Afraid to acknowledge the consequences of disastrous US policy, American officials and the media cling to the idea that Islam is only attractive to the poor,
By Geneive Abdo
There is a truism understood among the more astute foreign policy analysts in Washington regarding America's comprehension of the Middle East region: Whatever happens, whether it is the victory of Hamas, the downfall of the reformist movement in Iran, or most glaringly, the monumental humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq, you can count on a misreading of such events for at least three or four years after they have occurred before realism sets in. There is also another truism: when it comes to nuance in Muslim behaviour, not even time can produce US understanding.
So it should not have been surprising when The New York Times on 17 February published a front-page article about economically-strapped Egyptian youth, which claimed: "In their frustration, the young are turning to religion for solace and purpose, pulling their parents and their governments along with them. With 60 per cent of the region's population under the age of 25, this youthful religious fervour has enormous implications for the Middle East. More than ever, Islam has become the cornerstone of identity, replacing other, failed ideologies: Arabism, socialism, nationalism."
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