DR NAZIR KHAJA At a time when the United States is mired in two wars in locations where the majority of the people practice Islam, President Barack Obama recently visited Indonesia, the largest Muslim country. On his visit he again alluded to the need for outreach to Muslims; he had done this in his Cairo speech on assuming office. Despite his calling Muslims in this country and those living in the West feel that they are under siege now. And conversely it appears that hatred of America in the Muslim countries has been rising exponentially. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan, drone attacks and the continued US support for Israel instead of apportioning to it the right amount of blame for the lack of progress in the Middle East Peace process are significant factors contributing to the increasing hatred of America. Meanwhile, every day there are new examples of how the average American who hardly knows about Islam is being mobilised by diverse groups from the fundamentalist Christians, the media, and the politicians to spread fear and hatred of Islam and Muslims. Oklahoma, a state from where not a single constituency voted for Obama and where hardly any Muslims live has passed a law to ban Shariah. From the outcry this year over a proposed Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York City, to legal challenges to construction of mosques in many places across the country even attacks on mosques and people with Middle-Eastern appearance or dress, the firing of Juan Williams, NPR commentator, the examples are too numerous. And the end is not in sight... As the new Congress convenes Republican Congressman King from New York will head the House committee that oversees domestic security in the coming year. He is planning to open a congressional inquiry into what he calls the radicalisation of the Muslim community. His proposal comes amid signs that deep anxieties about Muslims persist in the US nine years after the 9/11 terror attacks. He claims that despite frequent concerns raised by law-enforcement officials regarding Muslims and terrorism, the Muslim leaders remain unconcerned about the extent of the problem of terrorism in their community and uncooperative in terror investigations. All of this despite evidence to the contrary. The emergence of Islamophobia in Western countries is both striking and disconcerting. How, after 50 years of the institutionalised nurture of human rights and anti-racism could an ideology of vicious discrimination gain such ground? Beside the historical legacy of conflicts between Islam and Christianity, Islamophobia, as popular movement now in the West, seemingly also has links with the economic downturn and the war on terrorism. The key concepts Islamophobes deploy come largely from those working within the framework of Americas post-Cold War ambitions to dominate the Middle East; seemingly this is less racist but more official and politically correct. The argument that terrorism forms the pre-eminent threat to Western democracy, that there is a need for a Cold War against Islam, and that Islamists are totalitarians and fascists was interestingly made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu not too long ago. To emphasize that a major part of all of this feeling against Islam is a media construction is not far from truth. The powerful American media are using fear and running hot on an anti-Muslim agenda to create hatred of Islam and Muslims. Because Islam is still a minority religion in America and has had little positive public exposure, Americans have built up a strong distrust of it. It is hardly a surprise that the image of American Muslims is in serious disrepair. A January 2010 Gallup poll found that almost half of Americans hold an unfavourable view of Islam. About the same number of Americans harbour personal prejudice toward Muslims, according to the poll. These numbers become especially troubling when we consider that two-thirds of the Americans polled admit to knowing little to nothing about Islam. An insidiously divisive discourse promoting the idea that Muslimness is equivalent to terrorism and violence is being fostered by the media and some politicians for their own benefits. The term Islam - just like the terms Christianity or Christian-Jewish - is currently being used primarily as a political battle cry. The Christian churches have generally come out very strongly against it, but the politicians look at it just as a utility for the election - Republicans, especially the Tea Party types, were using it shamelessly - the Palins, the Gingriches, the Paladinos, the Rick Lazios, especially in East Coast elections, where people link into the frenzy over the Ground Zero Mosque. There should be no doubt that Islam has become a convenient scapegoat. Yet as it with all scapegoats, a major share of the responsibility for all of this must be assigned to the Muslims themselves. The Muslims remain confused and disoriented. Lacking in confidence they remain vulnerable and reactive. A twofold reason for all of this is their own inability to seek a deeper understanding of Islam as a social contract reforming and uplifting their societies and not merely a set of rituals; the other reason is their lack of understanding of the world around them. The global Muslim population remains conveniently divided against itself in many cases -this with a little bit of external assistance also. They thus remain unable to forge a strategy. It is obvious that the only ones who can change this are Muslims; of this they need to be persuaded and convinced. Unless this happens there will be little inclination or chance that most people in the world will want to understand them. Dr Nazir Khaja is a freelance columnist. He is also the Chairman of Islamic Information Service, US. -Arab News