Don't kid yourself, there's a war over Muslims in America. As 2010 comes to a close, it's clear that this year offered few favors for the American Muslim identity or reputation. Indeed, Pew reports that Muslims in America had a higher approval rating after 9/11 than in 2010. As moderate Muslims fought valiantly (no pun intended) to present a peaceful image of Islam, extremists ascribing their views to Islam made these efforts all the more difficult.
For Muslims, the new year stumbled to a start (right off the heels of the 2009 Christmas Day underwear bomber) when five Virginian youths were arrested and convicted of a terrorism conspiracy. In May, Faisal Shahzad made world headlines after his homemade bomb failed to detonate in Times Square. In November, a disgruntled Mohamed Mohamud attempted to detonate a fake bomb in Portland. Likewise, this December, Antonio Martinez tried to detonate a fake bomb of his own in Baltimore.
In response, anti-Muslim sentiments grew dramatically in 2010. With the nine-year anniversary of 9/11 on the horizon, Terry Jones concocted the International Burn a Koran Day, to honor 9/11 victims no less. Though Jones stopped short of the publicity stunt, Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church would not disappoint -- to honor Christ no less.
Opposition to a proposed mosque in New York made headlines due to its proximity to Ground Zero. Opposition to a proposed mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. also made headlines due to its proximity to ... America? "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" was introduced on Facebook and spread like wildfire. A "Prophet Muhammad" episode was re-introduced on South Park--extremists, in response, threatened to literally spread wildfires.
Also, did Islamophobes really convince 20 percent of Americans that Obama is a Muslim (without adding Seinfeld's patented line, "not that there's anything wrong with that")?
Ignorant individuals bombed a mosque in Jacksonville, Fla. (Yes, really.) Ignorant politicians proposed excluding Muslims from the constitution's protection of religious freedom. (Yes, also really.) Between Sarah Palin chiming in on the one topic she probably knows less about than leadership, and Pamela Gellar claiming to liberate Muslims with her Islamic hate campaigns, being Muslim in America seemed more like a life sentence than a life choice. While opponents waged their political war with fear, intimidation and the proverbial sword, peaceful Muslims waged their war with grassroots efforts, and the pen.
Beginning in New York City, literally where Shahzad failed to promote violence, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community responded with the nationwide Muslims for Peace campaign. Thousands of Muslims took to the streets for the same peaceful message: "No More Terrorism" and "Love for All, Hatred for None." Judge for yourself if Muslims condemned religious violence vigorously enough in 2010. The Big Apple, the Windy City, the Motor City, Baltimore, Miami, Washington D.C., Milwaukee, Dallas, Houston, Harrisburg, Los Angeles, Portland, Zion, Ohio, Oshkosh, St. Louis, Richmond and numerous small towns witnessed American Muslims condemn extremism and promote peace. To date, members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have distributed hundreds of thousands of peace fliers to Americans all over the country--from the "Joe Six-packs" to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg-- by hand, door to door, at State fairs, at busy intersections, at national rallies, at peace festivals and at book fairs.
Assertions that only negative propaganda about Islam make the headlines are false. The Muslims for Peace campaign continues to make major headlines. NBC, CNN, FOX, the New York Times, the Houston Chronicle and countless news affiliates and other papers around the country continue to report on this phenomenon. For example, the Muslim Writers Guild of America, an auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, published nearly 200 opinion editorials and letters nationwide to promote pluralism and to express Muslim-American loyalty. Likewise, if you happen to be in New York City over the next month, look for the Muslims for Peace advertisement to run every hour in, you guessed it, Times Square.
Sure, 2010 was an abysmal year for the Muslim identity and reputation in America. But, the Muslims for Peace campaign will ensure that 2011 is a catapult forward, in word and action, to demonstrate that American Muslims emphatically stand for peace.
If nothing else, Christmas passed and no Muslim tried to blow up his underwear on a plane. Compared to last year, I'd say we're off to a good start.
Follow Qasim Rashid on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MuslimIQ
John Feffer: The Lies of Islamophobia: The Three Unfinished Wars of the West Against the Rest
Mona Eltahawy: Muslims in America, circa 2010
Muslims in America increasingly alienated as hatred grows in Bible ...
White House Quietly Courts Muslims in U.S. - NYTimes.com
Islam in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How Is Islam Viewed in America Today? | PBS NewsHour | Aug. 24 ...
To understand it more please goto website www.alislam.org. There are many books there, even a biography of Prophet Mohammad (life of Mohammad),which you can read, and also Quran with translation and commentary. SO you can read it yourself and understand it.
As far as the verses of the Quran are concerned they refer particular events that were happening at that particular time , just like there are verses like this in Bible and other Holy Books, they are not general instructions. You can see that if you read the introduction about the chapter,at the beg of each chapter of the Quran.
