Religion and politics are becoming close partners in the political ideology of some leaders in the world. Over the last century deliberate attempts were made to bring church and state together. The events of the Iranian revolution and the subsequent crisis of religious debates among human beings around the world have made politics and religion the talking points for many of us. The Bush administration is now seen by many as a promoter of religion in American politics and the manner in which the president and his Republican Party mobilized the church-going Americans is the butt of much discourse among his friends and foes.

To what extent has this celebration and mobilization of religion affected the lives and times of American Muslims? How did the American Muslim fare since 9/11 and what role has religion played in the politics of the president and his party in addressing the challenges facing the American Muslims and Muslims around the world?

In examining this issue a number of themes come to mind. The first is the manner in which the Bush candidacy during his first presidential elections led to the convergence of Christian evangelical supporters and Muslims for the Texan presidential hopeful. Although the two groups did not see eye to eye on a number of issues, their perception of the candidacy convinced them to play ball with him. The common thread that united these forces was the idea that a Bush presidency could usher well for both of them.

The Christian evangelicals were more interested in the international relations of America in the Middle East . And even though their political support rests with Israel , they recognized early that their chances of bringing about changes in the Middle East were more likely than their domestic agenda. In the Middle East , their interest and those of the Pro-Israeli forces in America converged. This convergence has strengthened their efforts and opened doors of opportunities which were new and rewarding. Although many Israelis are not particularly convinced about the long-term interest and commitment of these evangelical Christians, they admit their expressions of support and have exploited it to their political advantage. The immediate result of this political marriage of convenience between the predominantly secular Zionists and the Christian evangelicals in America and beyond is in the Bush White House discourse. There are people in and out of government who have written or spoke disparagingly about mistreatment of evangelicals in higher levels of government, the fact remains that the political activities of the Bush administration have not wavered in its support for Israel .

There are several areas where this Bushian policy has been most pronounced. The first is the security of Israel . When the Israeli government went to war against the Hezbollah in Lebanon , the Bush administration gave carte blanche support to the Israelis and the evangelical Christian media, blogs and radio stations reinforced the unflagging support for the threatened Israel . This activism of the Christian Right in America did not make friends or influence people in Lebanon and among Arab Christians. Rather it created a sense of ethnic vulnerability among the Muslim and Christian Arabs. The other area in which the Bush administration has found itself trapped by its own rhetoric and political vocabulary is in its commitment to the spread of religious freedom abroad. Because of this strong support for religious freedom, its administration has faced serious challenges from China , the Muslim lands and elsewhere in the developing parts of the World. The Christian Right is primarily concerned about missionary enterprises in these lands.

Unwilling to create space for their religious rivals, and determined to equate American penetration with Western Christianity and cultural imperialism, many a Muslim see President Bush as an imperial figure whose secular intentions are clearly cloaked under the garments of globalization and the free market system. Unwilling to dance with this band of political musicians and determined to defend their faith against all odds, the Muslim rivals of the Christian Right have set themselves against the President and his policies. Iraq and Somalia are just the most terrible theaters of conflict and the bloodshed from these lands is both frightening and unacceptable. The struggle for missiological space in Iraq and elsewhere is not receiving attention because they have been eclipsed by other issues that captured the imagination of everyone. The sectarian conflicts between Shia and Sunni and the raging ethnic war between the Kurdish and the non-Kurdish peoples of Iraq are part of the greater conflict in the region. These two struggles are closely linked to the administration policy towards radical Islam and Muslims at home and abroad.

In assessing the Bush leadership and its policies, one must also take into account its position on democratization. Since 9/11 the President is faced with two realities. There is the sound policy of giving security to fellow Americans and there is the need to promote democracy in the Middle East . Although the two issues are not necessarily antagonistic, there are points of convergence and divergence. The points of convergence which appeal to many American Muslims and many of whom fled their homelands in search of the good life in America, is the desire to cultivate the seeds of democracy in their region of origins. But while welcoming this new trend for peace and democracy in the Middle East , many of these Arabs and Muslims find themselves trapped in a state where the fear of international terrorism has made life insecure and frightening because of their present circumstances. American Muslim organizations, such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) have covered the nature of these problems facing the American Muslims. Their activism at the national level and the supportive role of the local Muslim communities around the country have brought to the attention of the government and the American people what has happened to their Muslim compatriots and what needs to be done to ameliorate their situation.

 There are several issues that connected the Bushian policy at home and abroad. Because of the war on international terrorism, the victimization of Muslims by anti-Muslim and anti-Arab forces have made life miserable for many Arabs and Muslims. This pain is not only conveyed in several forms, but those Muslims who claimed to have been violated speak with resentment about their experiences. Some others are, however, too embarrassed to shed some light on the matter. As a result we have witnessed differential reactions to the crisis of the American Muslims. Those Muslims who expressed pain and suffering that paralleled the African American humiliation commonly known as “driving while black” are now talking about “Flying while Muslim.” Real or imagined for some and not most, the fact remains that 9/11 and the politicization of religion has affected both national and international politics.

But if the victimization manifests itself in encounters with law-enforcement agencies and social welfare groups then the phenomenon now described by some as Islamophobia has wider coverage. Not only does this phenomenon enjoy much attention among Arab and Muslims, it also raises a number of issues for policy makers and Muslim leaders in the U.S. and beyond. First of all, anti-Muslim sentiments in America and elsewhere in the West is harmful to Western interest. It plays into the hands of Muslim radicals who see Islamophobia as grease that lubricates their wheels of hatred. To contain these elements and to create a more favorable environment for dialogue between Muslims and the United States of America , efforts must be made to protect the rights of American Muslims and Muslims elsewhere in the West. Simultaneously, it makes political sense for the policy makers to acknowledge the dangers posed by religious bigotry at home and abroad. The encouragement of such religious activism could only lead to the clash of what one writer calls the clash of the international fundamentalist cartels. These cartels are global and their outreach programs lead them to the heartlands of the developing areas were life can be in the Hobbesian sense nasty, brutish and short.

Eucharia Mbachu is based in Washington D.C.

For further inquires about this article, please contact her @ acharmd3@aol.com

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# 1 Religion and politics are becoming close partners in the political ideology of some leaders in th...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 28.03.2007 06:01