Reflections on Alex

I returned to Egypt after two and a half weeks in the US, my first trip back home in 16 months. While I was away giving my usual sermons on why the Middle East is not nearly as scary as so many Americans think, the bombing in Alexandria occurred. I admit to being caught rather off guard by such large scale violence in Egypt. But then again, what can I truly know about being a member of a civil society repressed under emergency rule for decades? We Americans are more sheltered than we can ever know...even those of us who live abroad know we always have the option to leave, to remain somewhat disconnected, to remember that this does not have to be our world.

What is this suicide bombing about? Is it a sign of the purported "Clash of Civilizations" looming on the horizon? The Christian West vs. the Islamic East? A clash of religions maybe? I think not...though if we are not careful we could continue to build on these ideas, creating self-fulfilling prophecies. If everyone believes this is where we are heading then we could bring it into being. But I prefer to pull apart the foundations of such a proposition.

 First, we have to move past the dated concept that somehow fuses the West and Christianity. I read a great article recently "A Globalized God" in Foreign Affairs.

"Another aspect of the religious resurgence is the disintegrating relationship between the West and Christianity. Traditionally seen as a Western or European religion steeped in that continent's culture, Christianity evolved from its Jewish origins in Palestine, conquered the pagan world, and spread east to Iraq, India, and China before the Mongol invasions reduced it to its European setting. It is now returning to its roots by becoming a post-Western religion dominated by the peoples, cultures, and countries of the global South. For U.S. policymakers -- many of whom currently consider Islamism to be the most urgent religious challenge to Washington's foreign policy -- the politics of global Christianity may soon prove just as pivotal."

And the West and US cannot forget its complicity in much of the ongoing violence against Christians (not to mention others) in the Middle East and other locations around the world. In much of the unwavering US support for Israel, it is forgotten that many of the Palestinians are Christian. Before we innocently lament the plight of Arab Christian's perhaps we should take their perspective into account:

"This Western show of concern is not only hypocritical and damaging to social cohesion, but could serve to further ignite the growing wave of sectarianism sweeping the region. It was, after all, Western colonial powers that planted the seeds of the divisions that haunt the Arab world to this day and the US invasion and occupation of Iraq that unleashed the sectarian strife from which it is reeling.

As an Arab Christian, originally from Bethlehem, I am offended to hear Western leaders pretend to defend Arab Christians, while they either do nothing to stop or actively support Israeli violations of the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people - Muslim and Christian alike."

Before we build up the "Clash of Civilizations" scenario or the inherent backwardness of Islam stereotype, we need to review history honestly. We Americans often have the power to rewrite and construct history as we want it to look, forgetting our own past actions and how they still have repercussions in today's world. As the world's only superpower, we currently have the power to forget our actions. We have the power to declare the 'other' as not modern, stagnant, caught in some unchanging and primordial cultural and religious backwater. When we do this it relieves us of the need to honestly look at the global situation and the roots of various issues. Someday, this might create "blow back" far worse than planes crashing into the Twin Towers.

That is not to say that I find all wrong or responsibility on the West's hands. But, considering our power, we do have more ability than others affect global politics for better or worse. I think this situation requires us to look as critically as possible at ourselves.

However, that is not to say that the Arab world seems to be doing a particularly great job of trying to address problems in their region. Dismissing that there is any problem with Islamism glosses over the fact that there are some real issues that stem from factors that most Arab governments refuse to address or acknowledge. Blaming the West and the US is a handicapping phenomenon that inevitably removes any responsibility, and therefore any agency, from the hands of the peoples in the region. If it is only the West/America's fault that the Middle East is in the state that it is in, then it is by default only the West/America who can fix it. This scenario is not empowering in any way. The Egyptian government immediately jumped to the conclusion that the bombing in Alexandria was due to foreign influence. While this is probably partially true, it neglects to address the real situation. But what can one expect from a government who immediately started rounding up hundreds, maybe thousands, of random Egyptians in the prisons, beating them, trying to find any information about the culprits? One of my acquaintances was apparently in prison for 3 days.

Upon my arrival back in Egypt I caught a ride home with a former Egyptian Army officer who spent the drive lamenting the calamity in Alexandria. He went on with sincerity discussing how he was choked with tears for the victims. It was a tragedy for all Egyptians. "No Egyptian could have done this. Of course, there are those who are so poor they will do anything for money. They were paid by foreigners. This was not an Egyptian operation. We would not do this to ourselves."

He discussed his many Christian friends, like brothers and sisters to him, and went through a long discussion of how Muslims and Christians get along perfectly in Egypt. They eat together, often pray together, celebrate each others' holidays together. Of course, this is a rather rose-colored view...while I do not dismiss his sentiments, there seems to be too much of either side of the coin when I talk to people. Either it is religious war or everyone lives together in peace and love. I have yet to really hear a version of the story that is middle ground.