Boycotting the products of hate and ignorance

Jameel W. Karaki
Several fundamental groups in the Arab World keep calling the mass public to boycott American products and companies through the media and or via the Internet. This boycotting issue can affect the interests of major American corporations and seal the fate of those contracts that are worth millions to American companies in a way that can force local governments to use the services of European or Asian companies. In this stage the logic of boycotting makes no sense and is illogical too. We take pains to send a flood of emails to boycott American products and forward them online by using the wonderful Microsoft software''s called "Which is not an Arabic company." The contradictions also come at a time when we hear some religious leaders and clerics calling on us to boycott the American products and yet, when we meet them outside mosques to be blessed by the holy halo surrounding them, we see them driving the ultimate luxury of a Chevrolet sedan. Moreover, the motherboards of their laptops and desktops are powered by Intel. In addition to that, all those who describe the U.S. as the enemy, go to wars with the M16 American assault rifles and use the American night vision binoculars to watch over their enemies on the battlefield.
To be more objective, we suffer from the "knowledge of compound ignorance." In order to produce alternative products we should have the required human and financial capital. We lack innovation, freedom of expression and investment in research and development. However, what we do not lack is the ability of talking about our previous glories and the pride of having three religions revealed on our lands. We attack the positive sides of American education, yet dare to talk about the dream of procuring a green card.
Let''s take a look at the system of liberal arts at American universities and how they produce well educated critical thinkers. In sharp contrast, let''s look at the Arabic universities and their weak curricula that enhance the concept of memorizing and abolishing the concept of critical, logical and systematic thinking that destroy the students'' potential. The top ranked universities around the world are located in America. To be fair enough, it is the Americans who encouraged some of the Arab elites and scholars to promote liberalism and scientific advancement in the region. Boycotting American products without finding alternative products and factors of production would be only futile and unreal.
Finally, it is utter shame for a nation like ours; a nation that eats vegetables that it does not grow and fights with weapons that it does not manufacture. The Americans have conquered space while our prisons and planes have no space, yet we still live in an isolated world created by our own selves. Their products have conquered global markets and our own ignorance has invaded us. Also we are a nation that enjoys a lot of resources that have been bestowed upon us in an unfeasible way. We lag behind in the changes happening around us. We can never be an advanced nation and liberate ourselves from the ignorance that we live in unless we boycott the products of hate and ignorance that are produced by us.