The people who are fanatics just interpret it to suit what they want to believe which is not the correct interpretation of the Quran. Thanks
http://www.alislam.org/egazette/articles/Separation_of_Mosque_and_State-200906.pdf
SEPARATION OF MOSQUE AND STATE
"While much is said of the supposedly horrid living conditions of dhimmis (i.e.
protected non-Muslims), their living standards were at par, and oftentimes better
than that of the Muslims." LMAO
"To understand the need, if any, of ‘Separation of Mosque and State:
"There is no real separation between religion and public or political life in Islam."
"There is no artificial segregation in Islam between the profane and the sacred."
There is no real ‘Separation of Mosque and State’ in Islamic teachings. "
Nice!
ROLF MAO
I read the following explanation of Koranic idea of non-violence.
" God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an :
"Whosoever killed a person – unless it be for killing a a person or for creating disorder in the land – it shall be as if he had killed all mankind."
the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community says:
" A person who kills a person-- unfairly-- or who kills someone who had neither rebelled, nor became a source of violating peace amongst the people nor created disorder in the land, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind.
In other words to kill a person without any cause is, according to God A l m i g h t y, like the murder of the entire human race. It is obvious from this verse, how big a sin it is to take the life of another person without reason. ’"
Hm.... The Koranic call for peace seem to include the Biblical Commandment "Thy shalt not kill," and then adds a purely Islamic caveat " without a reason."
http://www.alislam.org/islam/islam-peaceful-religion.pdf
Glad reasons foro taking human lives are spelled spelled out --- whose who "rebel" ( against Islam and Caliphate?); those who "violate the peace among people" (feminists?); those who " created disorder in the land:" ( Theo Van Gogh, WTC).
And THIS is Muslims for Peace? Nice!
The problem is, this sect of Islam not only is a relatively small minority, but itself is persecuted by more fundamentalist sects. Please keep up the fight, though, not only to inform non-Muslims but to reform Islam itself.
Um... this sect, on their Muslims for Peace website clearly supports Koranic prohibition against killing "without reason." We applaud Muslims for Peace fro that.
" It is obvious how big a sin it is to take the life of another person without
reason"
http://www.muslimsforpeace.org/
But then the owners of the website go on spell out the reasons for Islamically allowed killing:
First and foremost--defensive Jihad. Always OK.
Taking lives "fairly" is also OK;
Taking a life of those "rebel" and those who "became a source of violating peace amongst the people" is OK.
And of course the ever popular taking a life of a person who "created disorder in the land."
(L e c t u re Chashma-e-Ma’rifat pp 23-24: C o m m e n t a ry
by the Promised Messiah Vol.2: p.405)
http://www.alislam.org/islam/islam-peaceful-religion.pdf
And these are Muslims for Peace!
1. Muslims should stop reacting to each and every crackpot who does something stupid or hateful, and then treating it as if it goes to show you all America is racist. When Terry Jones was threatening his little display of publicity, I can't tell how many Muslims interviewed tried to tie in what he was threatening to do with some blanket condemnation of America as a whole - even though most Americans condemned Jones' intentions! Not continuing to condemn the whole country, while forgetting just how restrained Americans have been, is a good way to lose favor among folks.
2. Acknowledge the bad, the continued violence by people in the name of Islam, the violence and bloodshed against people in the Muslim world, and do so without tying it somehow back to being America's fault. Just admit some Muslims are doing bad things because they are doing bad things and focus on that as a problem. And again, all without some "Real Muslims never do anything wrong" or "It must be the fault of Western Civilization/Christainity/America/Europe. Especially if folks don't want all of Islam/the Middle East/Arab World/Muslim World condemned for the actions of a few.
In short, admit the good that has been America, seperate the bad from the overall good, and make sure not to make sweeping condemnations that Muslims don't want applied to Islam or the Muslim World.
Perhaps secretly they are glad that some of their fellow believers are fighting to advance Islam. Because I've encountered Muslims when such issues of terrorism by extremist were discussed they start to point fingers. They vehemently believe that Islam is under attack & hence must be defended. Even those who committed suicide - which is a big sin in Islam - by exploding themselves into smithereens & taking with them as many "enemies" as possible, is permissible. It is permissible because they cannot kill themself but with exception - that's what I was informed of by a Muslim studying Islam. Now, I wonder who decides what those exceptions are?
9:5 "... fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war) ..."
9:14 "Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame ..."
9:29 "Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and his apostle nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizya [religious tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
. . . then what is war?
I find the treat of women and non-believers by your religion to be offensive.
However, you have the right to become an American or live here and practice your religion without interference. I will support that right.
That is a far greater right than is granted by Muslims to non-Muslims in other countries.
In Muslim-dominated countries, non-Muslims would be considered of lesser class than Muslim citizens. And we accept & tolerate such classification as we respect & abide by the law of the country or ruliing government. Hence, if USA need to appease any group of people, it should be the Native American Indians whom they've taken so much from.
As for burn the koran day- funny how it free speech became hate speech. It reminds me of the old cartoon- put a Koran in the toilet, its hate speech. But put a bible in the toilent- its art and free speech. You cant have it both ways.
