form of self-flagellation for perceived sin? And if so, where is discretion, that we should care for internal matters, internally?

Answer 8

its not fair to say all American hates Muslim coz the doing were just minority.As you the Arab nation, as long you alls still misunderstand each others regarding who is more "Muslim", this story will go on and on.ALLAH is only one and Rasulullah is also only one and the 'WORDS' also is one, then why you ARABS keep fighting and killing each others in the name of ALLAH.What happened in Afghan, Iraq and Palestine showed how you people keeps hurting each others even so the power been given back to you.ALLAH had given the ARABs land the BLACK gold rooots of wealthiness but you alls misused its for unbalance power and greediness.Please go back to the real ISLAM where we allls are like brothers and sisters, be united to one say and one belief, No others God except ALLAH and Muhamad is Rasulullah.

Answer 9

anyone who believes that Bush was elected, or re-elected by a comfortable margin is ignorant of the facts. Had Kerry carried one more state---Ohio, which he lost by a slim margin, he would be President now.

You look at Bush, and see the face of America. But we have gone to war to defend Muslims twice recently---in Kuwaitt and Bosnia.

And the Isreal thing---hoo boy. They carve out a country the size of a postage stamp in the middle of a football field and are sneak-attacked repeatedly by neighbors and suicide bombers---and y'all want Israel to give up half the postage stamp. Most of the "Palistinians" are not descendants of people who once lived on land that Israel now occupies, they are just the poor, powerless people of the region and wish to blame their plight on others.

We don't hate Muslims. But, you know, when crowds of people chant "Death to America" when they break out in cheers when terrorists fly civillian airplanes into out office buildings, well, maybe some of us get a bit upset...

I did not support the war in Iraq, but Saddam Hussain wanted the west to believe that he had weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological weapons. That did not work out too well for him. Or us.

I don't hate Muslims. I am a white American male---and I've worked for a Muslim. I like him.

even though he treats women like crap...

Answer 10

They don't. It is a generalization. Many of them are not trusted. Many of them want to fly planes into buildings and kill people. Why do some Muslims hate Americans would be a better question. I don't really care about the answer but would like it very much if those with the desire and means to harm us are given their justice.

Answer 11

because Americans (like everyone else in the world) can't tolerate different cultures. Strange and new is not liked by anyone comfortable with old and reliable. Moreover, people are lazy, why fix something that's not broken?

It's not just Americans hating Islam, remember that little thing called the cold war? remember McCarthyism? they didn't like communism either.

As for the war in Iraq, they're just trying to stop the fire with gasoline.

What you're experiencing is the basic tactic of slander, I for one am forecasting a China-hating period sometime soon due to economic rise and social change etc.etc. (though I'm sure We'd all want to aviod tat AMAP)