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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| American Muslims must engage in talk on how to make U.S. safer |
| 2007-01-28 |
| By Kamran Memon The nuclear bomb that exploded during a recent episode of Fox's '24' did not raise new questions about whether Islam and Muslims pose a threat to America. Instead, the blast just reinforced and amplified the questions that many Americans have been asking since Sept. 11, 2001. Polls show that many Americans believe Islam encourages violence, and they suspect that Islam and Muslims pose a threat to this country. They hear al-Qaida calling on Muslims to kill Americans. They hear about verses in the Quran relating to subjects such as violence and loyalty, and they have real questions about whether Muslims are commanded to be violent and about whether Muslims can be loyal to a secular state like America. Unfortunately, these fears have led to discrimination and hate crimes against innocent American Muslims. American Muslims should go beyond condemnations of terrorism and slogans such as "Islam means peace." They need to address the real, post-9/11 questions many Americans are asking. For example, Muslims should regularly hold public forums where articulate Muslim scholars can provide detailed analysis of all the verses at issue and answer every question that is asked. Of course, there have been some isolated and sporadic efforts along these lines. Various Muslim groups have published materials and held occasional limited discussions about certain verses from the Quran. But these groups have not made the dissemination of such information a priority, so the vast majority of Americans, Muslims as well as people of other faiths, have not seen these materials or heard these discussions. In addition to answering America's questions, American Muslims must actively engage in the national discussion about how to make America safer. Since Sept. 11, 2001, American Muslims have focused more on civil liberties than on security, because law enforcement efforts have been targeted at Muslims in America. It's important to protect the civil liberties of Muslims who pose no threat to America. However, American Muslims must remember that future terrorist attacks could kill innocent Americans of all faiths (including Muslims) and lead to more hate crimes, discrimination and governmental scrutiny directed at American Muslims. If American Muslims have concerns about particular security measures — such as ethnic and religious profiling, the monitoring of mosques and Muslim charities, and informers who pretend to encourage violence — they should propose better alternatives to keep the United States safe without infringing unnecessarily on civil liberties. On the other hand, American Muslims who believe no such security measures are needed — because they believe there is no real terrorist threat — should make that argument to the American public. It's important for Americans to understand that these Muslims are not opposed to efforts to make the U.S. safe. Answering America's questions and actively working to make America safer are the best ways for American Muslims to reduce anti-Muslim hostility and to make sure that fictional depictions of nuclear explosions on "24" and elsewhere don't lead to discrimination and hate crimes in the real world. Kamran Memon, a civil rights attorney who grew up in Bethesda, Md., is the founder of Muslims for a Safe America. He wrote this piece for the Baltimore Sun. More information is available on the Web at www.muslimsforasafeamerica.org. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #7 Won't hold my breath for moderate muzzlums, may turn blue, terminally. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-01-28 20:53 |
| #6 They could start by leaving. If you want shariah, if you want loud-speakers blaring the call to prayer -- go back to Muslim countries. It would be a start. The next step to show they were serious would be to fight for representative democracy in their home countries. Fight for the equality of women in their home countries. Fight for freedom of expression in their home countries. Fight for religious diversity in their home countries. Etc. etc. and a whole bunch of other things they have no interest in doing. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-01-28 15:37 |
| #5 Dialogue is good. The more "American" Muslims express themselves in public, the more damage to the Religion of Peace illusion. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-01-28 15:12 |
| #4 They could start by leaving. If you want shariah, if you want loud-speakers blaring the call to prayer -- go back to Muslim countries. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-01-28 14:30 |
| #3 Missed the point - how 'bout condemning Muslim based terrorist organizations as well as Jihadist ideology. How 'bout identifying and condemning radical imans and terrorist support groups in America. Till the American Muslim community is willing to take out their own garbage - they will continue to inspire suspicion. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-01-28 14:28 |
| #2 I'll believe this may actually happen, soon after swine grow wing tanks, taxi out and climb to 17,000 feet. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-01-28 13:12 |
| #1 More of this, please. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2007-01-28 11:45 |