Obama Bursts His Bubble: Rahm Emanuel, the Arab world and God

Maybe many Muslims had excessive or unrealistic expectations of President-Elect Obama; now is the time to withdraw those expectations.  His first pick, his first choice, for any position, is a politician so right-of-center that he opposed the Dubai Ports World deal, one of the most innocuous and potentially beneficial arrangements that could be made between the Arab world and America: Business, and mutual benefit, shot down, even against President Bush's wishes.  This might surprise, but it is a product of the way politics works: Loyalty, contribution, devotion, strategy.  For half of America's Muslims, this is a tremendous victory tinged with the awkwardness of religion, not race, the apparently more offensive category.  The remainder of America's Muslims and Arabs don't yet have anything to bring to the table, beyond vague threats of not voting and the like.  Until we have the power to shape discourse, even at a local level, here and there, we can expect to be ignored as Muslims; for our African-American community, there is now huge potential (as well as, it must be said, enormous judgment hanging over that community's head: It is always hard to be first).

But while I support the Democratic national agenda, on foreign policy I am more uncomfortable, especially since I see the two as interlinked -- attitudes here reflect attitudes there and vice versa.  Rahm Emanuel had a certain colorful family history within the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict and a strong supporter of NATFA: The Obama who knew of, and read, Khalidi and Said, and who talked of reviewing NAFTA, is of course not the same man we will have in office.  Although we must note that Emanuel is managing his staff at the White House -- he is not in charge of foreign policy, defense or the like; he has some more charged positions in these matters, but they are very likely not the primary reason he was picked, nor do they reflect his role if he accepts.  He is a veteran who can bring a tough mien to a new administration which will face numerous charges of naivete, inexperience and wetness behind the ears... that's tough, and requires a loyal, bold, disciplined ally at one's side.

Such is politics, and we must remain prepared, in the absence of our own powerful Muslim institutions, alliances and voices, to not share in these conversations at the level we'd like to.  So with the challenges of achieving an agenda come the challenge of even being featured on the agenda, anywhere, even in a subsection or footnote.  Throughout the Arab world, the awareness and significance of this first choice will certainly deflate feelings.  We have to satisfy a domestic audience, but we must be careful not to shoot ourselves in the foot on the international stage.  At the same time, we must be conscious that Obama, like every other politician, stands on the shoulders of giants who paved the way -- from the right of women to vote, to the Civil Rights movement, to the Democratic Party volunteers pushing blue into red states.  Muslims, whether black or not, will have to pair up and learn from previous examples, and should consider Emanuel an example of the pragmatism and balance and interests that trade in and around politics.

My own experience of the election remains oddly a bit underwhelming, as if I was more motivated by deep fear -- of McCain -- than hope -- of Obama -- and in the absence of the Republican threat, I am more critical of what Obama has done during this election and what he will do: We must remain vigilant, as democrats (lower-case and upper-case) and as citizens.  But I also expect more because he promises more, and foreshadows more, in the way so many Europeans might criticize America but still want better of America: They just do; America asks for higher standards in the image we believe of it.  (Iran, after all, makes grandiose claims of its own nationalism, officially and otherwise, yet few globally internalize that and expect Iran, for example, to live up to the hype.) We can fix healthcare, we can reorient the economy, we can change the conversation on race and power, and we can establish our infrastructure anew and meet energy challenges.  We can.  But it is a hard battle to fight.

I still remain inspired and impressed by Obama, his candidacy, and the potential it carries, never mind the barrier so powerfully sledgehammered Tuesday night, though these are strongly tempered by an awareness of the enormousness of the challenges facing America and the world, financially, politically and ecologically, as well as the limits on his agenda imposed by a still fundamentally conservative character throughout much of the nation; Obama was quite right to point out that these challenges require sacrifice, commitment and dedication, not just from the government, but society. 

One more thing.  In his acceptance speech, Obama did not mention God or religion except a perfunctory "God Bless America"?  That's not a bad thing, but it is -- politically and culturally -- strange, as in unusual or unexpected.  For a churchgoing Christian, who does not believe in gay marriage because of his Christianity, and moreover as a black man, from a culture that is normally both religious and quite open about, and positive in, its celebration of religiosity and faith, it was a noticeable absence and indicates something of the tone that is being set from here on in.  But the speech was wonderful not in its inspiring qualities -- I didn't find it too soaring or too eloquent -- but rather because it kept things real at a time when, President Bush-style, he could have bragged, gloated and sneered.  Conscious of the potential, but insistent that the road ahead was "steep" and the recovery long.  It was something I remain deeply appreciative of: We cannot have leaders who oversee us in crisis, and then tell us to go shopping.  Thank God, no more of that.  God willing. 

That's a lot of God-talk, by the way.

Comments

[Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore]

Thank you Haroon, for a nicely balanced assessment... with the "burst the bubble" headline I think I was expecting something more negative, though you have your reservations (no metaphorical champagne in your glass...) Some have compared Obama to the Dajjal... I mean, please! We will wait a bit and see, whatever Allah wills. Meanwhile, as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf loves to say, "Onward and upward!"

[sifta]

Rahm Emanuel is a hard person to know, but by all accounts is someone who will try to shamelessly insert his agenda in any way possible. Whether he still sports a virulently anti-Muslim agenda and to what extent this will play into the Obama administration remains to be seen.

Of course, everyone understands that Obama cannot pragmatically live up to the expectations that are set out for him. Moreover, throughout the campaign, Muslims have taken a dismissive back seat in the Obama camp (and have been reviled in the McCain camp). There is no reason that this should change. I wonder if people like Keith Ellison will be allowed to meet with Pres. Obama; I'd put this at a probability of 50%.

[LibertineFreedomInc]

Let's pretend Rahm was an Egyptian or Tunisian, with Dual citizenship and a record of serving in an Arab army. The Jewish owned media would go nuts! Well, it would never happen in this awful Israelified place...

Mr., there is a strong anti-zionist movement on the internet, and we have Time and Truth on our side. We must monitor Zionist infiltration very closely...