Arab powers join battle for hearts, minds of Muslims

By Martin Schram

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014 | 2:01 a.m.

President Barack Obama’s Arab coalition may succeed in the one battle America cannot win.

It is, to be sure, a dickens of a time in the Middle East.

But much to our surprise, historians may someday look back and say this week marked the start of a long, slow reversal in the tumult-as-usual that had long been the Middle East. It could actually be seen, someday in the future, as the start of a new era — the beginning of the best of times in the Middle East.

It sure seems like the worst of times right now.

Monday was the day when the United States led a multinational coalition in a series of air attacks against a fanatic group of Islamic militant rebels, the Islamic State, inside Iraq and Syria. Although it wasn’t a replay of America’s Iraq War shock and awe, neither was it a rerun of the old, delusional Vietnam shuck and jive. It was a strong, solid start of what will surely be a long effort.

What makes that air attack a potential historic marker worthy of “new era” status was that the coalition included some of the Middle East’s major power makers and shakers: the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, who usually prefer to do their influencing behind the scenes.

Obama and his team deserve much credit for having worked hard to mobilize that coalition of Middle East partners to battle the Islamic State. (Just as they deserved much of the criticism they received for missteps, including the time Obama blurted a press conference warning to Syria not to use chemical weapons; he famously drew his “red line” with what turned out to have been disappearing ink once those chemical weapons were used.)

For some time, America’s new coalition partners in the region had been mainly silent while the Islamic State hijacked their religion and slaughtered thousands of Arabs for the crime of not being the right kind of Muslims, or not being Muslims at all.

The Islamic State has conquered territory in Syria and Iraq with little resistance. It has beheaded journalists and other civilians from the United States and Britain, using Internet videos of their brutality as recruiting tools. (It also has invited other Islamic radicals around the world to join in its terrorism, and last week a group in Algeria beheaded a French citizen.)

The monarchies in today’s U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State had quietly financed various rebel efforts to topple Syria’s dictator, Bashar Assad.

And that gets us to a reality rarely mentioned in the week’s news and punditry: If Syria and Iraq fall under Islamic State rule, America’s regional coalition partners know their countries could be next. Perhaps the rampaging jihadists could foment revolutions inside their kingdoms. No wonder these rulers want the Islamic State defeated — pronto!

So Obama, who entered office proclaiming a goal of ending the U.S. war efforts in the Middle East, has launched a military campaign he never wanted to begin. He deserves credit for his decision to lead — and build his coalition. But mainly, Obama will deserve our praise if the week’s farsighted and practical words become the foundation of America’s policy.

On Wednesday, Obama delivered a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that may prove to be the most influential address of his presidency. Obama recognized that high-tech weapons will not be the most decisive in defeating the Islamic State and bringing peace, at last, to the Middle East.

In a column two weeks ago, I made the case that the battle to defeat the Islamic State cannot be won unless the battle for the hearts and minds of disenfranchised Islamic youths also are won. That column concluded: “The battle for Islam’s hearts and minds cannot be won by the West. It can be won only by the world’s influential, sensible but too often silent Islamic leaders.”

Last week, that turned out to be the president’s bottom line message to the region.

“Now, ultimately, the task of rejecting sectarianism and rejecting extremism is a generational task — and a task for the people of the Middle East themselves,” Obama said at the United Nations. “No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds. But America will be a respectful and constructive partner. We will neither tolerate terrorist safe havens, nor act as an occupying power.”

And Secretary of State John Kerry assured us that America’s Arab coalition partners promised to take the lead in the battle for hearts and minds of their people. Kerry pledged we would see a major effort to “reclaim Islam by Muslims.”

That’s where the battle that began last week ultimately will be won — bringing with it the prospect of a new era for the Middle East.

Martin Schram, an op-ed columnist for McClatchy-Tribune, is a veteran Washington journalist, author and TV documentary executive.