A Muslim Reflection on September 11th

Originally published on Muslim Reverie.

Dear Readers,

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, I remember the students and faculty members at school talking about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center, but everyone was getting mixed messages.  Finally, in my algebra class, my teacher blurted out the truth, but before I could even process what she said, a classmate sitting next to me said, “Is it those damn Palestinians again?!  They should be wiped off the fact of the earth!”

I had been on the receiving end of racial slurs before, but this was different.  This was an attack that killed nearly 3,000 people.  I prayed that the people who did this were not Muslim.  I wanted to confront my classmate, but I didn’t know what to say to him.  I was 17 years old, I never stood up for myself before, so what was I going to say to him?  I didn’t do anything.  I said nothing.  Suddenly, the door opened and they called my name.

My mom was coming to pick me up from school.

My mother was in tears.  She was frightened and told me the country was under attack.  I asked her why she pulled me out of school and she said, “Because I don’t want someone to beat you up.”  I knew what that meant.  The media was already saying that Muslims were behind the attacks.

When we got home, my mom and my friend’s mom were incredibly distraught.  My mother couldn’t even stand on her feet.  She wanted to know if there was something she could do.  My friend’s mom said, “We have to say our prayers.  Don’t worry, we have a brave and God-fearing President and he’s going to take good care of our country.”  As an aspiring filmmaker still in high school, I felt inspired.

I popped in a VHS tape into my VCR (remember those things?) and started recording broadcasts about September 11th.  I listened to people deliver sweeping speeches to rekindle our spirits and remind us that America will not fall.  The media replayed footage of the Twin Towers crumbling to the ground over and over again.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was there before.  In that building.  With my family.  I see those buildings all the time when we travel to New York.  I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t there anymore.

My friend and I even took all of this footage and put together a short commemorative video for the victims of 9/11.  We were working on a short film at the time and we put a huge American flag on our website in honor of those who were killed and lost their lives trying to save others.

But soon, things turned ugly.

Racism, hatred, bigotry, and violent threats pushed me out of the video project we were making.  When kids at school mentioned how Arabs were being discriminated against, I heard one of my classmates say, “I don’t care, they deserve it.  Most of them are assholes anyway.”  I found my voice for the first time in my grade school experience, but it was confused and premature:  “No, they’re not!  You don’t know what you’re talking about!”  My lips were trembling, my hands were shaking, and I felt like I was going to break into tears.  A girl came to my defense and told the other kid to shut up.  It felt good.  To speak up.  But it also scared me.

Another kid called me “Osama bin Laden” while we were playing volley ball in gym class.  “Why did you call me that?!” I shouted across the court.  “What are you, racist?”  He ignored me until we went to the locker room.  While I was changing, he shoved me and I nearly fell hard against the lockers.  “C’mon, p***!” he shouted.  “F***ing Arab, what are you going to do?!”  One of the gym instructors broke it up and told him to calm down.  I don’t know what I was going to do.  I never fought anyone before.

I looked at the American flag on the website my friends and I posted, and for the first time ever, I felt like an outsider.  I felt like I didn’t belong.  I hated everything that Osama bin Laden did to the United States.  He made it worse for people like us.  The crazy thing is that before 9/11, I had no idea that people like bin Laden existed.  But why are people mistaking me for him?  Why were they associating my religion with him when I was proudly wearing my American shirts and waving my American flag?

I went to Pakistan in early 2002 and listened to what many Pakistanis had to say.  They said it was a horrible atrocity and prayed for all the victims, but they also told me about the atrocities that Muslims suffered, not just in Pakistan, but all over the world.  I never really gave the issue of Palestine much thought before, but I started to read more.  I listened more.

I prayed more.  For everyone.

My religion – it became more than a label to me.  It started to become my “way of life.”  If I wanted to defend myself in school, I needed to know what I was defending.  When I returned to the United States, I was more outspoken than ever before.  I made sure that I told people that Islam was a religion of peace and that the 9/11 attacks had nothing to do with Islam.  A kid in class looked at the newspaper and said, “What kind of name is that?!  Why do they have weird names?!”  I opened my mouth and asked him “What kind of name is [his really long last name]?”  He was silent.  The teacher told me to step outside.  She started to lecture me instead of him.  “Maybe you can educate us on why those people have those kind of names?”  Um.  What?

