As someone who works in the field of promoting interfaith dialogue on Islam in America, I can tell you it has been a hectic couple of weeks. When Lowe's Home Improvement decided to pull its ads from TLC's new reality show "All American Muslim," they sparked a national crisis over Islamophobia in America. But crisis is the wrong word. I prefer opportunity. I say opportunity for two reasons.
One, the Lowe's debacle has already proven that the Muslim community is well organized, ready to respond, and even able to lead a movement that garners support from acclaimed entertainers and public figures such as Sen. Ted Lieu and Russell Simmons. In fact, more than 32 congressional representatives have publicly called on Lowe's to re-instate advertising on the TLC show.
Secondly, the controversy has shown that interfaith dialogue, relationship building between faith groups, and coalition building when there is no crisis, really does pay off. As Eboo Patel, author of "Acts of Faith," has rightly pointed out, the future of religious pluralism will be decided by the success or failure of two groups: religious pluralists or religious totalitarians.
The Lowe's controversy was initiated by a fringe group of religious totalitarians, the Florida Family Association. Yet, as Brie Loskota has convincingly shown, their strategy has backfired. As I write this blog, there are four petitions online that call on Lowe's to stand up to bigotry and reinstate the ads on TLC, and a national network has formed to challenge Lowe's and their decision called the National Lowe's Boycott Network. Their organizing of peaceful protests has resulted in more than a dozen events nationwide, with thousands attending, and petitions have resulted in more than 80,000 signatures, whereas the religious totalitarians that started the controversy have one petition with only 25,000 signatures as of Dec. 18.
What's most striking about their organizing is that individual citizens without the support of established interfaith or Muslim organizations initiated it. In fact, it was only late into the crisis that national interfaith groups began to write op-eds and really show their support. This grassroots network has managed to push back against the religious totalitarians, and at least thus far into the crisis, they appear to be winning.
In the background of this grassroots work, two tragic events have taken place, which reveal the real world "human impact" of Islamophobia. In Kansas City, a young Muslim college student, Aisha Khan has gone missing after complaining to her family of a drunken man harassing her. In Houston, Texas a Muslim man named Yaqub Bham was severely beaten in what family members are calling a hate crime. These events show the urgency of the problem at hand.
Religious pluralists and everyday citizens that are concerned with Islamophobia have a long road ahead and should use the Lowe's crisis as an opportunity to think strategically. With the 2012 elections ahead, Islamophobia will not quietly disappear into the night. Newt Gingrich and other leading Republican candidates have already decided that anti-Muslim hysteria is a card they can benefit from using, and we should expect them to use it.
ADDENDUM: On Dec. 21, 2011, Aisha Khan was found by the authorities in Kansas City, Mo. Her disappearance, and the potential hate crime of a Houston, Texas man were both events that had many Americans concerned about the rising level of Islamophobia in America. Thankfully, the Khan case was not in any way linked to the rising levels of prejudice toward Muslims, and the attack of the Houston, Texas Muslim man is still under investigation as a potential hate crime.
Follow Daniel Tutt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DanielTutt
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| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Daniel Tutt tried to draw our attention to two “vicious hate crimes against Muslims”, which supposed to be a clear proof that Islamophobia is spreading in America. What evidence did he give us to support his claims?
It turned out that Aisha Khan was not abducted by anti-Muslim bigots. Will Tutt apologize for falsely accusing Americans of a hate crime against a Muslim girl?
Another of his “hate crime” fizzles as well. Yaqub Bham's family is calling an attack a "hate crime." Tutt doesn't bother questioning this assessment at all, even though the attack looks more like an act of a very, very sick man, who stabbed Yaqub with a fork, biting off part of his ear.
“Deputies are looking into whether he was under the influence of narcotics or alcohol or had suffered a mental break, "because it was just incoherent, the things that he was saying." http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Islamic-group-family-say-attack-on-Muslim-may-be-2407967.php
As the "missing" girl has turned out not to be missing anymore, and there is no evidence to date that her "disappearance" had anything to do with her being forced against her will, or because she was a muslim.
Will he retracting or posting a correction?
Why did he jump to the immediate conclusion that her "disappearance" was due to her being a muslim?
Lowes has decided to bow to the FFA. Lowes has allowed itself to become a trophy displayed by an extremist Christian hate-group.
If major corporations are going to become lap dogs of the FFA, then we will all be living under biblical law tyranny soon. Which FFA target will Lowes back away from next.
We have to stand up to the bigots, or they might come for us next.
If Lowes supports the FFA, then only a fool would support Lowes.
Boycott Lowes
Will you stand up against folks like Sharpton?
Hate speech is hate speech. The FFA is all about hate speech.
What exactly is your argument here -
that hate speech is ok because both sides do it? two wrongs make a right.
that is very moral of you to ignore the wrongs of your side because you perceive others to do those same wrongs - stay classy, carmachu2
There is no "association". It's just David Canton, a single man, with a computer. He IS the FFA.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/allamericanmuslim/2011/12/anya-cordell-how-to-make-this-situation-a-winwin-for-muslims-and-lowes/ by Anya Cordell, Recipient, Spirit of Anne Frank Award, Author: "Where the Anti-Muslim Path Leads" at http://www.IslamophobiaToday.com/2011/08/02/where-the-anti-muslim-path-leads/ Please see www.Appearance-ism.com
Senseless and I say that as strong Christian.