No hope and change in India

Last month, Obama's envoy to the Muslim world, Farah Pandith, visited the India Islamic Cultural Center. Pandith has been assigned to reach out to Muslim communities, who will supposedly extend an olive branch to America now that George W. Bush is no longer in office.

But when Pandith was asked tough questions about American military involvement in the Middle East and the conflict over Kashmir, the cat got her tongue. The Indian press was unimpressed. One article, posted at the Indian blog Kashir Watch, absolutely tore her to pieces.

She came. She saw. She, er, left. Breaking hopes and dreams, this decorous US representative for Muslim world Farah Pandit left, failing to inspire during her three day visit. Even while interacting with selected group of journalists and intelligentsia off-record, she avoided crucial questions on Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq in a brazen tactless manner. In contrast, her accomplice Uzra Zeya, Political Minister-counselor in US Embassy displayed typical diplomatic acumen to cover Pandit’s uninspiring and un-diplomatic persona.

Her ardour got finally punctured at the only public function arranged for her at the India Islamic Culture Centre (IICC), which was devoid of any intellectual content. All manner of camera teams, scribblers, acolytes and stargazers had assembled for an audience to seek glimpse and hear President Obama’s envoy, a purported hope for new world.

...

From her interaction with Muslim journalists to interacting with students in Jamia Millia Islamia Farah Pandit repeated the clich “to build partnerships with Muslim communities across the globe on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect.”

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are more than serious about establishing good relations with the Muslim communities on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. We are engaging young Muslim generation in dialogues and conversations to build trust and remove misunderstandings, said Kashmir-born Farah Pandit. Asked how she thinks President Barack Obama’s outreach effort to the Muslim world is successful, she said: We have continued our efforts to reach to the Muslim communities and build relations and remove misconceptions. We are not ticking box to list success points.

She took several questions from the journalists, most of them were from Urdu media, but carefully avoided political issues when repeatedly asked why the US needed to launch such outreach efforts and a special portfolio of United States Special Representative to Muslim Communities. When asked specifically if the move is an admission that some of its foreign policies have gone wrong, she again did not answer clearly.

One-fourth of the world population is Muslim, so United States wants to build partnership with Muslim communities across the planet on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect, she again repeated at IICC during her 5-minute speech. “Since I assumed office last September I have been crisscrossing the Muslim world. I have visited Nigeria, Indonesia, Iraq and many other Muslim countries. For us New Delhi is as much important as any Muslim country because India has third largest Muslim population in the world,” said she who had reached the venue after visiting Jamia Millia Islamia where she gave a lecture on “Muslims in the US.” “As more than 25% of the world population is below the age of 30, we want to engage youth of the Muslim community,” she said.

Earlier welcoming Farah Pandit, IICC President and businessman Sirajuddin Qureshi said that turning clash of civilizations into dialogue between civilizations is the hallmark of Obama’s regime. If the US could play effective role in resolving Palestine-Israel conflict, it will be welcomed by the Muslim world. “I am proud of being Indian and Muslim. I assure you of our full support to Obama’s vision,” he said. Prof. Akhtarul Wasey of Jamia Millia Islamia said the world Muslims have now high expectation from President Obama after his speeches in his inauguration, in Turkey and Egypt where he gave clear indication of shift in US approach to the Muslim world. “Now they are awaiting the day when Iraq and Afghanistan will be completely free of foreign occupation,” he said.

Ghulam Nabi Qazi, Vice Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard, said that he being a scientist wants evidence to accept anything. “If things are changing because of Obama’s outreach efforts, they must be seen happening,” he said and urged the Obama Government to normalize visa process for Muslims in India who want to visit US. He narrated his personal incident wherein he, despite holding a diplomatic passport, “was not given visa last year because he was Ghulam Nabi Qazi.” If President Obama could do something on this front, it will bring great change, he said.

Not a single word on Kashmir. When finally our Kashmiri friend Sultanpuri managed to break cordons and convey salutations form her cousins, which he was specially carrying from Srinagar, she just smiled and left. Sultanpur’s camera remained hung his shoulders without recording his rubbing of shoulders with the prima donna of President Obama.

Looks like the Muslim world isn't just going to roll over for Obama after all.