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AMP comment – December 31, 2006
2006: Another tough year for American Muslims
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
= Six Imams, on their way home from Minneapolis after a meeting of the North American Imams Federation, are detained in a holding cell, questioned by police and FBI agents and released after several hours.
= Virginia congressman, Virgil Goode, opposes oath on the Quran by Keth Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the US Congress and calls for a ban on the immigration of Muslims to prevent election of more Muslims to the Congress.
= Radio talk-show host Dennis Prager says that Keith Ellison should not be allowed to take his congressional oath on the Quran because America is interested in only one book, the Bible.
These recent episodes symbolize the dilemma of American Muslims in post-9/11 America. More than half a decade after 9/11, seven-million strong American Muslim community remains under siege with constant attacks on its faith. The events of 9/11 were used as an excuse to greatly magnify the hostility toward Muslims and cloak it in pseudo-patriotism. Unfortunately, Muslim-bashing has become socially acceptable in the United States. Bigots’ venom against Islam and Muslims, once shocking has become the mainstream.
There was a surge in Islamophobia and bigotry towards Muslims this year. The growing anti-Islamic sentiment in this country was reflected in the unfortunate use of the offensive term "Islamic fascist" by President George Bush who equated Islam with fascism.
Many political and religious leaders continued their anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Franklin Graham reaffirmed his scorn for Islam again when he told an interviewer of the ABC News "Nightline" in March that he hasn't changed his mind about Islam. He says that the Quran teaches violence and that the God of Islam is not the same God of Christians.
At the same time, radio talk-show hosts continue to spew venom against Muslims. Talk-show host, Michael Savage calls on the lawmakers to institute an outright ban on Muslim immigration and on the construction of mosques. And when radio host Jerry Klein suggests that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.
Americans' attitudes about Islam and Muslims are fuelled mainly by political statements and media reports that focus almost solely on the negative image of Islam and Muslims. Tellingly several opinion polls conducted this year amplify this point.
A July Gallup poll finds that thirty-nine percent Americans say they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States."
Two polls released in March indicated that almost half of Americans have a negative perception of Islam and that one in four of those surveyed have extreme anti-Muslim views. The Washington Post-ABC News Poll indicated that the proportion of Americans who believe that Islam helps to stoke violence against non-Muslims has more than doubled since the attacks, from 14 percent in January 2002 to 33 percent today.
According to the CAIR poll some one-fourth (23 to 27 percent) of Americans consistently believe stereotypes such as: "Muslims value life less than other people," and "The Muslim religion teaches violence and hatred." only six percent of Americans have a positive first impression of Islam and Muslims.
One impact of Islamophobia was negative public reaction to the building of new mosques and expansion of the existing ones. In many cases permission to build a new mosque or expansion of the existing mosques was resisted by communities conditioned by the anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Prejudice against Islam and Muslims allowed our politicians to whip a frenzy in rejecting the approval of the Dubai firm to operate American ports in March 2006.
The continuing anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric has contributed to the rise of discrimination against Muslims. According to the 2006 annual report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) there was an almost 30 percent increase in the number of anti-Muslim bias incidents from 2004 to 2005 with a substantial increase in California which has one of the largest Muslim population. CAIR also received 153 reports of anti-Muslim hate crime complaints, an 8.6 percent increase from the 141 complaints received in 2004.
And the hard feelings are damaging the mental health of U.S. Muslims, suggest new studies released at the American Psychological Association. Verbal harassment and discrimination correlate with worse mental health in studies of Muslims and Arab-Americans since 9/11, says psychologist Mona Amer of Yale University School of Medicine. Muslims, who made up 70% of the study's participants, had poorer mental health than Christians.
Discrimination and stereotyping Muslims has had other profound effects. A national study released in August 2006, by economics researchers at the University of Illinois, found that the earnings of Muslim and ethnically Arab men working in the United States dropped about 10 percent in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Hundreds - if not thousands - of men with Arabic-sounding or Muslim names were experiencing endless delays in what should be the pro forma final step of the citizenship application process. Some applicants are waiting for years for their swearing-in ceremonies. In April 2006, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee launched a national legal campaign to get the government to resolve hundreds of cases. More than 40 lawyers filed lawsuits in federal courts, requesting that a judge step in and force U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to complete the stalled naturalization cases. In May, ten Chicago area Muslim men filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government alleging their quest to become U.S. citizens is being delayed because of their Islamic faith and male gender. The Syrian, Moroccan, Jordanian, Pakistani and Egyptian natives have no criminal records, but they have been waiting one to four years for the government to make a decision on their applications.
