Anti-film demos, a manifestation of Muslims’ might

TEHRAN, Sept. 23 (MNA) -- The demonstrations over the insulting movie, which was recently posted on the internet, have targeted the United States and its embassies across the world, especially in Muslim countries. The masses in the Muslim world are accusing U.S. officials of deliberately promoting animosity toward Islam in order to counter its rising influence in the West. There are two hypotheses that attempt to explain the situation in regard to the sudden outbreak of violent reactions to the film. According to the first hypothesis, the political developments in the Arab world over the past two years have seriously undermined the position of the U.S. in the region. The fall of pro-Western governments in the Arab world has dramatically undermined U.S. influence in the region and Washington has lost its reputation as a superpower in the Islamic world. Muslims have now found the courage to protest against the U.S. and its hegemomnistic policies, and the awakened masses in Muslim countries will no longer tolerate any insults to their religion and identity. According to the second hypothesis, the U.S. government is fundamentally opposed to any moves or actions that intensify violence in the Middle East. In this viewpoint, the U.S. is seeking to establish security and stability in the region because otherwise it would have to bear the huge cost of conflict and tension in one of the world’s most sensitive geopolitical regions. Thus, according to this line of reasoning, the U.S. government could not have had a hand in the production of “The Innocence of Muslims”, an amateurish film funded and produced by a Zionist based in Southern California. However, the U.S. government’s ostensible support for democracy and freedom of religion on the one hand and its approval of anti-Islam propaganda on the other hand is a paradox that is deeply rooted in U.S. officials’ hegemonistic ideas. This paradoxical conduct gives weight to the first hypothesis and proves that the U.S. is not at all happy about the rising might and influence of Islam in the world and regards it as a serious threat to its interests in Muslim countries. Muslims have clearly understood the United States’ duplicitous support for democracy and freedom of expression, which is being used as a cover to insult Muslims and their sacred values. This awakening of the masses in the Muslim world is expected to create more and more risks for U.S. interests in the future and it is just the beginning. Samad Ghaempanah is a political analyst and expert on Middle East and African studies based in Tehran. (By Samad Ghaempanah)