•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

The cold war was a happy time for me, a young Muslim boy from Pakistan, growing up in London. America was working with Pakistan and various Muslim countries to drive the godless Communists out of Afghanistan, my home country’s historical enemy India was aligned more with Russia, and there was no issue of being on the wrong side. No one could confuse me for a godless Communist — I was on the same side as “the West.” We, who all believed in one God, were united together.

I was even able to read the description of James Bond in the novels by Ian Fleming (black hair, dark face, longish nose) and come to the conclusion that there wasn’t much difference between James Bond and myself (apart from the cigarettes, vodka and women). James Bond was the ultimate establishment figure, and because I was like him, I also belonged. Belonging was very important to me — I was growing up in a society that was, in parts, inherently racist, and constantly advising me to “go home.” (The need to belong is very important to human beings. The problem is: We are often careless and unthinking in what we choose to belong to, and on what basis.)

Then, something unexpected happened. The godless Communists became capitalists and joined the West. After that, there was a vacuum. And, as Gore Vidal commented in the early ’90s, the military-industrial complex cannot stand a vacuum. There has to be an Other, someone to be angry at, to be afraid of.

A few years later, something else completely unexpected happened: 9/11. What a horrible day, a day of rage and inhuman madness, of courage and compassion. But beyond the human tragedy of that day, out of the dust and the rubble, a new Other began to emerge — and it was me.

It was not unexpected that some people in America would be outraged at Muslims for this awful act. We should not be surprised at the abuse and vitriol being hurled around the Internet. It’s what people do when they are hurt, angry and afraid of something they don’t understand. What is disappointing is those so-called Muslims who immediately fell into a lazy tribal position over this tragedy — aligning themselves with the terrorists and saying that it was America’s fault. And therein lies the problem: how easily we fall into tribal groups, based on some arbitrary shared attribute, and so easily dehumanize and demonize the Other.

But could it be that the Other isn’t a homogenous group that has one opinion, one motive and one set of values? Could it be that the Other is human like us, has a valid point of view and perhaps may even be “right” sometimes?

I observed in despair as the world descended into an insane, hate-filled tribalism, driven by certain dark forces because it suited their agendas. How they wanted to present everything as black and white, good and evil, us and them. “America is waging war on Islam and wants to oppress and kill Muslims.” “All Muslims are crazy hate-filled terrorists who oppress women.” Everything so simple. A homogenous Other you can hate, attack and kill without moral ambiguities. Even George Bush did it to an extent: “You’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists.”

No, it’s not that simple, Mr. Bush. You cynically used 9/11 as an excuse to further the master plan of Cheney, creating chaos and misery for millions of people, and carelessly decimating America’s reputation in the world (Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay were not mere accidents). You didn’t improve the safety of Americans or the security of the oil supply. So it wasn’t that masterful after all.

But I won’t demonize all American citizens, not even American soldiers, because of this ineptitude, nor do I accept being demonized. By falling into these simple positions, the world has become hysterical. But it’s never that simple, and indiscriminate killing of the Other is morally indefensible. All it does is reinforce fears and prejudices, and it makes peace processes untenable.

I get angry when some people in the West make hurtful and unfair comments about “all Muslims.” But we Muslims should refrain from doing the same about America and the West. There is no more one West (or even one America) than there is one Islam in the whole world. We Muslims fight each other just as much as we fight non-Muslims.

When people chant “Death to America,” which America do they mean? The America that intervened to save the Bosnian Muslims from total genocide? Why did America even bother? To my knowledge, there’s no oil or strategic value in Bosnia. Could it have been because it was the morally correct thing to do (without consideration of race or religion)?

The America that tries to prevent massacres in Africa, and gets attacked and abused and sees its own fallen soldiers’ bodies being mutilated for having the courage to do the right thing?

The America that is the first to arrive with emergency assistance (followed immediately by the Israelis, if they get permission), whenever and wherever there’s a catastrophic earthquake, anywhere in the world?

The America that yearns to stop the genocide, rape and murder in Darfur but can no longer bear the consequence of so-called Muslim countries accusing it of waging a Western imperialist war on Islam? The America that put men on the moon, and was gracious enough to say that it was on behalf of “all mankind”?

I knew that I could write a book that re-humanized both Muslims and the West to each other, detailing the complexity of both “sides.” So I wrote “Unimagined: A Muslim Boy Meets the West,” describing my experience of growing up in two worlds, and the hypocrisy and humanity I witnessed everywhere.

All the major British publishers rejected the book because I did not become a terrorist or even an Islamist, and so who would be interested in my story? This is the appalling attitude of the Western media. “Islam versus the West” is a profitable line of business, and if you contradict that with something about the sheer ordinariness and humanity of being a Muslim, you can’t get any attention.

Not surprisingly, some Western people ask indignantly, “Why don’t we hear anything from the so-called moderate Muslims?” Well, because we’re boring and there’s no money to be made.

Eventually, I succeeded in getting the book published, to enormous acclaim. It was selected in the “best books of the year” lists of three major newspapers, and is being treated as English literature at school and university level.

I have been invited to one literary festival after another, and now have the privilege of coming to Indonesia for a speaking tour and the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. But I still struggle to get media time in Britain, because I only say reasonable things. If only I would say something outrageous, I’d be in all the papers.

There is hope for us all on this beautiful earth, if we can just remember our common humanity — without the illusions of race, religion, gender and lazy tribalism.

Imran Ahmad is the author of “Unimagined: A Muslim Boy Meets the West,” the Indonesian version of which will be launched during his appearance at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival next week. His Web site is www.unimagined.org.