In light of the Charlie Hebdo shootings this past January, and the recent attacks in Paris, many have reacted by painting Islam and the Middle East as being fundamentally at odds with Western values such as free speech.
Then, reinforcing this west-Islam dichotomy is the popular question: "Why do they hate us?" For example, Bill O’Reilly, in 2012, asked on his show, "What is it about Islam that makes these people have such hatred?"
However, the analog to the, "Why do they hate us?" question — what do we think of them? — is never considered. What do we Westerners, in fact, think of the Muslim community? According to a July 2014 Pew research study, about 41 percent of Americans view Muslims in a negative light, with only 38 percent claiming to know someone who is Muslim.
Before I delve any further, allow me to clarify: This is by no means a shallow, liberal or morally equivocal excuse for the actions of radically violent Muslims. However, we must tamper and adjust our perceptions of the relationship between the West and Islam to match the reality on the ground.
Free speech, political transparency, freedom of expression and open satire: These are the values many call upon to distinguish the West from the Middle East.
Well what if I told you, in spite of the utter turmoil and destruction of their homeland, many Iraqis actively call for, practice and engage in these values? A clear example is the "Albasheer Show."
"ISIL is the most dangerous armed group in Iraq right now. Our part is to fight them with comedy," Albasheer said.
Hosted by Iraqi journalist and comedian Ahmed Albasheer, the "Albasheer Show" closely models the vision and practice of Jon Stewart’s "Daily Show" by exposing internal political corruption and providing unhinged satire.
After sustaining devastating losses to his personal family and being kidnapped by Iraqi armed forces for six weeks, Ahmed relocated to Jordan and began recording the show, which he and his crew broadcast widely across the Internet.
In an interview with AJ+, Ahmed argues that, amid the lack of free media in Iraq and the devastating sectarian violence in the region, their show is unique because they "criticize every corrupt official in the government and also every armed group."
In spite of the inherent danger in doing the show so successfully and so close to the heat of war against the Islamic State and the Syrian Civil War, Ahmmed sees his show as a force for good.
"I believe that we are (helping) to improve the situation in Iraq," he said. "The show is changing minds, especially among the youth."
And it’s not like the "Albasheer Show" is a nit-picky example of Iraqi-embraced free speech. Ahmed's show resonates deeply with the Iraqi citizenry and throughout the Middle East, with more than 22 million views on YouTube and more than 30 million views on Facebook.
So there we have it. Amid popular perceptions of an inherently violent and morally backward religion and region of the world, we see forces like the "Albasheer Show" resonating at a remarkable pace on a massive scale of Iraqis and Arabs.
While many pose free speech and satire as anti-Islamic, in reality, millions of Muslims hold these same values to the face of the same terrorists we oppose and fight. Perhaps it’s time we adjust the, "Why do they hate us?" question to represent the situation a bit more accurately.
"Why do (the Islamic State, terrorist groups and radical-violent Muslims) hate us (innocent civilians in both the West and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and our shared values of freedom and peace)?"
And to the Western pundits who voraciously argue, "Where are the moderates? Where’s the moderate outrage?" I say, here it is: the "Albasheer Show" and its millions of viewers. It’s time we open our eyes to the reality of the situation, rather than just our fears.
David Hoffman is a UF history and physics sophomore. His column appears on Tuesdays.
