The attack of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi due to an anti-Islam movie has sparked off more anti-American protests in Yemen, Egypt and most recently Sydney.
The mob attack in Libya resulted in the death of an American ambassador and three consulate officials.
The violent attack was suspected to be pre-planned. According to CNN News, U.S. sourced believed the attackers used the protest “as a diversion though the sources could not say whether the attackers instigated the protest or merely took advantage of it.”
The anti-Islam film, “Innocence of Muslims” depicted prophet Mohammed as a “womanizer, child molester, and ruthless killer.”
Segments of the film was shown online by anti-Islamist activists, that included Egyptian-born Coptic Christian Morris Sadek.
However, it is not clear whether or not this film is the sole reason that started the conflict. Protesters did demonstrate against the insulting film right before the attack.
The violent protests that have spread from Libya to Sydney have shown that anti-Americanism is still prevalent in the Muslim world.
From Crikey, Beirut-based Australian journalist, Antoun Issan wrote:
“The abhorrent attacks on the US consulate in Libya can indeed be attributed to extremist elements in the region. The flurry of condemnation by Libyans and Muslims on Twitter and social networks is testimony to that. But it is only an extremist manipulation of a widely felt sentiment that continues to perceive the US in particular and the West in general as enemies of the Arab and Islamic world.”
In short, Inssan believes anti-Americanism, which still remains “constant” in the Arab and Muslim world has been used as a manipulative and exploitative tool to spark more conflicts by extremist groups.
“How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction? ” asked Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
It is rather naive to think that by assisting Libya to liberate will result in the country becoming one of America’s allies. Tensions between Libya, including other Muslim countries and America have existed for many years and America’s intervention will not immediately bring peace.
As Issan wrote:
“The Arab street has seen through superficial, opportunistic and selective US support for local revolts that it handpicks based on its own interests. The Libya incident should serve as a wake-up call to US policymakers, Democrat and Republican-alike, that their strategy in the vital Middle East needs a major overhaul.Arab grassroots political culture is emerging, albeit in its infancy and, as it continues to grow, Arab interests will naturally become more independent of US interests in the region. This is a reality the US must acknowledge. US policy in the Middle East is caught between historic approaches of blindly supporting Arab autocrats and Israel, and a new dawn where it is no longer the primary actor.”
Continual military presence and other shaky pasts such as America as an unfair “mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian” conflict have contributed more tensions and conflict among the Muslim nations.
The political situation in the Middle East is evolving and America’s intervention is going to make matters worse as the people of these Muslim nations are becoming more vocal on how their nations should be run.
The U.S. should start reassessing its foreign policy if the nation wants to create a friendly relationship with the Middle East. America should start listening to the masses instead of directly intervening with politics in the Middle East.
As for the protests, it is extremism that should be blamed, not Libya or any other nations. Like the quote shown in the picture, “Thugs and Killers don’t represent Benghazi nor Islam.”
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