Gathering Storm

17 www.digitaldaya.com What is the U.S. to do when the World Wide Web is likened to a platform used to exercise the First Amendment to the United States Con- stitution, part of the Bill of Rights guaranteeing civil liberties?The U.S.government has yet to take a clear, firm stand on the issue of open access of theWeb as a matter of foreign policy. Critics of America’s covert operations in Af- ghanistan were quick to point out that despite the stunning military victories against the Sovi- et Union, not enough was done to manage the peace.TheWar left the country’s civil and central governance infrastructure decimated. With no forthcoming funds from the U.S. Congress to re- build the country in a new image, the blank slate was quickly painted over by the Taliban covering the country with a radical theocratic form of gov- ernance and anti-Western sentiments. With a current online population of a quarter of a billion Muslims and anticipating another 750 mil- lion brothers and sisters to join them over the next five years, the Web is a tabula rasa that the U.S.and theWest can ill-afford to leave unattended. People using theWeb to express religious beliefs radical or otherwise,to join forums that engender debate on opposing views, to act as citizen journalists publicizing their points of view The Future of the Web in the Muslim World Looking forward, the question becomes, will cur- rent leadership in Muslim countries, and their in- cumbents in waiting, show the political courage to provide clear access to the world wide web and the promise it holds. The wave of fundamentalism that has taken hold in the Muslim world places a genuine stumbling block on the road to the democratization of the Middle East and the far-flung Muslim world that extends into the Far East and northward into Russia. And U.S. influence is of ambiguous value under current conditions. However, by taking the position of loosening sanctions and authorizing the exportation of web-based communications software, America assumes a more benign posture in the view of moderate Muslims. Instead, the U.S. and Western democracies must make clear that access to the Internet by Mus- lims serves the internal best interests of all na- tions.The West recognizes that the web is a tool of unity and organization, with numerous stud- ies to support this position.The Greens in Iran, the movement toward racial harmony currently underway in Malaysia and the growth of the op- position movement, put forth by Saad ElBaradei in Egypt, clearly indicate that web access has the ability to unify schools of thought, especially among a growing moderate middle class. The future of web communications in the Middle East, and within the entire Muslim world, relies on government leaders to recognize that this ac- cessibility is self-serving.Web access builds unity of purpose and view, national pride, freedom of speech and thought and engagement with new ideas and new views. Prudent leaders of Muslim countries who see the value of engagement in building a strong base of political legitimacy and government stability also recognize that this solid base fosters economic growth that leads to an expanding middle class, made up of moderates. These leaders also rec- ognize that it is in their own best interests to Facebook: A Platform for 21st Century Politics Winning Hearts and Minds on the World Wide Web