“Increasing” tensions between Muslims, Americans and other communities in New York surfaced following American President Barack Obama's decision to build a mosque near “Ground Zero.” The Muslim side is thus praising the decision, while the other side is rejecting it, showing surprise toward it and spreading rumors about Obama. In Los Angeles on the other hand, another picture emerged as it was decided to establish a consultative council at the King Fahd Mosque in order to enhance understanding between the two sides in the presence of the state police administration. In Britain, an extremist Islamic scholar is heralding the rising influence of extremist American Islamic groups as it was seen in Britain during the nineties of last century, in reference to a period in which the headquarters of the Islamists were in “Londonistan” and Europe. In Amsterdam, the Dutch press is reporting that Australian cleric Feiz Muhammad called in a public sermon for the beheading of Dutch politician and deputy Geert Wilders for being anti-Islamic, describing him as “Satan.” In Italy however, a lawmaker and activist is waging a fierce battle to build a mosque in Milano, as Muslims are praying in theaters and on the streets following the destruction of the only mosque in the Italian city two years ago. The picture is shaky as there is a tug of war, paradoxes and contradictions. There are Western fears which may be acceptable in some cases, and American fears and fabrications which are “surprising” at times and “unsurprising” at others. There is a “frequent” attack on the Arabs and the Muslims since the September 11 events, while neither its chapters are ending nor its branches are falling. It seems that the Arabs and Muslims are expecting Obama to change the American political map overnight, while they are merely launching accusations and raising old and obsolete slogans on their end. They perceive Obama's speech at Cairo University as being a historic promise which he must respect regardless of the size of the challenges facing him, and without offering him any help although he extended his hand to them. It is as though they are unaware of the size of the “lobbies” besieging the White House and the extent of their impact on the American elections. The Arabs and Muslims would be mistaken if they believe that nine years are enough for the “American nation” to forget the rising smoke, the heavy dust and the mounting flames from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Moreover, the Arabs and Muslims would also be mistaken if they believe that the Americans have forgotten the state of horror and panic which was caused by a bunch of terrorists who damaged their pride and hit their economy and their country's symbols in the heart of their own home. For their part, the Americans must become aware of the great pain caused to Muslims whenever they see the images of murder, destruction, sabotage and mutilation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, even if they got rid of the “backward” Taliban regime and Saddam Hussein's “tyrannical” regime. The Americans should not think for a moment that the Arabs will forget the double-standards policy adopted by their country when dealing with them and the bias it shows in favor of Israel, just as they will not forget the support it is offering to the Israeli occupation and the stalling in finding a solution for the Palestinian cause. There is no doubt that the boldness of the American projects in the Middle East region created massive tensions between the Islamic world and the Western world, just as they generated fear from the unknown in the ranks of the Muslim community in America and Europe. This prompted the representatives of the imams and leaders of around 55 mosques and Islamic organizations in New York to remind the Americans that 300 Muslims were killed in the attacks on Washington and New York, and that Muslim policemen and firefighters were among those who helped lift the rubble and deal with the terrorist incidents. In addition, the multitude of American doubts surrounding the Muslim community made the executive director of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, Zaheer Uddin, say: “We are not strangers to this country and this country is no stranger to us. The Muslims have a long history and heritage in it.” President Obama's administration came to power with a public and clear conviction in the importance of enhancing good relations with Muslims. This was seen in the patent sympathy with the Arab and Muslim communities in America, as well as in his famous speech at Cairo University and his serious attempts to find a solution acceptable to both the Palestinians and the Israelis. However, it seems that the main concern of American citizens does not revolve around the establishment of a mosque near “Ground Zero” as much as it revolves around the infiltration and the exploitation by fundamentalist Islamists of the values guaranteed by U.S. law, namely religious freedom, integrity, justice and plurality. Many things escalated the situation and generated hatred between the two sides since and after the September 11 events, to the point where they crossed geographic boundaries and defaced the history of humanity. There is no doubt that the consequences of the Western campaigns and the ongoing accusations against all that is Arab and Muslim contributed to the increase of the tensions and the mistrust, to the point where the wounds were opened and began bleeding. Therefore, I believe that the Arab and Muslim communities in the West should see the real picture of their countries of origin “magnified,” in order to become aware of the size of the catastrophe back home and realize that the threats and the “false” slogans did not provide them with a good working environment, nor did it bring them security or protect them from the raids of the intelligence apparatuses. This forced them to seek political asylum in America and Europe to elude the hell of governments that have no mercy, in search for a decent living and a missing security. What remains is for these communities to learn that safe living, peaceful coexistence with the others and the “soft” political influence in favor of their causes are the conditions for them to stay with dignity in countries that have provided them with rights which were not offered to them by their troubled countries and their divided people.
