Pakistanis Celebrate Obama's Victory

"Congratulations! Your new president is Obama! You know, I supported Obama. He is a great man," claimed my Pakistani landlady when I went downstairs to visit yesterday. Despite media predictions that Pakistanis would respond negatively to an Obama victory, the mood here in Lahore is not only positive but celebratory. People are smiling and congratulating me on my new president every time we meet.

It was hard to control my Creative Writing class a few days after the election, as everyone wanted to talk about Obama's win. "We think he will be a good president. His mother has visited Pakistan and he will deal better with Muslim countries," one woman said. Many people have been boasting that Obama's mother has been in both Karachi and Gujranwala. Pakistanis feel very involved in the US election; it's as if it was their election as well. People here are saying that if an African American can make his way to the White House, any American can. Pakistanis believe that Obama will bring positive change to America's foreign policy.

This is a huge change for a country that has one of the lowest favorability ratings of Americans according to the PEW Research Group. In 2007, only 15% of Pakistanis had a favorable view of the United States, while 68% had an unfavorable view. This is one of the highest negative ratings in the world, with only Palestinians and Turks having a lower view of the United States. Can Barack Obama as president help to turn back the tide of anti-Americanism in Pakistan and the Middle East?

Many middle and upper class Pakistanis seem to think so. "We know Obama is a Christian, but his father and some other family members were Muslims. He comes from an international family, and he will have a greater understanding of Islam. He will not deal with Muslim countries like Bush has," said one woman. Many have echoed her sentiment. Several young Muslims I know living in the United States actively campaigned for Mr. Obama, whether they were American citizens or not.

So far, the only Pakistani I have talked to about the election who did not look forward to an Obama win was a member of the Pakistani Army. Obama's hard line stance on rooting out militants, paired with his position about cutting military aid to Pakistan, is surely not going to over well with the military establishment. Civilians on the other hand, are looking forward to the change Obama has promised.

The general attitude among educated Pakistanis is eloquently stated below by Imaduddin Ahmed, a Pakistani & Briton who studied in America. Imaduddin describes himself as a person "who worked for Muslim immigrants' rights and worked to defeat Bush in 2004."

In response to Obama's election, Imaduddin Ahmed writes, "America has earned my respect. The majority of people were enlightened and humble enough to vote for a person from a marginalised ethnic minority. Not many nations will do that. Obama's election will raise all of our prejudiced estimations of black people, black people included. I hope racist perceptions in Pakistan will change. Obama's election has renewed global faith in grassroots democracy. His election will inspire generations the world over to fight for their right to power through legitimate means. Si se puede!

As a person who grew up with racism, Obama will, I hope, bring previously marginalised voices to the table. I hope that he will gel together a more cohesive global society. Pakistan has genuine problems with the Taliban, with poverty, lack of public services and lack of government legitimacy in the northern areas. I hope Obama is able help Pakistan solve its problems in ways that do not undermine the value of human life."

Sources:

Pew Research Group