Can your mind be flipped around for a second? To understand whats going on in the world around you, sometimes you have to be able to flip your mind and look at things from a different angle. When Bush visits Indonesia, do you think they welcome him with open arms? When the Pope travels deep into Islamic country, how do you think they receive him? These are the things that will help us all understand.Indonesia is a nation with thousands of islands. Its bordered by Malaysia at one end and Papua New Guinea on the other. To give you a better idea, it sits above Australia and below China. With its population of over 200 million, it is the fourth most heavily populated country. That population is made up of a majority of Muslims.It is a beautiful set of islands, but they have been in turmoil for years. In 1975-1976, Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor. Indonesia has suffered international criticism throughout the years and only until a peacekeeping force was introduced in 1999 when Bill Clinton cut military aid to Indonesia has the fighting stopped. But, thats not the end of the story. A record was kept of a meeting between President Ford, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President Suharto of Indonesia in December of 1975. It seems that Suharto had the full backing of the Whitehouse and only a few days later did the invasion begin.Perceptions throughout the years have gotten worse and Bush is now the target of protest and name calling when he visits Indonesia. He has been called a war criminal and a terrorist. Protestors tried to block off American-owned restaurants. There were marches and demonstrations claiming that Bush was wanted dead or alive. A terrorist attack in Indonesia was rumored and I would only imagine thwarted by the show of force when Bush finally landed. All of this activity was over our occupation of Iraq. Yet, our American president is looking to gain some favor from the people of Indonesia. Im sure not everyone was protesting. But, when protests are done on such a major scale, shouldnt that tell us something?Now, the Pope will be traveling to Turkey this week. Turkey is bordered by Greece to the west and Iran to the east. The religious population is once again Muslim. What is it with all the talks in Muslim populated countries? It rings of Prime Minister Blairs resolve to throw aid at Pakistan in order to promote a more moderate type of Islam religion. But, the Pope will be carrying a different message entirely. He will be carrying the question of whether Islam sanctions violence, not what brand of Islam a person should choose. It is an interesting angle taking into account all that is going on in the world. This is the question that has people interested in hearing what the Pope has to say.So, while the Pope is hitting a chord that has people all over the world listening to him, Bushs travels lead him to protests and demonstrations in highly populated Muslim countries. Why might that be? Does it seem as if the Pope, commonly known as hard-knuckled and intellectual, has found some ground where people of other cultures and religions feel invited to step in and discuss the issues? Religion may be the one thing that can pull us all together. And yet, we refuse to talk about it in America.The Pope just might be able to help us learn and get over ourselves. Watching how he addresses issues and closes the gap between us and those opposing us will help us all understand how to rip the band aids off and start the real healing. After all, even though America refuses to admit it, the world is a religious place. Every time a country has tried to put religion on the backburner and make its constituents believe it doesnt exist, a stronger sense in religion was born. It goes with the territory. When you try to deny something so vehemently, it seems painfully obvious that the reverse is true. Is America Safe? is the watchdog for America. We look at what's going on in the world and try to keep you on top of everything so that your world is a bit safer.
Category : General America - Post 9/11
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