Trump’s vow to defeat terrorism have inspired hope in Iraqis who believe decisive American power will be directed towards eradicating the Islamic State, which has occupied parts of Iraq and Syria for the past two years.
“The victory of Trump is the beginning of the end of extremist Islam and Wahhabism,” said Mouwafak al-Rubaie, an Iraqi lawmaker and the country’s former national security adviser.
Iraqi Shiites, in particular, have told the New York Times that they believe Trump is a harder-liner with regard to Saudi Arabia, the regional Sunni power that promotes Wahhabism, the basis of the Islamic State’s ideology.
But the positive reaction to Trump’s election extended to Sunni’s as well. “We have no concerns about the policy of Trump because he is against extremism,” Saad al-Hadithi, the spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the New York Times.
“We think we are facing one enemy, and that is fighting ISIS. Therefore, I do not think there are fears or concerns about a new American policy.”
Abadi spoke on the phone with Trump for the first time on Friday. According to a statement, Trump told Abadi, “you are essential partners to us and you will find strong and deep support.”
The statement was released by the prime minister’s office, in which the two leaders affirmed the cooperation between their two countries in the fight against the Islamic State.
Many outside government have expressed hope that Trump will confront militant Islamist extremists far more aggressively than the Obama administration has done, while some fear Trump’s views will be exploited as a recruiting tool by the Islamic State and other violent militants.
A widespread belief persists that it was American policies that led to the creation of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the precursor of the Islamic State, in the first place, by alienating Iraq’s Sunni minority.
Iraq’s recent history has been profoundly shaped by the decisions of American presidents, which is why Trump’s promise to defeat terrorism, is finding a grateful audience.
Surprisingly, Iraqis generally are less offended by the notion that terrorism is linked to Islam than American liberals, as they have had to bear the brunt of Islam being used to justify mass killing.
For that reason, according to the Times, Trump is seen as a truth-teller in calling out radical Islam as the problem.
