Muslims on the march

THERE has been an air of menace in every pronouncement by US President Donald Trump on some of the globe’s most vexing issues. In word and tweet, Trump has insulted and exasperated his closest allies, banned Muslims from certain countries from entering the US, threatened to crush enemies, such as North Korea, promised to tear up agreements concluded by the previous Democratic Party administration – agreements that could profoundly affect the lives of millions of people from Central America to the Middle East, and within the US itself.

Trump does not know the meaning of diplomacy. He is a dangerous man. And one of his most dangerous decisions to date has been to switch US policy with regard to the status of the contested holy city of Jerusalem.

Ignoring the protests of Christian and Muslim religious leaders, he has committed his administration to recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

It is a decision that does not have popular support – certainly not among the US’s hitherto closest allies, and not even among its own population. According to a Brooking’s Institute survey, only 31% of the US population as a whole supported this decision. Even the majority of US Jews oppose it.

WHAT Trump seems to have disregarded – or simply dismissed – is that the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are in the majority in about 50 states.

Among these are Indonesia, with 261 million, Pakistan with 193 million and Turkey with 80 million.

Almost 75% of Pakistanis and 82% of Turks regard the US as “the enemy”.

Trump may well believe that the US is strong enough to crush any opponents among Muslim states.

But he is also likely to find out, to his cost, that winning a conventional war is the easiest part of modern-day conflict. It’s what happens afterwards – the guerrilla actions of the disaffected – that will become his big problem.

The mood of Muslims is angry everywhere – even in South Africa.

Today, an Muslim Judicial Council march in the city centre is likely to draw a massive crowd.

It will highlight the fact that the US – once again – has much to answer for as occupied Palestine’s struggle for freedom continues.