Issues to Address
The freedoms and values of the Western countries have always been contrary to the Middle East ones. It is not surprising that the situation when a representative of an Islamic state challenges an official by emphasizing the differences between the mentioned cultures takes place. Notably, such an occasion is even more likely to appear during the presidential campaign as there are many Arabs with active political positions who are interested in the issue. Hence, it is essential to develop a policy that will take into account Arabs’ aspirations and visions that might be considered rational and reasonable.
This policy will allow increasing the chances for the win in presidential elections as it will include the interests of a substantial part of society. What is more, it will result in avoiding the situation when a questioner continuously states the hate of all Middle Easterners towards the Western values and asks to express an opinion on the problem.
Crucial Issues
There is a number of critical issues that are to be dealt with within the scope of the Senator’s policy. Currently, countries are undoubtedly and inevitably entering the period of transnationalism (Keshavarz 4). It means that boundaries between cultures are becoming blurred, and all civilized governments should do their best to reduce contradictions between different religions and life visions.
Then, the Senator’s program should include the point that the future government will not follow the doctrine of authoritarianism that provides no opportunity for independent action and opinion expression (Owen 257). This oppressive approach may lead to unrest and even a revolution. Finally, the Senator has to strictly adhere to the principle of non-discrimination of various religions in the US as it will contribute to the loyalty of Middle Eastern minorities.
Scholars’ Discussions
The scholarly dimension contains several significant investigations regarding the issue discussed. For instance, Jamal et al. conducted remarkable research on anti-Americanism using the Twitter platform and relevant data (1). The mentioned piece of work provides a sound and rational arguing. The authors conclude that Arabs express a negative attitude predominantly to the US foreign policy; on the other hand, they demonstrate a neutral or even positive perception of the US society (Jamal et al. 67).
In his research on a similar topic, Corstange supports the above arguments about the negative vision of the United States’ foreign policy and the positive seeing of the US university (324). His findings allow concluding that the academic dimension, which is the primary foundation and maintenance of the highest US values, is not considered harmful by Arabs. It might be assumed that the mentioned academicians adhere to the same point of view.
The authors’ train of thought and rationale make it possible to suppose that the fact that all Middle Easterners abhor the fundamental values of the United States does not reflect reality. Moreover, these people’s hatred is mostly related to the foreign policy of the US government but not to the country’s culture and society. In many cases, they assume that the values of the United States might have a positive impact on the global community. Thus, it is vital to stress the above-mentioned facts while developing the Senator’s policy and preparing speeches. Then, it is essential to keep these scholars’ findings in mind when being challenged on the problems discussed.
Speaking About the Topic
The Senator should be calm and respectful to the issue while responding to questions about the Middle Easterners’ hate towards the US values. The topic is quite delicate; hence, the official has to avoid unreasonable expressions. If such a situation takes place, the Senator might begin the answer like this, “Thank you for your question – it is an essential topic to discuss.” Then, the potential president may continue, “Although there is a visible hatred coming from Middle Easterners to the US, this hatred mostly relates to its foreign policy.”
In order to sound precise and give a detailed answer, she can implement the discussed above findings of scholars, incorporating their names in the speech. It will help to reduce the number of further similar challenges on the topic that may be undertaken to make the vision of the weak and imprudent Senator’s program. A response with an appropriate reference to notable investigation and findings always contributes to the confidence and positive influence of a speaker.
Furthermore, she may use a number of noticeable bites that might ensure the increase of press and media coverage. These bites will mostly be related to several points regarding the issue that the Senator’s policy program will contain. She might claim, “The state schools will make it necessary to memorize the Qur’an to get diplomas in religious and philosophical specialties as the Qur’an is the essence of Arab philosophy and religion” (Landen 71). Then, the Senator may state that she will make some amendments to the current US legislation that will emphasize the Arabs right to pray in their unique manner. In the event that all the discussed points are implemented in the Senator’s response, she might obtain significant support and gain the reputation of a democratic and intelligent leader.
Works Cited
Corstange, Daniel. “Anti-American Behavior in the Middle East: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Lebanon.” The Journal of Politics, vol. 78, no. 1, 2016, pp. 311–325.
Jamal, Amaney, et al. “Anti-Americanism and Anti-Interventionism in Arabic Twitter Discourses.” Perspectives on Politics, vol. 13, no. 01, 2015, pp. 55–73.
Keshavarz, Fatemeh. “Introduction from Jasmine and Stars: Reading More than Lolita in Tehran.”.
Landen, Robert. “The Rise of Mass Doctrinal Parties: The Program of Hasan ai-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood, 1936.”.
Owen, Roger. “Egypt and Tunisia.”.