Reason not emotion with Trump can save Palestine
Many Muslims and Arabs have made the mistake of approaching the 2016 Presidential election with their emotions rather than common sense, reason and an understanding of the American political system. Instead of attacking President-elect Donald Trump, Muslims and Arabs should be working to meet with him, work with him, educate him and get him to do the right thing. Palestinians especially should be doing this. The Israelis are.
By Ray Hanania
President-elect Donald J. Trump defied all predictions Tuesday night and soundly defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, causing many who opposed him to wonder what policies he will pursue.
Most shocked were American Muslims who took his campaign rhetoric at face value rather than recognizing it as being typical of the polemic debate that characterizes heated American elections.
Muslims may have made a crucial political mistake, pursuing an emotional response to Trump’s rhetoric rather than recognizing the flexibility of election rhetoric to achieve their goals.
But they overreacted over his comments on fighting terrorism and Muslims, and that debate engulfed all of Trump’s views on the Middle East, including the issue of Palestine.
The trouble between Trump and Muslims began on Dec. 2, 2015 when Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik stormed a San Bernardino County Health Department Christmas party. The Muslim married couple murdered 14 people who had nothing to do with the Middle East conflict. They seriously injured 22others.
Americans and Trump reacted with horror. Although the terrorist attack was roundly denounced by Arabs and Muslims, many Americans were looking for a response to the terrorism.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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