Why Do They Hate Us?

Dear Mr. President,

“Why do they hate us?” GW famously asked in 2001. His answer, “they hate our freedoms” was propagandist jingoism that was as vacuous as his exhortation to “go out and shop” after 9/11. With the recent anti-U.S. demonstrations throughout the Muslim world, Why Do They Hate Us? is once again being asked. The anti-Muslim film, Innocence of Muslims is blamed for the latest riots and Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the hapless filmmaker, takes the fall while you remain silent, letting America wallow in ignorance, hatred and fear. The film is only a match in the tinderbox of history. Our Middle East policy since the 1940s has been driven by our insatiable demand for oil and it has been a disaster. Why do they hate us? 70 years of U.S. support for corrupt dictators who suppress and brutalize their own people but guarantee the free flow of oil to the West. Why do they hate us? Our one-sided support for Israel, turning our backs on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, their ancient lands seized, their children brutalized and killed, a modern day holocaust by those who suffered a holocaust, blatant injustice and yet we stand by silent and do nothing. They hate us not because they hate our freedoms but because we stand in the way of theirs. Because of our hypocrisy, preaching peace, practicing war, preaching justice, practicing injustice, preaching democracy, fostering tyranny. They hate us because their democracy might not bow to our corporate interests and therefore must be replaced with a client state which will do our bidding. It began in the 1940s when we agreed to arm and support the House of Saud as long as they continued the free flow of oil to the West. It continued through the overthrow of a democratically elected president in Iran and the installation of our puppet, the Shah. Libya was invaded and Qaddafi killed under the guise of a humanitarian mission so we could install a compliant government which would turn over the oil fields to Western interests. Why do they hate us? Support for dictators during the Arab Spring that continues to this day in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Yemen, Jordan, et al. Why do they hate us? The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, targeted assassinations, drone strikes and Hellfire missiles. And you remain silent still. You change nothing and we learn nothing. We remain mired in ignorance and fear and we repeat the sins of the fathers because of it. When will you speak truth, Mr. President? Your silence endangers us all.