Islam in America Today - Prospects and Challenges

Khatib : Sadullah Khan
Khutbah No: 127
Khutbah Date: 12/10/04

"And behold, with hardship (difficulty) there is ease (relief)! Verily, with hardship there is ease! Hence, when you are freed (from distress), remain steadfast. And turn to your Sustainer with loving devotion." [Qur’an 94:6-8]

A remarkable phenomenon of the first half of the 20th century was the cultural ‘Westernization’ of the “Muslim world”. This has been reciprocated in the latter half by the demographic ‘Islamization’ of the Western world, consolidating Islamic presence in the West through migration and conversions to Islam. The West has lured Muslim professionals and experts from their native lands contributing to the drain of where they came from. Now, along with the growth of Muslim population, the West has witnessed the birth of Muslim professional associations of engineers, educators and scientists.

Islam in America

History of Islam and Muslims in North America is not new. Muslims have come to the American shores several times. There is documentation of their journey to America prior to Columbus. Muslims sailed from Spain and Africa, reaching central and South America. It appears that Columbus also made use of the Muslim expertise on his voyage. In the 19th century, Muslims emigrated from the colonized Middle East and with the Bolshevik revolution from Central Asia. However, the effect of these early arrivals did not last long. Muslims also came in the hulls of slave ships from Africa. They were deprived of their religion, language and civilization and all else that gave them their distinct identity. Perhaps it is due to this historical past, that African Americans in an effort to re-establish their identity are drawn to Islam more than any other faith or ideology. The roots of the African-American experience with Islam thus stretches back more than a century, and over the years, Islam has offered dignity and self-esteem to African Americans as they fought against racial discrimination. The African-American community’s embrace of Islam also served as an inspiration to many members of the early immigrant community who tended to downplay their own religious identity.

Muslims in the United States reflect the diversity of the Islamic world and the diversity that is America. American Muslims represent a rich mosaic of ethnic, racial, linguistic, tribal and national identities that stretch from the South Asia through the Middle East to Africa and beyond. The community includes immigrants with roots in more than 50 nations across the globe.

However, American Muslims face ongoing challenges as they seek to become engaged in wider society. They wonder if society is easing the way for them or raising the bar. Some are finding that as the community grows, so do barriers to its participation. “When you are a small number you are not a threat so it’s very easy to be gracious,” observes Professor Esposito of Georgetown University. “It’s when you become a significant number within a society that various elements…feel challenged. And I think this is what American Muslims are facing now…If Muslims are of a certain quantitative number, they become an alternative group within the society that has potential clout…so the question for us is not only: How pluralistic are they—but how pluralistic are we?” Despite growth and significant progress, American Muslims are faced with a variety of challenges as they navigate a course towards ‘Americanization’.

The general public still has little understanding of the teachings and practice of Islam. In a country where each citizen has a right to happiness and peaceful living, the rights of American Muslims seem to be eroding rapidly. Muslims are prone to vicious stereotypes, negative public imagery, insidious profiling and media attacks that equate Islam with terrorism and radicalism.

The Issue of ‘Fundamentalism’

It seems that whatever cannot be attacked on the basis of religion, can be attacked in the guise of politics. Hence, the birth of the unfounded concept of "Fundamentalism," the feigned concern about "Fundamentalism", and the subsequent attempts to link "Fundamentalism" to illegal actions. Let us clarify terminologies and perceptions.

The first definition in Webster’s dictionary for "fundamentalism" is "a movement in twentieth-century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching." How and why this term has been suffixed to Islam and Muslims, with distinct negative connotations, is as mysterious as it is diabolical. It is unfortunate that the media often reinforces the negative stereotyping of Islam with images of radicalism, terrorism, and militancy. This negative portrayal is unjustified and certainly inaccurate. All people of faith are expected to live by the fundamental principles of their faith, but none has the right to be extremists.

The term has been appropriated forcefully by some Western writers for use in derogatory contexts. Today, even the press in Muslim countries uses it uncritically. Yet, its meaning was never made clear. The term has been used to refer to a host of groups which apparently have no common denominator. For example, it has been used to describe countries such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It has been used to describe political activists who happen to be Muslim, and to describe devout Muslims who have no interest whatsoever in politics. In short, it has been used to lump several categories together, innocuous as well as dangerous, constitutionally protected as well as criminally prosecutable. It lumps all of them all in one single neat package which is then presented to the American public as hostile, dangerous and threatening force emanating from the Islamic tradition. As a result of this subconscious suggestion and the equivocation on the meaning of the word "Islamic Fundamentalism," every observant Muslim, every covered Muslim woman, every mosque-frequenter, has become suspect and protected religious minorities have been turned into unprotected ‘extremist political groups’.

