Demagoguery vs Diplomacy

In the wake of the tragedy in Paris, the past few days offered a stark reminder of the difference between diplomacy and demagoguery. The contrast between President Obama and his public acknowledgment, albeit somewhat belated, of the threat of extremist Islam and the demagoguery of Donald Trump is stark.

Over the past several years, an array of political leaders have been afraid to be blunt about what ails a segment of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide.  While one can understand political leaders’ reluctance to be straightforward about terror and Islam (fear of angering and alienating moderates), the recent scourge of terrorism around the world suggests that the time for honesty about the need for a “liberation” of Islam from extremists and terrorists has come (some American Muslim leaders have been willing to write about this issue “>wrote about the lack of attention to the president’s observations.

And what exactly was the president’s call?

And so I think, on the one hand, non-Muslims cannot stereotype, but I also think the Muslim community has to think about how we make sure that children are not being infected with this twisted notion that somehow they can kill innocent people and that that is justified by religion. And to some degree, that is something that has to come from within the Muslim community itself. And I think there have been times where there has not been enough pushback against extremism. There’s been pushback—there are some who say, well, we don’t believe in violence, but are not as willing to challenge some of the extremist thoughts or rationales for why Muslims feel oppressed. And I think those ideas have to be challenged.[Emphasis added]

In stark contrast to Obama’s carefully measured words were the comments of candidate Donald Trump whose hyperbolic and incendiary rhetoric about Muslims and Blacks is simply indefensible. Instead of focusing on real issues that need addressing, he has become the issue because of his bigoted and unfounded assertions.

His claims about “seeing Muslim demonstrators in New Jersey” cheering the destruction of the Twin Towers or his manifestly untrue claims on an unrelated, but similarly sensitive, topic regarding crime and the Black community (he tweeted that “81% of whites are killed by Blacks”, in“> truth and decency be damned.

Having been active in the civil rights field for decades and knowing all too well the role of fear and uncertainty in laying the groundwork for bigotry, the fact that a “serious” candidate for the presidency can be as irresponsible in his comments as Trump has been and seem to pay no price in terms of support is deeply troubling.

His claims demand unambiguous condemnation and disgust; if one wants to deal with nuanced issues of race and ethnicity and make bald assertions, your facts better be right and the manner in which they are made appropriate. Shooting from the hip about minority groups and their “conduct” is a dangerous practice, especially when the the assertions are false..

Hopefully, as the 2016 elections become more than amusement on cable TV, there will be a role for mature and sober analysis of real issues and the unambiguous and universal dismissal of demagoguery and bigotry. Hopefully, the American public will be able to distinguish between leadership and potentially toxic entertainment.

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*We have often “>op/ed that two Los Angeles-based Muslim leaders had written in the Wall Street Journal last year. The fact is that two national Islamic leaders had no reluctance in describing what ails Islam globally, they were willing to say what had to be said,

American Muslims can significantly contribute to the revival of Islam and restore human dignity as a central principle of the faith. From despotic regimes to religious extremism, authoritarianism in the Middle East and South Asia has devastated modern Islamic thought over the last few centuries. American Muslims have the freedom and the intellectual capacity to create positive change for Islamic reform……..

Any country that kills its own people, persecutes religious minorities and subjugates women is anathema to American Muslims. They can call themselves angels, but they cannot camouflage their evil under a religious veneer. Islam liberated us from the shackles of religious tyranny, and we will struggle to liberate ourselves by declaring our independence from the tyrants and clerics who have usurped authority and religion in claiming sovereignty over Muslims world-wide. [Emphasis added]