WASHINGTON--The response of the world com- munity to the epic tsunami disaster continues to be impressive. Nations and private citizens alike have been galvanized to provide emergency relief of more than $7 billion. At the United Nations-sponsored disaster conference, billions more are being pledged as developmental aid.
The United States government has provided $350 million in emergency aid and U.S. private- sector aid is expected to total more than $700 million. Missing from the numbers are people's empathy and emotions. From students organizing car washes to mothers doing bake sales, all point to the incredible generosity of Americans.
Although the world today is more polarized than ever, crisis spurs us to transcend our political differences. Fortunately our milk of human kindness did not dry up in the sweltering heat of our passionate disagreements.
However, this outpouring of help has not stopped the conspiracy theorists, propagandists, and proselytizers from exploiting the tsunami disaster in appealing to the dark side of humanity.
The conspiracy theorists, often very anti-American in their viewpoints, have as usual blamed America first. An Egyptian opposition weekly, Al Usbua, claimed that the earthquake was a result of a joint India-Israel-U.S. nuclear experiment, which brought about the movement of the tectonic plates located underneath the ocean.
The propagandists also seized the moment. A Muslim cleric explained the coincidence of the disaster being one day after Christmas as God taking the life of Christians as they reveled in their "immorality." The sermonizer failed to grasp the reality that his views are not supported by the Quran and more Muslims than Christians died.
Contrary to swirling Islamophobic rumors, Muslims, just like their Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Buddhist counterparts, have been incredibly generous. In India, a Muslim welfare organization mobilized its grassroots to provide relief to Hindu fishermen, including allowing the use of its mosque as a shelter for the homeless.
The act drew universal praise as a small effort to mend the fences of Hindu-Muslim relations so ravaged by the Gujarat riots, where thousands of Muslims perished at the hands of frenzied Hindu mobs.
Responding to misrepresentation of Muslim giving for tsunami victims, the Saudi Embassy wrote, "Saudi Arabia's aid is now in excess of $200 million. Charity is part of our faith and our culture. Saudi citizens alone have raised in excess of $80 million. When considering the country's GDP, this is equivalent to a U.S. cash contribution of more than $5 billion."
Donations are also pouring in from Muslims in America. Islamic centers from New Jersey to California reported raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The proselytizers also have been quite adept at exploiting this awful event. While many Christian groups like Catholic Charities have been exemplary, the activities of some evangelist groups have been very suspicious.
Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell, who in 2002 had called Prophet Muhammad a "terrorist," made a plea for donations stating that "in this heavily Muslim part of the world, millions have never even heard of Jesus Christ."
He continued, "In addition, we will be presenting the Gospel to tens of thousands of persons. Our ultimate purpose for this first mission is to set the stage for many other missions trips to this Asian region."
Besides being factually incorrect about Muslims having never heard of Jesus (Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet of God), Falwell is exploiting a catastrophe to further his group's parochial agenda.
As a result, a great deal of unease is already developing in Indonesia about foreign troops and foreign aid hurting America's national interest of rebuilding its lost credibility in the Muslim world.
Islamophobia, anti-Americanism, and anti-Semitism are all different expressions of the same fundamental diseases: misunderstanding, xenophobia, and close-mindedness. The cure lies in meaningful cooperation between all sides in furthering the common causes of peace and justice.
The isolated examples of the propagandists and the proselytizers represent exceptions to the rule that our common humanness can, with proper effort, transcend our natural human differences.
Glimpses of hope can be seen in media reports of the Latter-day Saints Church collaborating with Islamic Relief Services to send 70 tons of relief supplies to Indonesia. This sentiment of cooperation must extend beyond the current crisis and be made a catalyst to bring a polarized world closer together.
PARVEZ AHMED is a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.