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Opinion

Hamas will test faith in democracy

Jamaal-Rashad Smith
Opinion Columnist

Rarely in our free and diverse society are we forced to come to grips with the real cost of those ideals and values. I am not referring to any one of the hundreds of spiritual faiths practiced at churches, synagogues and mosques around the country. The America we live in and love was born out of a faith in freedom, and democracy is its religion. This is the shared faith and religion to which all Americans subscribe.

Occasionally, world events test a country and its citizens' conviction in its various beliefs. The Civil War, World War II and the Civil Rights movement are just a few examples of such trials. During these eras, Americans had to ask themselves if their faith in society was worth the sacrifices and hardships they endured.

World events since 9/11 have dictated that this generation of U.S. citizens and its leaders will be tested as well. As Americans today, we must decide whether or not we still believe. If we do, then the trendy trade-off between freedom and security is wrong because our faith is our strength as a country. 

No situation in the world best highlights this challenge than the recent Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections, a real policy puzzle and a test to this country's belief system. 

The United States under President Bush has continued to use a foreign policy that centers on championing and spreading democracy in the world. Remember folks: "to free the Iraqi people from tyranny" is the only justification for the War in Iraq that has withstood the test of time and scrutiny. 

To the true believer in democracy, what happened in Palestine was encouraging for several reasons. First, from all accounts, the election went over remarkably well, with more than 1,000 polling places and even absentee ballots in East Jerusalem, where Israel allowed Palestinians to vote at post offices. 

Second, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, called for these elections in the face of high opposition from within his own party, the Fatah, the U.S. and Israel. You will be thinking for a long time if you try to remember the last time when the ruling party gave up or shared power voluntarily in an Arabic country. 

That is the good. The bad, in the minds of everyone except the Palestinian people, is the result. In the Hamas victory, the Palestinian people elected a party that has long been viewed by the United States as a terrorist group who has never recognized Israel's right to exist and, until the election, was more militia group than political party. All of which obviously cause a problem for a bigger goal than even democracy, which is peace. Specifically, negotiations in the Bush administration's "road map" to peace accord that would lead to Palestinian statehood and peace with Israel, which theoretically would go a long way toward curbing terrorism as well. So why shouldn't we just suppress freedom this one time in favor of stability? After all, we have done it before. U.S.-backed coups in Third World countries are legendary. We could flex U.S. economic might and impose sanctions, or just refuse to recognize the new Hamas-led government. These are some ideas, but none are the right one. 

Despite all the rhetoric, there are three very good reasons Bush needs to recognize a reformed version of a Hamas-led Palestinian government. The first is for our future political currency in the region. Just like the Cold War before it, the War on Terrorism will not be won with bombs, but with ideas. And one of the reasons America lacks credibility among Islamic countries is that it is seen as the world's biggest hypocrite because of its past policies, most of which are seen as a double standard toward Israel. 

Failing to recognize a democratically elected Arab government would just add fuel to the fire for those who would use it as a terrorist recruiting slogan and political rhetoric. More importantly, it would undermine those moderates in the Arabic world who presently deal with the United States and are potential allies. It would also make our presence in Iraq appear senseless. How can we tell the world we are moral leaders who freed the Iraqi people from a dictator when we are suppressing a democratically elected government in Palestine? 

Finally, Americans will not stand for U.S. soldiers dying for democracy in one country and the government suppressing it in another. This generation of Americans will find its faith and, in doing so, define itself just as the generations before it, but not without some sacrifice. Freedom, though, is not one of those. Those of us who would sacrifice freedom for protection ultimately deserve and will get neither. 

Smith, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu