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Obama Extends a Hand of Friendship to Islam
It was speech that stirred my soul, both as an American and as a Muslim. The President of the United States stood before the parliament of Islam's oldest democracy in Turkey and delivered a riveting statement that will resonate throughout the Muslim world. He said what needed to be said in plain and simple words: "The United States is not - and will never be - at war with Islam."
It was a powerful speech, in which President Obama stated persuasively that the only way forward for humanity is a partnership of peace between the West and the Islamic world. He spoke eloquently about the history of Turkey's long relationship with America, of how the Ottoman Sultan Abdelmecid supported the construction of the Washington Memorial that towers over the capital today. Obama spoke of shared hopes and values, of Muslims and non-Muslims working together to build a better future.
Many Presidents have spoken similar lofty words, but it was this President's unique life experience that gave them weight. As an American Muslim born in Pakistan and raised in New York, when Barack Hussein Obama spoke of Muslims being an integral part of American society, tears welled in my eyes as memories flooded my consciousness. I remembered going to elementary school in Brooklyn at the height of the hostage crisis in Iran in 1980. I remembered being taunted by my classmates as a "rag head" even as I stood with my hand on my heart to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
That experience would be followed by countless others, from that day to this, where my fellow citizens would question my loyalty to this wondrous country because of my faith. I remembered sitting shell-shocked on the street in Los Angeles on September 11, 2001, desperately calling my friends and family in New York and praying every moment that they were safe in a world lost to madness. And wondering how long it would be before the raging emotions of my fellow Americans would lead to the expulsion of my family and I from this country that was our only home.
I had assumed that a pogrom would begin and the days of Islam in America were numbered. I was wrong. America is better than that, and the President of the United States reminded all of us of that remarkable fact. It is the incredible spirit of America that allows us to renew, to overcome our demons and rise to heights that have never before been imagined by mankind. The same revolutionary spirit that put Neil Armstrong on the moon guided the American people to elect a black man with a Muslim middle name. A man who noted in Turkey that he himself, the President of the United States, had Muslims in his family and had lived in a Muslim majority country as a child.
And as I listened to his speech, I heard one word repeated countless times. Respect. It is a word that Muslims have craved to hear from American leaders. A recent Gallup poll of the Islamic world (published in Who Speaks for Islam by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed) showed that the greatest sorrow in the Muslim world toward America is a lack of respect for Islam. Indeed, when Americans were polled as to what they respected about Islam, the majority did not know, or simply said "nothing."
Perhaps that is understandable. Islam has been seen by the West as the dangerous "other" from the beginning, when a new faith rose out of the Arabian desert and conquered the Byzantine Empire, taking control of Jerusalem and the heart of the Christian world. I draw a picture of that earth-shattering historical moment in my new novel, Mother of the Believers, which tells the story of Islam's birth from the point of view of Prophet Muhammad's wife Aisha. And I explore how the conflict that was born in the politics of the seventh century has kept our civilizations locked in a deadly struggle today.
Americans have inherited that Western fear of Islam that goes back to the Crusades. Indeed, the country where Obama spoke was once the heart of the Ottoman Empire, which was poised to conquer Vienna in 1683 even as Europeans were establishing the colonies that would one day become America. When civilizations clash over centuries, it is inevitable that people on both sides see each other through a distorted lens. Many Christians see Islam as nothing more than a religion of aggression and fanaticism. And I think many Muslims have a similar view of the Christian world, seeing the modern West as the heir of the mindless brutality of the Crusades and the Inquisition.
But Obama reminded both civilizations that we do not need to be wedded to the past. We can look into each other's hearts today and see the shared humanity within, and we can move forward.
This is the American way. This is the Christian way. And this is the Muslim way. When we can all embrace that common truth, a new world can be born.
Kamran Pasha is a Hollywood filmmaker and the author of Mother of the Believers, a novel on the birth of Islam as told by Prophet Muhammad's teenage wife Aisha (Atria Books; April 2009). For more information please visit: www.kamranpasha.com
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Kamran, Keep speaking our & writing on these issues relating to Islam. One of the best books on this topic is Peter Gottschalk & Gabriel Greenberg's Islamophobia:Making Muslims the Enemy. They define the term, discuss symbol, stereotype & carciature in several decades of American cartoons. Anything written by Jack Shaheen is great, but most particularly is Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. (Someone needs to write a similar book analyzing not films but American authors like Grisham, Koontz, et al.) I also found Timothy Marr's The Cultural Roots of American Islamicism to be very interesting in that he defines Islamcism & differentiates the term from Islamism, citing examples & images of Islam in American society from earliest colonial times. The new generation of American Muslims is growing fast & is already helping to make a huge difference in how their friends, neighbors, associates view Islam. Most importantly, their various views are beginning to be reflected not only in the alternative media, but even in the mainstream media.
Bush administration was incapable of high quality diplomacy. Likely this democratic administration is much better at diplomacy.
Let's exchange mountains of respect for concrete steps in fighting militant Islam and lower petrol prices. Sounds like a good exchange to me.
To be honest, and I am sad to say this. The Muslim world has to own up. There is so much wrong there, that will not change for the better unless they make the changes themselves. With at best corrupt and at worst tyrant and corrupt leaders there will be no change for the better. Waiting for President Obama to extend a hand, or an apology from the new Nato president will make little difference. The West is not as guilty if the mess the Muslim world is in, as we all like to think. The wounds in the Muslim world are mostly self-inflicted. Blaming the other side for failure has become the norm.
Having said the above, and good gesture or deed is a welcomed one.
This was about more than assigning blame and exchanging apologies. It was about opening up relations and letting those nations know we don't think less of them based on rleigious prejudice.
We're already friends with Turkey and have open relations with them and numerous other Muslim nations.
You seem easily impressed.
Were he to have really extended his hand in friendship, he's have gone to Syria, Iran, Egypt or Saudi Arabia.
The United States has to own up also! The United States has a habit of turning on their citizens when events dictate. Let's begin with slavery; move on to how immigrants are and were treated when they came to this country! Discrimination wasn't just for blacks, but Italians, the Irish, Catholics, jews, Japanese Americans, chinese-americans; I could go on forever!. Extremists blew up the world trade center, but we turned on everyone of Muslin backgrounds. What about our home-grown terrorists, Timothy McVeigh, the Unibomber? Come on guys, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world, but we have to clean up our own mess, before we try to tell others to own up!! It's a two-way street!! I'm just as guilty! Everyone have their prejudices and until we learn to accept people for who they are, we will continue to make the same mistakes!
I don't care if those who read this become angry, but this is how I feel!!
"but we turned on everyone of Muslin backgrounds."
First of all you obviously wrong in your assessment. Second, I think you're getting all mixed up with "we's" and "everyone's." You can speak with any authority for yourself.
U.S. is a great and extremely successful experiment in peaceful co existence between various ethnicities. Armenian Americans co-exist with Turks. Jewish Americans and American Arabs do business together all over the country.
Same goes for Sunni and Shia in U,.S.--- In marked contrast to the Middle East, I might add.
Relax. Enjoy the fruits of American freedoms and tolerance.
"The wounds in the Muslim world are mostly self-inflicted. Blaming the other side for failure has become the norm."
Great comment sadbutwiser.
Successful cultures/states begin with self-examination, not obsessive scapegoating. This blog is all wrapped up with Crusades and Inquisition, combined with glorification of Islamic conquests and Ottoman Empire. And add t unwillingness to self-examine problems facing the Islamic world. Not a good formula for solving inter-civilization communication, surely.
"The West is not as guilty"? You should read more history-especially the last eight years.
The struggle is between secular Europe, N. America, Australia, China, Japan and secular Far East versus states where laments on passing of Islamic imperialism and expansionist days are still regularly peddled in media and pulpits.
Mr. Pasha himself chosen to write a book on the glory days of Islamic imperialism. No accident there.
Muslims are a great people. However, the rest of the world needs to see fewer headlines like this:
Afghan 'Rape Law' Reconsidered Due To Global Outcry
You don't want it to be reconsidered?
I respect you enough to know that you are being obtuse.
I'm glad they're taking down this atrocious law. I guess it's helpful that America supposedly has good relations with the Afghani leader. Just imagine if we had ousted them years ago, we would have just received the proverbial middle finger. That's why America cannot afford to isolate itself.
Indeed.
"We can look into each other's hearts today and see the shared humanity within, and we can move forward."
Good sentiment.
And you've chosen to write a book on the days of Islamic imperialism. I don't see much reconciliation there.
This is a major step forward for America. Indeed, there are many detractors on this board who are angry Obama won, and most of all, that hate will no longer prevail. They go on about the injustices committed in other countries and we should thumb our noses at them as a result. LOL. Nice try. We know how that plays out. We've seen that movie before. It inevitably leads to other Muslims being called "rag head", hearing Islam defiled everyday on TV and other media outlets. Those of us who want to actually be "civilized", know better. I'm just gonna appreciate the magnifecence of this moment.
I'm glad to hear that hate will no longer prevail.
Perhaps you might get the word out and send an email to that 17 year old girl flogged in the street by the authorities for speaking to a boy. Or perhaps the sister in Pakastan gang raped by the town council as punishment for her brother's inappropriate behavior.
whosyourdaddy-
If you really cared about such issues instead of making people feel that Muslims are evil or dirty, might you find another way of expressing your views? I doubt your sincerity. Your hate is sincere.
I really appreciated this article. I've seen copious attention given to American rage over 9/11, but not enough, from the heart articles, about the American Muslim experience. You made me feel what it must have been like to simultaneously fear for your loved ones on that day, to feel the outrage of being an American when your country is attacked by terrorists and to be a Muslim who is scorned by Americans---all on the same day. To be taunted as a "rag head" while pledging the American flag is an ironic injustice. I've always been proud that America is a melting pot where all are welcome. And we've always had an element of our society---the morons---who have felt the need to be putting some ethnic group down so that they could feel more powerful. But now, NOW, we have a President who addresses these things out loud and says, I respect everyone and I came here to listen. I am proud to be an American and I'm proud that the author of this article is an American. Our respective religions are important to us and to our spiritual path, but they are not the pass key to our American-ness. It is all of us together, each in his or her uniqueness, that creates what is beautiful about us. It is the blend of the spices and the simmering of the pot that creates the fragrance and exquisite taste.
"And we've always had an element of our society who have felt the need to be putting some ethnic group down so that they could feel more powerful."
Yes. It is true.
Just as members of separate ethnic communities fell the need to put others ethnics down also.
The irony of life is that those subject to prejudice are often highly prejudiced themselves.
The struggle is with un-enlightened elements in e-ve-r-y single ethnic community. And those incapable of recognizing the bad elements in their own community shouldn't be very, very careful talking about others.
America should push atheism. Not these silly bronze age religions (including Christianity).
The topic here is "respect".
Right now, in the 21st Century, secular cultures are doing much better job than religious fanatics at peaceful and prosperous co-existence. And not only in the West. Sorry to burst your bubble. One can tolerate religious dogma without having to endorse its existence.
Agreed overdog1. Respect is good. But there will never be peace as long Muslim nations identify themselves by their religion first and nationality second.
And how do you identify yourself? these names come from the folks in power! WHITE MEN! No one want to be known as Muslim-Americans, African American, Hispanic-Americans. All of us who were born here should be known as AMERICANS - PERIOD!
True, Stalin and Mao showed the world the tolerance and love one may expect from an atheistic regime.
Citing isolated examples does nothing to prover your point, whosyourdaddy.
If one starts citing various religion driven fanatics thru' the ages it will make a very long list indeed.
That's dumb! If we were all Athiests, we would really be in trouble!
Not sure if we should push atheism (which I view as some sort of religion--sure of something that you cannot be sure of). However, I do think that we need to get over this assumption that simply HAVING a religion makes you this great person. It doesn't.
SusanSto-
You think the riots over the cartoons were ridiculous? Really? Muslims are a minority and the worst thing to do is to first put up an image of the prophet (something against the religion), and then make fun of him. It would be quite different if a Muslim did it in a Muslim majority country. But to do that was a direct hit at Muslims and what they hold sacred. How callous of you to not see how hurtful that is. I'm not religous, but my background has Muslims in it and that was very, very offensive to me. You don't marginalize a minority. Period. And to say that a whole sector of the world's population doesn't deserve respect simply because respect is what they value is ridiculous. Did you ever think that everyone wants respect and go to egregious and counterproductive routes to acheive respect are usually minorities? Or people who have clearly been disrespected not based on their actions but merely prejudice? Did you realize you mentioned a Vietnamese gunshooter (who I doubt did the shootings to GET respect)? Hmm. yes in a perfect world, respect is earned and nobody is pre-judged.
Respect is earned.
Do you think the black community is respected? Because I don't think so? Did they not "earn" it? How about women? Are they respected in all areas of society? Did they not "earn" it? Wow. You're basically saying all Muslims did not earn respect.
I actually disagree. I think respect should be GIVEN until there is a reason not to. To imply, IMO, that you have to "earn" respect in order to get it, says to me that human beings, in and of themselves, aren't WORTHY of respect and you have to do something above and beyond in order to get it. That may be part of the problem...everyone feels they deserve respect, but feel that very few other people deserve it.
Are you equally outraged that it is illegal to own a bible in most Muslim countries, or that conversion to another religion may result in a death sentence. Ought we have great respect for what they do to their women, daily?
Should they respect us for imprisoning most black men in this country? Your going in circles. You don't respect everything those nations do, but you respect human beings and I think Obama opened up to millions of human beings IN those countries. And the longer we cut them off from us, how much of a chance will these countries have to align with each other against America? Now, if they are given common courtesy (that is without categorizing them according to religion and then denigrating their religious beliefs through policy and rhetoric), maybe we can give them some incentive to change. Yes, I AM equally outraged by all injustice. Did I say in my prior post what I was "outraged" about? I don't recall expressing "outrage" about anything I mentioned.
What a silly idea. Why do you demand what you are not willing to give? Those countries have existed on these earth far far longer than the United States. While we do not have to agree with every culture (nor do they with our culture) we should respect their right to their culture and it is the responsibility of their citizens to fight for change. It does not hurt to voice our differences but as President Obama has always suggested...we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
Remember when you challenge other countries on civil rights issues. They can always come back to you with hordes of evidence that Americans like you do not walk their talk. Sure some Americans elected an black President, but don't forget a truckload of white men also dragged a black man to death just a couple of years ago in Texas simply because he was black. We have a really big glass house when it comes to preaching at other countries about their civil rights abuses.
are you outraged that America turns a blind eye to Suadi Arabia's barbaric policies simply b/c they have oil? Aren't you angry that America has allowed these barbaric practices to take place with such a close "friend"? And you're mad b/c Obama went to Turkey to extend a hand to the "Muslim world"? Methinks your letting prejudice get the best of you and your attention.
Part of being an adult living in a complex world is that people might mock, ridicule or "disrespect" you. Too bad if you don't like it. People swarmed into the streets screaming that the cartoonists be beheaded. People lost their lives; buildings were burned. Nobody who is in control of themselves can say "A cartoon made me kill some nuns!" or "A cartoon made me want to cut someone's head off!" Many things said to me by believers are offensive to me, but I don't respond by cutting anyone's head off.
What if it WAS a "direct hit at Muslims and what they hold sacred"? So what? Are you an animal, who responds only by instinct, incapable of resisting the temptations of the flesh? Are you like a bull that goes mad and charges if I wave a sheet in front of him? Or are you a thinking, intelligent human being who chooses his or her actions? If someone walks up to my face on the street and says "Excuse me, I do believe your mother is a ****** (fill in insult word)", it is still my responsibility if I punch or kick him. I cannot say "I was disrespected!" That's stupid.
Please recognize that your holding a belief very, very strongly does not obligate me to treat your belief with respect. I will try to treat YOU with respect, but beliefs do not automatically deserve respect just because they exist!
Are you as outraged when, for the sake of 'art', someone creates an inflammatory piece of imagery which insults Christianity? A crucifix in a jar of urine or some other such expression?
Do you side with the artist or Christians? ( Please don't use the 'Christians are not a minority' argument - a religious belief is sacred to those who hold it, regardless of numbers)
Yeah, I am gonna use the minority argument, given that that was in my original post anyway.
You think the riots over the cartoons were ridiculous? Really? Muslims are a minority and the worst thing to do is to first put up an image of the prophet (something against the religion), and then make fun of him. It would be quite different if a Muslim did it in a Muslim majority country. But to do that was a direct hit at Muslims and what they hold sacred. How callous of you to not see how hurtful that is. I'm not religous, but my background has Muslims in it and that was very, very offensive to me. You don't marginalize a minority. Period. And to say that a whole sector of the world's population doesn't deserve respect simply because respect is what they value is ridiculous. Did you ever think that everyone wants respect and go to egregious and counterproductive routes to acheive respect are usually minorities? Or people who have clearly been disrespected not based on their actions but merely prejudice? Did you realize you mentioned a Vietnamese gunshooter (who I doubt did the shootings to GET respect)? Hmm. yes in a perfect world, respect is earned and nobody is pre-judged.
p.s. I'm not advocating riots, I simply mean to say that the cartoons of the Muslim's prophet was highly insulting.
I'm glad that the author and other Muslims are happy to hear the word respect. We Americans would be happy to hear a word or two from prominent Muslim leaders denouncing the barbaric acts of Islamic terrorists that have been perpetuated all over the globe. Suicide bombings, roadside bombings, beheadings, floggings, stonings, etc., are heinous acts and the silence is deafening form their religious leaders.
Well, the Muslim world does not feel responsible for the terrorists since they don't feel they contributed to it. Only you are bunching them into the same group. Why would you be responsible for Tim McVeigh? But making the whole Muslim world pay, thus all Muslims, was wrong. Who should make the statements? There are no religious leaders in Islam. There are mullahs who talk in mosques quite fervently against the terrorists. I even saw one on Glenn Beck, and Beck just brushed it off and said something to the affect of "nice, but it doesn't change anything". There is no pope in Islam. They don't have a top guy to talk for them. In fact, I remember seeing a news item on Muslim organizations saying they are begging news networks to report on their statements which denounce the terrorists and across the board "anti-Americanism" and they're never heard.
Here is a link to a "leader' in the Muslim community condemning the terrorists. If the leader apologizes for the terrorists, what is he saying about Islam and Muslims? Anyway, here it is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3059365.stm
Well, perhaps black folks in this country would be happy to hear a word or two of acknowledgement of the lynching, brutality and murders of people simply because their skin was black. The arrogance of many Americans, most of whom deny any participation in the actual deaths of enslaved blacks or those murdered over the years, who want to try and hold other country's to a standard, that America cannot fulfill. We even have major Republicans and talk show hosts hoping our President doesn't succeed. How American is that? If our President fails, then this country fails. But hey there are those who would rather see that happen, then have a black Democatic President succeed. I don't think you or other Americans can act high and mighty when challenging others on civil rights abuses. This is not to say you shouldn't speak out against the abuses...but get down off your haughty horse and be respectful.
Slavery in North America began in the late 1600's and ended in 1865. According to historian, John K. Thornton, Europeans usually bought slaves who were captured in endemic warfare between African states. There were also Africans who had made a business out of capturing other Africans and selling them. A terrible chapter in history. Did any African nation apologize for the selling of slaves to Europeans?
I love what Obama did. To all the naysayers:
I love the fact that had Obama not gone to Turkey, most of the naysayers would be attributing the transgressions of other countries due to their "Islamic nature". Now that Obama went there, you're not bashing Islam, it's just those countries' policies. Well, just goes to show that so long as America keeps kicking the "Muslim world", the Muslims here in America would continue to pay everyday.
Oh, and here is something for those who are all too eager to get into combative relationships with other countries: It's best to lead by example.
Countries that still practice or approve, of slavery, and kill adulterers will wait a long time before they get any respect.
Right. You'll have to wait a long time as well.
Cousin Cherry,
A wise person is never insulted by being disrespected, but prays for the enlightenment of the dis-respector.
Your thing about countries that allow slavery? Look in the mirror. The CIA estimates that up to 50,000 people, mostly women and children, are held in slavery in the United States today and world wide 27 million people are enslaved. In today's dollars, the 1840 price of a slave in America was $40,000. Today the average world price to buy and own your very own disposable woman or child is $90. So, I applaud your moral stance against slavery. The question now is will you get involved in ending it here at home and supporting efforts to free people world wide? Because most of the people held in slavery are not in the middle east. That's just a comfortable prejudice that allows that delicious, revengeful hate to flow. Human rights are important and we should advocate for them everywhere, including here at home, but we can do more good if, like Obama, we listen with respect and then do what we can as friends because friends are always listened to more easily than enemies.
Cousin Karela,
please cite your sources for your 50,000 slaves in the US. The difference between slaves here and in pockets of the Islamic empire is that everyone here condemns it . The jurists in Mecca (the center of Islam), Karbala (the holiest city in Iraq) and Palestine preach that slavery is God's will.
"In 2003 l Saudi jurist, Shaykh Saleh Al-Fawzan, issued a fatwa claiming “Slavery is a part of Islam. Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long there is Islam.”He attacked Muslim scholars who said otherwise maintaining, “They are ignorant, not scholars ... They are merely writers. Whoever says such things is an infidel.” (THAT MEANS WORTHY OF DEATH -my caps and comment) .At the time of the fatwa, al-Fawzaan was a member of the Senior Council of Clerics, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body, a member of the Council of Religious Edicts and Research, the Imam of Prince Mitaeb Mosque in Riyadh, and a professor at Imam Mohamed Bin Saud Islamic University, the main Wahhabi center of learning in the country.
a prominent Saudi cleric, Shaikh Saad Al-Buraik, recently urged Palestinians to do exactly that with Jews: 'Their women are yours to take, legitimately. God made them yours. Why don't you enslave their women?'"
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri of Karbala expressed the view in 1993 that the enforcement of servitude can occur but is restricted to war captives and those born of slaves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_slavery
Dear Kamran,
You are blessed for expressing such words of reconciliation and love. And you project the spirit of your religion the way it should be presented.
All people who care about forgiveness and joining will appreciate the sentiments which you have unfurled...
Alethia
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