One of the first victims of the post-9/11 climate of fear in the Muslim community is charitable giving. Support for both Palestinians and victims of the US occupation of Iraq is now considered precarious. Donating to charities is especially hazardous because so many of these institutions have been targeted by law enforcement as terrorist-related. In February 2006, the Treasury Department froze the assets of KindHearts USA, padlocking the doors of the Toledo-based charity "pending an investigation." In Sept. US authorities, raided another major Muslim charity, the Michigan-based Life for Relief and Development (LIFE). Federal agents also raided the home of the charity's President and Chief Executive officer, Khalil Jassemm, and the Dearborn office of Muthanna Alhanooti, a former official of the charity.
A New York Times report has confirmed what Muslims have believed since the Sept. 11 attacks that the FBI has been working to infiltrate their community. A young Muslim police detective testifies at the Herald Square bombing plot trial that he was recruited from the Police Academy 13 months after 9/11 to work deep undercover in the Muslim community. He took an apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where his assignment was to be a "walking camera" among Muslims there.
In another headline-grabbing terror trial of two Pakistani Americans - Hamid Hayat and his father Umer Hayat - a Muslim informer was paid $ 250,000 to infiltrate the large Muslim community in Lodi, California. The trial ended in August after a US Federal Judge in Sacramento sentenced Umer Hayat, to time he served in detention since his arrest in June last year. In April -- the same day Umer Hayat's trial ended in a hung jury -- a federal jury in Sacramento convicted his son, Hamid, 23, of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI about it. However, Arcelia Lopez, one of the jurors in the case later filed an affidavit alleging that she was bullied into a guilty verdict by fellow jurors who exhibited a pattern of misconduct and racism. Hamid’s attorney has asked for his retrial.
An operative of the FBI was a part-time employee for three years at KindHearts, the Toledo-based Muslim charity shut down by the government in February 2006. His work led to the arrests of three men on terrorism charges. KindHearts' attorney and a board member Jihad Smaili believes investigators planted the operative inside KindHearts in an effort to link the charity with terrorists.
The trial of Dr. Sami Al Arian, who was a tenured professor of computer engineering at the University of South Florida until being fired, says legions about the place of Muslims in the United States following the attacks of 9/11. It is part of a ruthless campaign to strip Americans of fundamental rights because of their religious beliefs. Al-Arian was found not guilty on eight of 17 counts, including conspiracy to maim or murder. Jurors deadlocked on the rest of the charges, including ones that he aided terrorists. To avoid re-trial, Dr. Sami Al-Arian, signed a plea agreement in April in which he admitted providing support to members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a State Department-designated terrorist group. In May a federal judge in Florida sentenced him to another year and a half in prison before he will be deported. But his time now seems likely to be extended since, despite plea bargaining that should have exempted him from further testimony, he has been called to testify before a secret grand jury in Virginia investigating Islamic organizations in the state. And so, although Al-Arian is scheduled to be deported in April 2007, he could now be imprisoned for an additional 18 months. The federal government has placed him in contempt of court because he is refusing to answer questions before the Virginia grand jury.
The American Muslims have responded to the state of siege with political and social activism, media campaigns, outreach and interfaith dialogue. It is now more proactive as it believes that the best way to protect its eroding civil rights is to become more active politically. From coast to coast, Muslim and Arab-American groups organized as never before to make known their concerns about civil liberties. They have gone beyond sign-waving demonstrations to hold voter registration drives, meet with politicians and form alliances with other civil rights and religious organizations. Muslims are becoming more organized and vocal in their demands, petitioning school boards to establish prayer rooms in public schools for their children and turning to the courts when they believe their constitutional rights to practice their faith have been violated.
In the 2006 mid-term elections, Muslims and Arabs voted over whelmingly for the Democratic Party. A pre-election CAIR poll revealed that 42 percent consider themselves members of the Democratic Party while only 17 per cent are Republican. The exit polls confirmed the findings of the pre-election polls.
The Muslim community demonstrated its importance in this election particularly in the states where it has large concentration of population. In states like Virginia which has substantial concentration of Muslim population, the Muslim vote became the critical vote in tipping the balance on control of the US Senate. In Virginia Incumbent senator George Allen was defeated by his Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, giving Democrats control of the Senate with 51-members.