“Those are just their names.  That’s how the names are.”  What kind of answer was she expecting?

Another student made fun of Arabs in my psychology class.  I called him out on it.  I called him a “racist scumbag.”  The teacher told me to step outside.  He asked me if I needed a place to talk.  I told him, “No.  I want you to correct him on making those racist statements against my people” (I was Arab that day).  He told me, “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”  The next day, I was called to an office I never been to before.  It was some kind of school counselor who asked me if I needed help with socializing with classmates.

They all missed the point.

I experienced racial slurs and ignorant questions almost every day at school.  There was only one teacher who actually listened to what I said and did something about it.  Someone was playing anti-Muslim song in my “website design” class and after I told my teacher about it, he shouted at the students playing the song.  He took the time to speak to me after class and offered genuine support.  He told me he would address the students about it next class.  I believe he did.

My cousins had their tires slashed and windows smashed.  Another group of cousins had their cars pounded by baseball bats.  Most of my cousins were telling me stories about anti-Islamic bigotry and slurs they received; similar to my own experiences.  I asked my dad that if we’re Americans, then why aren’t we treated like Americans.  My dad told me to just ignore the racism and don’t talk about politics and religion.

My parents started to hide their ethnic and religious identity.  When non-Muslim guests came to our house, we hid the Islamic decorations.  My parents and I got into heated arguments about this.  Many times, they would bring me to tears.  I was being taught to feel ashamed of being Muslim.

I carried on with my filmmaking hobbies.  I was making a “Batman” fan film of all things at the time, and people started to stop us from filming.  People were calling the cops on me and my friends.  They were worried that there was going to be a terrorist attack.  That’s what the cops told us.  My friends were all White.  I was the only brown guy.  We all knew that people were calling the cops because of me.  My friend started to get all cinematic on the cops until they threatened to arrest all of us.

My next film was about a man who goes insane after a serial killer murders his wife.  The movie is about vengeance mostly, but it has a strong spiritual message as well.  I threw in a post 9/11 metaphor in it, criticizing the Bush administration’s war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It pissed my Republican friend off.  I didn’t care.

We were filming one night  and one of the neighbors looked out the window and panicked.  They first asked us what we were doing, but I noticed they were eying me.  I explained were just filming an independent film, but the man simply said, “I’m calling the cops on you right now!”  I didn’t care.  I filmed the scene anyway.

Three cop cars came and told us to pack our things up and go home.  The next time we filmed, a cop had to stop traffic to get to us.  I was glad that this was near the end of the film I was making.  I needed to do something different, something beyond a metaphor.  I needed to be direct and tell a story about the Muslim-American experience.  So I did.  And those are the kind of stories I’ve been telling since.

I heard people on the news vilify Islam, as if it was acceptable to hate an entire group of people.  I heard my friend’s mom preach Christianity to us and indirectly tell us that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was a “false prophet.”  I listened to these same “friends” and “neighbors” rave about Jews around me and my family as if being Muslim automatically means “you hate Jews.”

Today, I speak out against Islamophobia as much as I can.  I was discriminated two years ago at my workplace after a customer called me a “terrorist” and I reported it to CAIR.  They helped me win the case, but it took a while for me to realize, “Wow, I was actually discriminated against because of my apperance and religious affiliation.”  I wrote a 21 page research paper on Islamophobia in post 9/11 America and was just moved to tears when I read all of the incident reports that we never heard reported by the mainstream media.

Throughout the years, I have seen other atrocities in the world receive very little attention (and sometimes, none).  The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan received plenty of media attention, but very little was said about the innocent Iraqis and Afghans who were killed.  We saw the prisoner abuse in Guantanamo bay, and yet, people debated endlessly on whether or not “torture” was acceptable during war.  I think about the 2006 bombings in Lebanon and how Israel was defended so proudly by right-wing Americans and George W. Bush.  I think about the nearly 1,400 Palestinians killed in Gaza last winter.   These are all atrocities and people will never forget them, just as Americans will never forget 9/11.

Today, I feel my soul screaming at all the chaos in the world – the intolerance, the bigotry, the apartheid, the hate, the racism, the apathy, the ignorance, the cowardice, the injustice, and so many other things that are just pleading to die out.  There must be hope and a brighter future because that is all there is to live for.  We create the future.  Right now.  Today.