" "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" was introduced on Facebook and spread like wildfire. A "Prophet Muhammad" episode was re-introduced on South Park--extremists, in response, threatened to literally spread wildfires. "
And why is that? Is it because Islam hs failed in the fact of self examiniation and humor? The cartoons, the drawings, and south park are clear signs- epsically when withdrawn, as two of teh three were, show it cant yet.
Sometimes there is so much talk that it becomes the forest and not seeing the trees. On this thread it has been correctly pointed out that the problem many people, including Muslims have with Islam is the devotion exhibited by even its non-violent followers. Think about that. I have experienced this. In post-Christian America, many Christians are not serious about Christianity and as a result they expect Muslims not to be serious about Islam and take offense when they find Muslims who are serious about Islam and clearly imply that the “un-American “ element in Islam is the way some Muslims see our religion as more important than life itself. My answer to such attitudes is that it is gallingly un-American to think that you are supposed to sit in judgment of me and my relationship to God. I shows an amazing ignorance of the Framers of the Constitution and a lack of any world other than popular culture to think that my prayer life subject to anyone’s approval, especially in America.
"Every man who attacks my belief, diminishes in some degree my confidence in it, and therefore makes me uneasy; and I am angry with him who makes me uneasy".
So one should expect some sort of unease to separate believers and non believers in anything. In the case of Islam, the negative perceptions of strict adherence to what are regarded as the original teachings of Mohamed, in Muslim countries, adds to the unease of non Muslims, beyond just the fact that they don't believe. I don't think that American Islamophobia would have reached the degree it has there wasn't a fear that your private prayer life might lead you to impose a life on others that they don't want. Now what can be done about those daily headlines that cause those fears?
==================
It's not being serious about a religion that is un-American, it's the principles of that religion that can be un-American. These are American principles that many traditional Muslims do not agree with:
--Separation of religion and state
--Gender equity
--Equal rights for homosexuals
--Equal political rights for all
--Equal legal rights for all
--Freedom of speech
--Freedom of conscience
America and traditional Islam support two different sets of human rights--those elaborated in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam. The above list delineates the main differences between them. These two visions of human rights are deeply incompatible.
All American Muslim have to choose between these two sets of rights. Those who choose the CDHRI are not culturally American and should live in a Muslim majority country, not in America.
I have been a Muslim for 13 years. We disagree about "the principles of the religion" and separation of church and state. The dollar bill contains a reference to God. If anyone dares to try to get it removed....it won't work. the first freedom of conscience is freedom of worship. Religion tells us don't kill, steal, rape and to be kind. These are religious rules that we apply daily in our halls of government. As a Muslim, I would say that in Islam we believe in gender equity more than Christians do. There are commands for women and commands for men in the Bible as well as the Quran and the Quran does not tell us women are not equal as human beings. You toss out the E word quite a bit, but democracy does not rest in absolute equality, but freedom to make better or worse decisions than your fellow citizens. Absolute equality is communism. What the Framers protected was not gay rights. The Framers protected freedom of religion. We have added others lately, but the case of absolute freedom to practice Islam in America was settled legally 225 years ago. We had to generate laws to protect black Americans. We are generating laws for gays, but all freedoms are not equal. And we regulate sex and marriage in America, so the only question is how much we liberalize sex laws. and sex will never be protected the way religion is.
"18a) Everyone shall have the right to live in security for himself, his religion, his dependents, his honour and his property. (b) Everyone shall have the right to privacy in the conduct of his private affairs, in his home, among his family, with regard to his property and his relationships. It is not permitted to spy on him, to place him under surveillance or to besmirch his good name. The State shall protect him from arbitrary interference. (c) A private residence is inviolable in all cases. It will not be entered without permission from its inhabitants or in any unlawful manner, nor shall it be demolished or confiscated and its dwellers evicted..."
That is not compatible with Western values? I don't have to choose, Thomas Jefferson took care of that for me. This is my country. I am an American citizen free to practice my religion, even if others don't like it. I only briefly looked at the document, but just as one can like the Magna Carta and the Constitution without choosing, we Muslims choose Islam and the principles enshrined in the Constitution. And by now you should know no one is going anywhere.
Islam also is very concerned with Blasphemy, most of us in the West only read about this concept in our History books. All of Islam's negative Lash Outs have stemmed from this, Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses Protests, Muhammad Cartoons, Leo van Gogh, All the Bombings Really.
In the West we are a Blasphemous Bunch because of being so diverse in Culture and more centered around the Sciences. I am afraid the onus is on them to either Prove their Religion to be true with out a doubt ( impossible ) or lose the Blasphemy sensitivities. Science withstands criticism from all sorts of sources so to should Religion if it wants to enter that Arena.
I think this quote says it best.
❝Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned❞
It was not the work of a rival Christina sect.
Who needs this when the land was once free of such people ?
Denmark Norway Sweeden ?