The seven-million-strong American Muslim community got a big political push when the Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison was elected as the nation's first Muslim member to the US Congress in the November elections. His election campaign was based on making alliances with all groups. Tellingly, he was able to defeat his Republican rival, Alan Fine, who was of Jewish faith as Ellison was able to garner the support of Jewish groups too. However, a systematic campaign was launched against Muslims when he indicated that he will take oath on the Quran. Opposing oath on the Quran, Virginia Congressman, Virgil Goode, insists that immigration of Muslims should be curbed “to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America." I am sure if Ellison was election before 9/11 there would have been no fuss about his taking oath on the Quran.
In the final analysis, the Democrats may have taken control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, but American Muslims still suffer from President Bush’s war against ‘terrorism’ and configuration of laws and government policies that have usurped the civil rights of all Americans but particularly target Muslims in America.
December 24, 2006
2007 might be a better year though
By Ken Hjerpe
What Mr. Ghazali points out is correct and what the polls point out are correct. And while American Muslims lament and "stew" over some of these awful statements and events, the election of a Muslim to the hallowed halls of Congress does show some measure of progress. The United States was the last "western" government which had no nationally-elected Muslim in their government. That is no longer the case. However, the Islamophibic xenophobes have come out of the closet - decrying the election of a Muslim to congress and advocating the "radical" position of trying not to allow take his place in Congress because they feel he and his religion are too much of a threat to our National Security. The Islamic xenophobes first came out of the closet to defeat the Dubai Port Deal - and when that was defeated, they became very emboldened. Again, these aren't good developments. I'm sure Mr. Ellison will find out that if his reception by his Congressmen as being "cool" right now, it could be down-right frigid when Mr. Ellison starts acting on policy and legislation - which is his constitutional role as the duly-elected representative of his district. I didn't think a Muslim could ever get elected to Congress given the nature of our political system. However, this great event has occurred - it's unfortunate that a select few has treated his election to Congress with a "dire warning that the end of the world is coming" or worse yet: "The Muslims are coming, The Muslims are coming". Rep. Virgil Goode should be taken to the "killing fields" of Bosnia and Kosovo as well to the mass graves that Saddam wrought on his own people and be asked the simple question: "Are these the Muslims you fear". I wrote a letter to Rep. Goode voicing my protests about his vitriolic message of hatred towards Muslims and Islam. I think it's the duty of every Muslim in this country to write him a letter and confront him with what's wrong with his "heart".
However, as a good Muslim, the best soultion for Rep. Goode IS PRAYER. So, I pray for him. I pray for Rep. Brown-Waite of FL - who declared that every terrorist is a Muslim and that all Muslims are out to destroy our lifestyle here in America. I pray for Rep. King - who has declared that 85% of Muslims support terror, terrorism, and terrorists. I pray for Rep. Tancredo - who has called for the use of nuclear weapons against Islamic holy sites as a way to achieve victory in this war on terror. I pray for Ann Coulter - who has advocated that our military must be used to conquer all Muslim, Arab, and Islamic nations and that the people of those lands could be given 2 choices - either conversion to Christianity or death. I pray for Michelle Malkin - who wrote a book advocating the best way to win the war on terror is to round up all Muslims in this country and put them into internment facilities, detention camps, and concentration camps. I pray for those who think all Muslims are evil radical fundamentalist terrorist jihadist insurgents. I pray for those who believe that all American Muslims should be stripped of their American citizenship. I pray for those who believe that American Muslims have their constitutional and civil rights limited and restricted. I pray for those who say American Muslims shouldn't be allowed to vote, that American Muslims should be barred from elective office, that Muslims should be barred from public service employment, and that Muslims should be barred from the military. I pray for those who now believe that all Muslims should be forced to wear symbols, be tattooed, or possess papers which identify them as Muslims.