I am an American.  No one can take that away from me.  I am a Muslim.  That is the eternity of my being.  I am a Pakistani.  That is my blood, ancestry, and history.  I am a human being — connected to all of you, no matter what your religion is, what your skin color is, or what your gender is.  I will not fall into despair.  If you can listen, like I do, then you know the earth is crying for peace.  It is begging us, for once, to behave like decent human beings.  It is the least we can do to make up for all the damage that has already been done.

Salaam/Peace,

~ Jehanzeb

Muslim-Americans Remember 9/11 and More

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the horrific attacks of September 11th, 2001.  As Americans reflect and mourn the loss of nearly 3,000 people, Muslim-Americans not only share their grief, but also express their own challenges amidst stereotyping, discrimination, racial profiling, and hate crimes.

As reported recently by Amy Sullivan in Time Magazine’s article, “Poll: Muslim Americans Still Struggle for Acceptance,” a new Pew Forum survey found that “nearly 40% of Americans still say they think Islam is more likely to encourage violence.”  CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) also recently expressed concern about the “spike in anti-Muslim incidents” during the month of Ramadan, including a man who opened fire on his Muslim neighbors.

Rather than detail other incidents that Muslim-Americans have experienced recently (as I did in my previous post), I think it’s really important to acknowledge how many Muslim-Americans have preserved their identities as both “Muslim” and “American” despite the Islamophobia they may have experienced.

Since 9/11, the Muslim lifestyle has been so incredibly politicized that is almost impossible for us to withdraw from politics and current events.  Even for Muslims who have no interest in politics, they are not immune to ignorant questions or bigoted remarks they may receive from others.  There are some members in my family, for instance, who would rather not talk about politics in public, but whenever they disclose their national origin or religious beliefs, they are asked about issues such as terrorism and, even worse, often expected to answer for it.

A common experience that frustrates many Muslim-Americans is when certain non-Muslims ask them, “Where are all the moderate Muslims?” or “Why don’t Muslims condemn terrorism?”  It’s a question that frustrates us because we know far too well that Muslims have been defining ourselves and speaking out against terrorism since before 9/11.  The problem is that (1) people are not listening, (2) mainstream media does a very poor job covering the majority of Muslims, (3) anti-Islamic propaganda films like “Obsession” drown out the efforts and voices of Muslims who are breaking stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam, and (4) not all of the “moderate Muslims” are superheroes.  Smile.

In other words, when you hear certain non-Muslims complain that “moderate Muslims” are “not speaking up,” it sounds as if they’re awaiting some kind of mythical, uber-westernized, secular Muslim leader to reveal a Superman costume beneath their clothes and miraculously destroy all of the “radical Muslim” groups on the planet.  The reality is that the majority of Muslim-Americans do not have any kind “special link” or “connection” with these militant groups, nor do they have much influence.  This is because most of the violence that ensues in the Muslim world has very little to do with religion, but rather with post-colonialist liberation ideologies.

This is not to say that Muslim-Americans shouldn’t speak out.  As I have mentioned above, we have been speaking out, and we continue to do so.  There are brilliant Muslim-American authors and writers like Sumbul Ali-Karamali, Reza Aslan, Eboo Patel, and Dalia Mogahed who not only dispel stereotypes, but also enlighten Muslims and non-Muslims alike about what Islam truly is, as opposed to what is filtered in the mainstream media.  Also worth mentioning are the countless Muslim bloggers who engage in intra-community and inter-community dialogue, as well as analyzing stereotypical representations of their community in all forms of media.  Muslim feminists, in particular, have excellent outlets such as Muslimah Media Watch and Altmuslimah.

Muslims speak out in classrooms, on college campuses, in Mosques, in workplaces, and even through art, such as poetry, spoken word, film, and literature.  Across the nation, Mosques and Islamic Centers collaborate with Christians and Jews for progressive inter-faith and inter-cultural programs and events.  This Ramadan, for example, I saw events on my Facebook page about Synagogues holding Iftar dinners for Muslims.  There have been fundraisers for all kinds of causes, including for the displaced Pakistanis in Swat Valley - a humanitarian crises that was largely caused by the Taliban invasion of that region.