The association of Islam with “fundamentalism” has raised a plethora of problems. The term itself, when coupled with negative connotations, appears at least linguistically and psychologically to signify that the problem lies with the fundamentals of Islam. This kind of silent suggestion is very damaging to Muslims because it does not provide an opportunity for a conscious rebuttal.

The Present American Experience

Fostering a better understanding of Islam is not simply a challenge for Muslims, but a challenge for all Americans. Islam, after all, can no longer be considered a non-Western religion and Muslims are no longer “them.” Muslims are “us.” The Muslim community is here to stay. As such, it is vital that we all should seek a more balanced understanding of the complexities, challenges and opportunities inherent in the emergence of the American Muslim community. Surveying the Muslim population in the Chicago area, reporter Stephen Franklin describes how many American Muslims are confused by the mixed messages American society seems to be sending them: “On one hand, [America] reaches out and implores them to become part of society. But at the same time it stereotypes them as religious fundamentalists and views many of their traditions as out of step with American culture and politics. Every violent act by militant Muslims anywhere in the world haunts them, forcing them into public and private denials that they are somehow linked to it. They live with the queasy feeling of being watched, and being judged differently from others.” Muslims are prone to vicious stereotypes, negative public imagery, insidious profiling and media attacks that equate Islam with terrorism and radicalism. Hate crimes targeting American Muslims are not uncommon. As it struggles for acceptance and understanding, the American Muslim community routinely faces those who question their status and view them with distrust.

For many, Muslims remain “the other”—‘the outsider’, ‘the enemy’, ‘the threat’. It is true that many religious minorities have had to fight for acceptance by the mainstream: Catholics and Jews are prime examples. But these events took place before our consciousness as a nation was further raised by the civil rights movement, and before all organizations and institutions in this country understood that you can not discriminate on the basis of religion. Many American Muslims now fear being “involved” in matters ‘religious’ will mean being misunderstood or, worse, becoming a victim of a campaign to demonize their religion or distort their views. There is a growing trend of Islamophobia (a fear of everything Islamic). Democracy and civil liberties are under attack in the US. The right to privacy has been virtually eliminated by the passage of draconian legislation such as the Patriot Act. There is an attack on basic prisoner rights such as habeas corpus (the right to be informed of the charges against you) the right to a lawyer and to a fair trial. All of this falls within the "national security doctrine", a political philosophy that seems to accumulate power on the basis of shapeless fears.

The Question of Identity

Islam being associated with terror and Islam being equated with fundamentalism poses a double-edged sword for an American Muslim. One is made to feel guilty by association and there is almost a demand that if you are a Muslim then clearly distinguish yourself from the (false) perceptions that prevail. Despite multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multifaceted differences and tensions throughout the community, American Muslims are often portrayed as a homogenous bloc. Some simply fail to acknowledge the community’s diversity and instead view the population as a unified force, without dissension or distinction. Many American Muslims are thus grappling with issue of identity. Few believe the answer is isolation from all non-Muslims; many either shroud their identity or abandon the religion altogether. Most are struggling with trying to be good Muslims and good citizens. Professor Huston Smith observes, “Neither isolation nor absorption is generally seen as a goal in the conversations among Muslims who are searching for guidelines and principles that can speak to the majority of the members of the complex body that is American Islam”

The Truth About Islam and Muslims

Islam is not a monolithic religion, but, like its practitioners, has many faces and different ethnic identities; that it is a faith that celebrates peace and honors diversity; and that it, too, values knowledge and understanding as a fundamental principle of both our spiritual and secular lives. One out of five people around the world are members of the Islamic faith. Predominately Muslim nations stretch from Bosnia to Bangladesh to Nigeria to Indonesia (the largest Muslim nation).

If one wants to see the wide interplay and dizzying range of Muslim cultures, experts suggest two places. One is the holy city of Mecca, where Muslim pilgrims gather from every corner of the globe to fulfill a sacred duty. The other is the United States. It has been said that the United States today has the most ethnically diverse community of Muslims anywhere.Although statistics are tenuous, it is estimated that between five and eight million Muslims now make America their home. While the precise figures remain elusive, there is no dispute that the numbers are on the rise. Today, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States and is the country’s second largest religion. Islam’s appeal lies in the simplicity of its principles. In its harmonious interplay of faith with reason, its vision coordinates the sacred and the secular into a comprehensive whole. Due to Islam’s stress on equality and brotherhood of its community, it has special appeal for the historically oppressed. These egalitarian principles also draw converts from the middle class America. Thus, mosques, Islamic centers and schools truly represent a melting pot for the Muslims all over America.

The Challenge

Task for American Muslims

 

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