Now, with all what I had to say here - certainly last year was a tough year. Over 25 years ago, the evil of Islam was Ayatollah Khomeini and what he allowed these students to do by taking hostage American Embassy personnel. Since then, rather than decrease - the size of the American Muslim population has doubled in this country. Diversity is the strength of our country and not our weakness. I know all the major Muslim groups are going to try to confront Rep. Good on his statement. I think his constituents should confront him and asking him if he's bigotted against Islam. One of the real problems is that there's a perception in the American populace - that if you're a Muslim then you can't be loyal American citizen willing to uphold our constitutional and civil principles. I would like to remind the American populace that Muslims have been in this country since we first brought slaves into this country - as they brought their religious faith with them. Unfortunately, most of these Muslim slaves were greeted with a "Convert or Die" policy. I think Muslims should ask their elected officials where they stand when it comes to Islam and Muslims. I wrote a long letter to my Congressman and asked where he stood on Muslims and Islam. He told me that he stands with Muslims and Islam. I challenged him to meet that statement - in other words, to allow himself to be freely photographed with Muslims or at a mosque meeting Muslims. So far, that hasn't happened yet.
I told Rep. Goode something that was very true. We all found his word insulting. However, I asked him what would he tell an American soldier who happens to be a Muslim that's fighting on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan. It would be quite interesting to see if he answers that question or what his answer would be. As I said, we can lament and be despondent over these developments. However, as the article pointed out - more Muslims went out and voted and the vast majority of them voted Democratic. "Bloc" voting develops political power exponentially - where candidates will have to become more sensitive to the "political" needs of Muslims. While we lament, 2 very big Muslim bashers were sent home packing their bags. Both Senator Santorum - who openly campaigned on a Muslim-bashing platform - and Senator Burns - who made toxic comments on taxicab drivers can be terrorists - are gone. Maybe if they hadn't said what they said, they might be in office right now. America really won't tolerate a politician who's openly hostile to a particular minority.
There's both despair and hope brought forth during 2006. I think one of the missions of these Muslim groups is to focus on the negative portrayal our media paints Muslims with. While these announcers go on the air and decry what Virgil Goode had to say about Muslims - these are very same people who say something like this following byline: "TODAY IN IRAQ, 6 OF OUR BRAVEST, FINEST AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE KILLED BY MUSLIM RADICAL INSURGENT FUNDAMENTALIST JIHADIST TERRORISTS." And although Wolf Blitzer did a fine and outstanding job of interviewing Mr. Ellison, some of our Muslims groups should have asked Mr. Blitzer what articles he's entailing to create a positive image of Islam in this country. In other words, you have the press having it both ways: "OH LOOK AT HOW TERRIBLE REP. GOODE'S COMMENTS ARE ABOUT MUSLIMS HOWEVER LOOK AT HOW TERRIBLE IT IS ABOUT THOSE MUSLIMS KILLING OUR SOLDIERS AND KILLING EACH OTHER IN IRAQ". So, the message of what Rep. Goode says gets skewered. The verdict is by his constituents on his comment has not been fully registered first. I also think the interfaith coalitions that exist within his district should also confront him. When Ms. Brown-Waite said what she had to say, she ran and hid herself and her constituents haven't seen her since then. At least Rep. Goode held a press conference and stood by his word. Well, at least we know that Rep. Goode isn't a staunch supporter of Muslims and Islam. What both representatives said were heinous. Muslims just aren't Arab, they're Persian, African, and Asian. As I pointed out to Mr. Goode - some of them are native born converts like Mr. Ellison. As I pointed out, the current war in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and our previous Gulf War has opened the house of Islam to many of fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines - some of them have converted to Islam and became Muslim due to their service over in that part of the world.
However, as Muslims - LET'S NOT DESPAIR AND LAMENT. I think the year of 2007 should be dedicated to getting the right portrayal of Muslims in the media. I reminded Rep. Goode and Rep. Brown-Waite of the acts of kindness and charity American Muslims have engaged in all over the world - from the Tsunami to the Pakistan Earthquake to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It seems that Rep. Goode and Rep. Brown-Waite have conveniently forgotten about those facts when it comes to their opinion concerning Muslims and Islam. In Rep. Goode's case, yes I think it's reprehensible that his own political party hasn't come down hard on him for what he said. I give both the Governor and Governor-Elect of Florida kudos for running away from and condemning comments by their own political party officials when those people made some outrageous comments on Islam. Furthermore, those Islampophobes found themselves removed from their political position of power after they made their comments - there should be some type of consequence for public officials for discriminatory remarks. However, I also think that the GOP has become too beholden of Zealous Christian Conservative Clerical Elite and as such - HAS BECOME THE PARTY OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE. The best solution is salat, dawa, and dua in all these cases.
Ken Hjerpe
kenhjerpe@yahoo.com
Dec 24, 2006
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