In Sumbul Ali-Karamali’s book, “The Muslim Next Door,” she mentions how the media isolates the Muslim voice in favor of controversial images that only promote Islamophobia.  Images of Palestinians dancing in the streets after 9/11 was broadcast throughout the western mainstream media, but what the media didn’t show were the Palestinians who participated in candlelight vigils for the 9/11 victims.  There is also a debate on whether or not the video tape of Palestinians was just archived footage used for political purposes, so for all we know, the images were not responsibly used by certain media outlets.  The media also failed to mention that Muslim countries like Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, and Indonesia — along with Islamic religious leaders like the Saudi Mufti — condemned the 9/11 attacks.  Nothing was mentioned about the Fatwa that was issued against Osama bin Laden, stating that he could not call himself a Muslim.  Nothing was said about Iran holding candlelight vigils for 9/11 victims either.  Astonishingly, hardly anything is ever reported on the efforts of organizations like CAIR, which has been strongly condemning all acts of violence around the world, whether they’re committed by Muslims or non-Muslims.

For me, the victims of 9/11 were not only the 3,000 lost in the attacks, but also the Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and non-Muslim Arabs and Iranians who were murdered, beaten, discriminated against, illegally detained, and subjected to racial profiling, humiliation, and the vilification of their way of life in the aftermath.  When Islamophobes ask Muslims to apologize for 9/11, it is not only offensive and insulting, but also reveals intolerance and bigotry.  No one — Muslim or non-Muslim — should ever feel guilty about an atrocity that they had nothing to do with.  No one should apologize for a crime that they didn’t even commit.  No child should be afraid to go to school where other students wear shirts that say “Islam is of the Devil.” No child should have to ask their parents, “Why do they hate Muslims?”

There is no place for this kind of hate and intolerance.  There is no place for discrimination and prejudice.  It does not reflect the true character of Islam or America or the very nature of what it means to be a human being.  We have to step outside of ourselves, empathize with others, understand each other, and build strong bridges for our future.  We don’t want our children to be deal with stereotypes and hate crimes that we may have suffered, and we don’t want them to answer for atrocities that happened way before they are even born.

For me, to be a Muslim and American is to understand that there is always hope and progress.  From my personal experiences, I know that I have met and worked with a lot of wonderful people, from all walks of life, and it reminds me that there is a lot to be cherished. Muslim-Americans are integrated in American society, and as President Obama said while hosting an Iftar dinner at the White House, “Islam, as we know it, is part of America.”

We have been coexisting with our fellow human beings for centuries, and we will continue to do so.

Racial Profiling of Shahrukh Khan Is Nothing New to Many Muslim-Americans

The immensely popular Bollywood actor (read: superstar) and global icon, Shahrukh Khan/King Khan/SRK, recently told the press that he felt angry and humiliated after he was detained and “questioned” at a US airport for over two hours.  In a text message to reporters in India, Khan said, “I was really hassled perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn’t let me through.”  Khan, who is a Muslim, also called the incident “absolutely uncalled for” and pointed out that he was only released after he contacted the Indian Consulate.

Much is being said about the SRK’s encounter with Islamophobia, especially since he is promoting his upcoming film, “My Name is Khan,” which, ironically,  is about the racial profiling of Muslims.  Much is also being said about fans being outraged and how fellow Bollywood superstars are expressing their disapproval.  However, very little to nothing is being said about how many Muslim-Americans have been experiencing discrimination, hate crimes, racial profiling, vandalism, and negative stigma ever since 9/11.

There’s no doubt that SRK’s experience at least puts racial profiling of Muslims in the spotlight, but what if he wasn’t a Bollywood star?  What if, in the eyes of society, he was just an “ordinary” Indian Muslim man visiting the United States?  How long would he have been detained and questioned for?  His story would be left untold and unheard, just like the countless stories of many Muslims, as well as non-Muslim South Asians and Middle-Easterners (since they “look Muslim” according to Orientalist stereotypes), who have experienced similar, if not worse, encounters with Islamophobia and discrimination.

