What America is doing now is world terror waged against the weak. . . the forces of tyranny deserve to be defeated (House Hearing, 30)." The words of Sheikh Ali Abu Al-Hassan, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar University Religious Ruling Committee, reflect not only dislike for American foreign policy, but an entire culture of anti-Americanism. For decades, a resistance to western culture has been growing in the Middle East and in light of recent threats to Syria and Iran and aggression against both Afghanistan and Iraq, U.S. policy has "created a climate of apprehension and resentment against America. (Khan)" The increase in anti-Americanism is in some ways due to the attitude and posture of the U.S. government--an attitude that utilizes loaded rhetoric, doctrines of preemption and unilateralism, and creates an "us versus them" threat to outsiders. On September 11, 2001 the world mourned. In many Arab states, however, there were celebrations praising the terrorists as heroes. It was difficult for many Americans to understand why people would celebrate such violence. After all, aren't we the defenders of freedom and democracy? Again and again this question was asked: "Why do they hate us?" The answers are complex and multifaceted but are easier to understand when one puts himself in the mindset of "the other." From the inside, America seems to be a nation that champions justice and freedom. From the outside, however, America is seen as an aggressive and self-interested country. In a Time Europe online poll, 86.9% of voters considered the United States the biggest threat to world peace (time.com). The policies and actions of the Bush administration and its predecessors, including the attacks on Afghanistan and the war in Iraq are seen as a larger "war on the entire Islamic world." (islamonline.net). "It is a fact of history that the US decision to prosecute the Gulf War in 1991 spawned al-Qaeda" (Asia Times Online). Bin Laden was able to use religious and historical interpretations to recruit young Muslims and convinced many that the United States is engaged in a battle against Islam. America's pro-Israel policies and violence and sanctions against Arab nations have been used as proof of this claim. After 9-11, the speech utilized by President Bush seemed only to verify this. Bush called for a "crusade" against those responsible for the attacks. A crusade, of course, is a holy Christian war against Muslims. Although the administration was quick to point out that Bush mistakenly used the phrase, it was more than enough to worry the Islamic world. The overt Christian rhetoric used by Bush since this mistake (such as the repeated mention of God and the labeling of entire nations as "evil") has done little to convince the middle-east differently. Bush's policies in the Middle East and his War on Terror are being used to destroy such militant, anti-American groups as al-Qaeda, but many experts fear that the war on Iraq may be strengthening anti-American sentiments and weakening the strides made against terrorism. Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, an economist and defense analyst, believes that this war "may spawn a second generation of terrorists even more determined than al-Qaeda to evict US forces from the Middle East, thus defeating the very purposes for which it is [being] fought. (Asia Times Online)." In the coming years, it is extremely important for us to be mindful of the consequences of anti-American sentiment. Our foreign policies must be mindful of the extremely volatile situations that our government actions may create. We should guarantee that other nations have a voice in our policies that will effect them. With power comes responsibility, and as the most powerful country on Earth, we must act with great responsibility and be ever mindful of our actions. Sources: HEARING Words Have Consequences: The Impact of Incitement and Anti-American and Anti Semetic Propaganda on American Interests in t Middle East: Hearings before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, House of Representatives, 107th Cong., 1 (2002). Faruqui, Ahmad "Another Gulf War, another al-Qaeda," Asia Times Online, http://www.atimes.com, November 16, 2003 Khan, Muqtedar "American Foreign Policy a Threat to American Security?," Islam for Today, http://www.islamfortodayl.com, November 16, 2003 Poll "The Biggest Threat to Peace," Time Europe, http://www.time.com/time/europe, November 15, 2003 "Arab Anti-Americanism Higher Than Ever on 9/11 Anniversary" Islam Online, http://www.islamonline.net, November 18, 2003