I guess it was inevitable from the beginning that this blog would come to deal primarily with politics, being young, idealistic, and passionate about politics as I am, but it is something I sort of lament because it’s a little trite. Give a guy a megaphone and he’ll start talking, and then he’ll like the sound of his voice and keep talking. I guess it’s good that I only think my little blog is a megaphone and it isn’t really, just a place for me to share my experiences with my home community.

This entry is going to get a little… indirect, but I swear that it does ultimately have a focus-slash-message that is pertinent, even to those of us not involved in studying the methodology of scientific enquiry in political subjects. That’s right, this entry stems from a number of oddly interconnected thoughts and discussions that would not have any real relationship except that they have all come in a recent flurry.

So for my Methods of Scientific Research in Political Science class, for code-name Dr. Fear (I promise, I will make good on my previous promise to tell the story of Dr. Fear… one day… in sha’ Allah), I had to give a presentation on the history of science as described by Thomas Kuhn, and the lessons he extracted thereby. One of the major messages Kuhn extracted from his own explorations was that for progress in a given field, a crucial element was communication between different scientists. He felt that in order to improve understanding and truly advance, scientists needed to be able to compare theories and thoughts based on what they had in common between them, and then work to reconcile the points of diversion. Thus, in his presentations and discussions, Kuhn was notable for his tendency to try to build agreement on certain issues before delving into points of contention with his own views. This was something that struck a chord with me because it’s something I feel is appropriate in any circumstances in which people interact.

Just to cover my bases, arguably the main purpose of this blog, my scholarship, and my time here in Jordan is to share my experiences and what I’m learning with my home community.

As anyone who’s been reading my recent blogs may have noticed, I’ve been preoccupied largely with what’s been going on at home, in the media, when it comes to what’s going on over here, on the ground. I’ve gotten on my little soap box and made indirect but not so subtle references to theories about what the future is for this region and even references to specific academics, such as Bernard Lewis, and expressed my opinion of them in no uncertain terms. This is a continuing theme. But now I’m kind of interested in the bigger picture, not just what one man with a camera is saying, but rather the larger discourse.

This interest- concern, even- was fed yesterday when I ran into a… colleague/ superior who is doing a similar program, meaning he is on a private scholarship through the permission of the military (in his case the Air Force). The big difference is that he is doing his over the course of two years and he also happens to be a Captain… with much more experience and credibility than I have. Mark- he told me to use first names- is now doing his thesis, in which he is studying American discourse on Islam. He said that this developed at the last minute from his personal attempts to learn more about Islam and his inability to find truly objective analyses: either authors were too inclined towards Islam and glossed over contentious issues or were radically critical of Islam and used false logic to support their negative preconceptions, and then pass it off as study.

The point of this entry is to emphasize that the problem that Mark encountered has serious consequences for us. It boils down to this: where does the honest enquirer in the U.S. turn to find information and analyses about Islam? I remember seeing a Newsweek issue a few years ago, the front cover of which depicted a group of very angry men in Pakistan, all bearded, one bearing his teeth, and the title declaring Pakistan to be the most dangerous country to the U.S. or something along those lines. These images create negative, fear-based perceptions and those perceptions frame our conclusions. To confound the issue, rhetoric from authors such as Robert Spencer, Pamella Geller and Bat Ye’or, or from ideologues such as Brigitte Gabriel, panders to the same fear-based perceptions. Yet this rhetoric, sold as scientifically deduced analysis, is often based on spurious causal relationships, cherry-picked empirical data, and poor or even deliberately misleading logic chains (thank you Methodology, yet again). The result is misunderstanding, mistrust, and ultimately conflict and mutual hatred. And that’s what concerns me; hence, this entry.

In the spirit of Kuhn, I tend to want to focus on what people share, because in my travel experiences, for one reason or another, I have tended to be blown away by the fundamental similarities between people of far-flung places, rather than the differences (which I often perceive as superficial differences, anyway). I’m no expert on Islam and I would never pretend to be. I’m also no expert on the discourse surrounding Islam, positive or negative; I can squarely leave that claim for Mark as he has managed to read a mind blowing body of literature regarding the subject (something like 40 books in the last 2 months). That said, I am at least literate in many of Islam’s facets and its controversies, and I feel like I can say with some confidence that it is not an evil, concerted threat to all things good in the world.

I realize that there is some danger in what I’m saying. But I also feel it’s important. One person cannot adequately serve as cultural bridge, and still I hope what I say and share can have an impact and might inspire further inquiry or curiosity. The seemingly vast distance between this part of the world and my home is not so great as one might imagine; it only seems so when the focus is on divisions, not what’s shared.

I hope you I didn’t put you to sleep during this entry… as always, thank you for your interest.

Respectfully,

Brennan