This guest blog post comes from a concerned member with Not In Our Town Princeton[1], a vibrant group in the NIOT community. In this opinion piece, the author addresses hate crimes and discrimination against the Muslim community in the U.S. The author finds hope in civil rights organizations, good Samaritans and interfaith movements.
The tragedy of 9/11 struck all of us very hard but perhaps the community most affected by this tragic event in the history of our nation is the American Muslim community. While American Muslims grieved on 9/11, they also worked side by side with ground zero rescue workers and first responders. American Muslims also gathered supplies for the rescue workers at Ground Zero.
Watch a Firefighter talk about 9/11:
Watch a First Responder talk about 9/11:
Today, however, it is sad to see how Congress has cast a wide net of suspicion around all American Muslims. The hearings on American Muslim Radicalization called by Congressman Peter King from New York are taking the country in a dangerous direction that is reminiscent of the internment of Japanese Americans after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Congressman King’s assertions with regards to American Muslims which prompted these hearings are baseless. According to a recent study based on FBI figures, only 6 percent of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil between 1980 and 2005 can be attributed to Muslims. According to another study, “[I]n exposing alleged terrorist plots, ‘the largest single source of initial information (48 of 120 cases) involved tips from the Muslim American community.’"
Most people don’t realize that American Muslims are an integral part of the very fabric of our nation. The existence of Muslims in America can be traced back to the days of slavery. Unity Production Films have made a thought provoking documentary about one such experience: A Prince Among Slaves – the story of an African (Muslim) Prince who is forced into slavery by American slave traders. Watch the trailer here[2].
American Muslims who immigrated here in their search for a better life are now contributing members of society such as military servicemen, police officers, firefighters, first responders, doctors, lawyers and engineers. They too, are simply seeking their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
However, they are plagued by suspicion. Every American Muslim’s loyalty and patriotism has now come into question. Young Muslims in schools everywhere have become the victims of biased-based bullying and are being called “Terrorists”. Discrimination against American Muslims at the workplace is on the rise. Hate crimes continue to occur against the American Muslim community. Finally, and perhaps most shockingly, going against the tenets of freedom of religion, townspeople everywhere are rising up to oppose the establishment of mosques in their neighborhoods.
It is an egregious error in judgment to allow the actions of a few misguided Muslims to color our view of a billion people of faith across the world. Certainly, Islam has its share of extremists just like Judaism and Christianity however these extremists are a fringe element of society and certainly not the mainstream.
Dr. John Esposito from Georgetown University and Dalia Mogahed from Gallup conducted an extensive survey of Muslims around the world to figure out precisely what everyone is wondering – what do Muslims abroad think of America? This survey is documented in their book, Who Speaks for Islam and in the documentary, Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think (video excerpt[3]). To summarize their findings, the vast majority of Muslims around the world condemn what happened on 9/11.
American Muslims also continue to condemn terrorist attacks at home and around the world. However, as their condemnations are not heard on prime time news, people question the silence of American Muslims whenever a terrorist attack occurs. Certainly where we are today is a sad and perhaps even a dangerous state of affairs. We stand to lose the very values that we were founded on.
Yet there is hope! There is hope in civil rights organizations like the ACLU[4] and Not in our Town that continue to fight for the right to live our lives free of bigotry and prejudice. There is hope in the lawyers who agree to take on discrimination cases against Muslims on a pro-bono basis. There is hope in the good Samaritans who come forward to help and agree to stand as witnesses against acts of racism. There is hope in interfaith movements across the nation that seek to unite us for we have more in common than we think.
Watch our Interfaith Leaders in action:
Please visit Not In Our Town Princeton's group page[5] and blog[1].