By Tawfik Hamid
www.tawfikhamid.com
Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to improve its image, the US failed to significantly improve its image in the Muslim world. In June 2010 Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Centre, said the 'bad news' was that the Muslim public is more critical of US than in last year's study.
In Egypt the percentage of Muslims expressing confidence in Obama fell from 41 percent in 2009 to 31 percent in 2010, while in Turkey it fell from 33 percent to 23 percent during the same period of time. In the 2009 survey, only 13 percent of Pakistani Muslims were confident in Obama. That figure fell to 8 percent in 2010.
Overall, the US image fell in Egypt and Jordan. 33 percent of Egyptians held a positive view of the United States, dropping from 42 percent the year before, and in Jordan the image slumped from 31 percent to 26 percent.
For several years, the US has been trying to use different approaches and tactics to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. These include USAID, American media channels such as Al-Hurra Radio, publishing magazines in Arabic such as Hi magazine, etc... None of these made a significant improvement of the US image.
This tells us that winning the hearts and minds of Muslims is not a matter of how much money is being spent for this target, but rather how this money is being spent.
For example, the US now has a golden opportunity to win the hearts and minds of millions in the Muslim world if they utilized the Jan 25 Revolution in Egypt properly and in a timely fashion. The US MUST "strike while the iron is hot" and send a message to congratulate the Egyptian people for the success of their revolution and convey to them the best wishes from the American people to continue their path successfully to have freedom.
In the Egyptian culture it is practically meaningless to congratulate someone after a long time of their success. The US needs to congratulate the Egyptians in Arabic language via major advertisement pages in leading Egyptian newspapers that are seen and read by millions of Egyptians. Sending congratulations as verbal messages in the media is not as effective as having it printed in Arabic in such key Egyptian newspapers. The words MUST be carefully selected to avoid any misunderstanding.
The US needs to do this within 72 hours of the celebrations that will start in Egypt this Friday on February 18th, 2011. Timing is a crucial factor as sending these congratulations after a long period of time will make it loose its effectiveness. Publishing these congratulations in Egyptian Newspapers this Friday (Day of celebrating the Revolution), Saturday, or Sunday can create a very powerful positive psychological link to the US.
If the US did this it can win the hearts and minds of millions in Egypt, weaken the negative perception of the US in the country, and open the gates for a new relationship with the Egyptians. Furthermore, these advertisements can limit the ability of people like Ahamdy Najad to ruin the image of the US in the Muslim world by claiming that the US is not happy with their revolution. Unfortunately, many in the Muslim world have tendency to believe such lies especially when they damage the image of the US.
Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that were spent by the US and were ineffective in winning the hearts and minds of the Muslims world, printing such congratulations "from the American people to the Egyptian people" in major newspapers all over Egypt will only cost few hundred thousand dollars and can be much more effective in improving US image in the Muslim world.
Because of the historical position of Egypt in the Arab world, the positive outcome of these congratulations in major Egyptian newspapers can go beyond the boarders of Egypt and affect many others in the Arab world. The US MUST utilize this historical opportunity in Egypt to direct its money more effectively to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
By Tawfik Hamid
www.tawfikhamid.com
Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to improve its image, the US failed to significantly improve its image in the Muslim world. In June 2010 Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Centre, said the 'bad news' was that the Muslim public is more critical of US than in last year's study.
In Egypt the percentage of Muslims expressing confidence in Obama fell from 41 percent in 2009 to 31 percent in 2010, while in Turkey it fell from 33 percent to 23 percent during the same period of time. In the 2009 survey, only 13 percent of Pakistani Muslims were confident in Obama. That figure fell to 8 percent in 2010.
Overall, the US image fell in Egypt and Jordan. 33 percent of Egyptians held a positive view of the United States, dropping from 42 percent the year before, and in Jordan the image slumped from 31 percent to 26 percent.
For several years, the US has been trying to use different approaches and tactics to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. These include USAID, American media channels such as Al-Hurra Radio, publishing magazines in Arabic such as Hi magazine, etc... None of these made a significant improvement of the US image.
This tells us that winning the hearts and minds of Muslims is not a matter of how much money is being spent for this target, but rather how this money is being spent.
For example, the US now has a golden opportunity to win the hearts and minds of millions in the Muslim world if they utilized the Jan 25 Revolution in Egypt properly and in a timely fashion. The US MUST "strike while the iron is hot" and send a message to congratulate the Egyptian people for the success of their revolution and convey to them the best wishes from the American people to continue their path successfully to have freedom.
In the Egyptian culture it is practically meaningless to congratulate someone after a long time of their success. The US needs to congratulate the Egyptians in Arabic language via major advertisement pages in leading Egyptian newspapers that are seen and read by millions of Egyptians. Sending congratulations as verbal messages in the media is not as effective as having it printed in Arabic in such key Egyptian newspapers. The words MUST be carefully selected to avoid any misunderstanding.
The US needs to do this within 72 hours of the celebrations that will start in Egypt this Friday on February 18th, 2011. Timing is a crucial factor as sending these congratulations after a long period of time will make it loose its effectiveness. Publishing these congratulations in Egyptian Newspapers this Friday (Day of celebrating the Revolution), Saturday, or Sunday can create a very powerful positive psychological link to the US.
If the US did this it can win the hearts and minds of millions in Egypt, weaken the negative perception of the US in the country, and open the gates for a new relationship with the Egyptians. Furthermore, these advertisements can limit the ability of people like Ahamdy Najad to ruin the image of the US in the Muslim world by claiming that the US is not happy with their revolution. Unfortunately, many in the Muslim world have tendency to believe such lies especially when they damage the image of the US.
Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that were spent by the US and were ineffective in winning the hearts and minds of the Muslims world, printing such congratulations "from the American people to the Egyptian people" in major newspapers all over Egypt will only cost few hundred thousand dollars and can be much more effective in improving US image in the Muslim world.
Because of the historical position of Egypt in the Arab world, the positive outcome of these congratulations in major Egyptian newspapers can go beyond the boarders of Egypt and affect many others in the Arab world. The US MUST utilize this historical opportunity in Egypt to direct its money more effectively to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
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