The reality is that Islamophobia is hardly even recognized as a real social problem within the United States.  The term “Islamophobia” is scarcely used by the mainstream media, let alone by most American politicians, despite all of the shameless anti-Muslim bigotry and hatred we saw during the presidential campaigns (and still see from racist right-wing extremists).  There are many who argue that Islamophobia “does not really exist,” and while most of this is heard from the likes of Michael Savage, Daniel Pipes, and Salman Rushdie, there are many others, including social justice academics, who have not implemented the subject of Islamophobia in their universities.  To put it simply, the failure to recognize Islamophobia as a real social problem diminishes how serious and prevalent it truly is.

In light of Shahrukh Khan’s experience with racial profiling in the US, let’s take a moment to reflect on the stories that we have not heard before — stories from Muslim-Americans, South Asian-Americans, and Middle-Eastern-Americans (and others as well), who are not movie stars or celebrities, and do not have the “starpower” to capture media and public attention.

Along with the Human Rights Watch, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) observed that prior to 9/11, forty-eight hate crimes against Muslim-Americas were reported in the United States, but in the days following the attacks, that figure skyrocketed to 481.  Reported incidents of discrimination, harassment, and violence against Muslims amounted to 602 in 2002, 1,019 in 2004, 1,522 in 2004, 1,972 in 2005, and 2,467 in 2006.  The context of these hate crimes and incidents consist of murders, physical and verbal assaults, and numerous cases of vandalism directed towards Mosques, convenience stores owned by Muslims, and homes.  Many reports included these same hate crimes and discriminatory acts towards non-Muslim South Asians and Middle-Easterners as well.

Four days after 9/11, Mark Stroman entered a grocery store in Dallas, Texas, and shot and killed Waquar Hassan, a forty-six-year-old Pakistani father of four.  Unfounded by the police, Stroman entered a convenience store in Mesquite, Texas less than a month later, and murdered Vasudev Patel, a non-Muslim Indian father of two.  Stroman was finally arrested, and before being convicted and sentenced to death, he stated in an interview:  “We’re at war.  I did what I had to do.  I did it to retaliate against those who retaliated against us.”

The next year, a man named Frank Roque boasted at a local bar that he was going to “kill the ragheads responsible for September 11^th.” A few days later he shot and killed Balbir Singh Sodi, a forty-nine-year old father of three.  When arrested for murder, Roque declared: “I stand for America all the way!  I’m an American.  Go ahead.  Arrest me and let those terrorists run wild.”  Little did Roque know that the turbaned man he killed was not an Arab or a Muslim, but an Indian Sikh.

Other incidents in the immediate days and months following 9/11 included attempted murder upon a Palestinian male who was shot at after leaving his Mosque in Seattle, a Pakistani woman who was nearly run over by a car in the parking lot of a New York mall, and an American Muslim women who was nearly choked to death by her attacker in Texas.

An Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, was fired upon, leaving thirteen to fourteen bullet holes on the building, while another Mosque in Central Ohio was severely vandalized:  the bathroom pipe was broken, the sink was clogged, causing it to overflow for hours and eventually leaking into the second floor prayer hall; frames of religious verses were torn, a chandelier in the prayer hall was destroyed, high-mounted speakers and amplifiers were thrown to the ground, Islamic posters were torn from classroom walls, curtains and drapes were pulled down, bookcases and file cabinets were tipped over, approximately one hundred copies of the Qur’an was thrown to the floor; one of them was torn and placed in the parking lot.  The damage to the Mosque was estimated at $379,000.

In April of 2006, a Muslim woman and college student was followed, beaten, and stripped of her headscarf while her male perpetrator shouted anti-Muslim slurs.  She was hospitalized for contusions and a dislocated shoulder.  Also in 2006, a Muslim man in New York was beaten with brass knuckles by a group of five teenagers after exiting “Dunkin’ Donuts”; he was called a “terrorist” by the assailants and was later hospitalized for a broken nose and severely bruised ribs.

In September of 2007, Zohreh Assemi, an Iranian Muslim-American and owner of a nail salon in New York, was robbed, brutally beaten, and called a “terrorist.” The report describes the details:

Assemi was kicked, sliced with a boxcutter, and had her hand smashed with a hammer. The perpatrators, who forcibly removed $2,000 from the saloon and scrawled anti-Muslim slurs on the mirrors, also told Assemi to “get out of town” and that her kind were not “welcomed” in the area. The attack followed two weeks of phone calls in which Iranian-American Zohreh Assemi was called a “terrorist” and told to “get out of town,” friends and family said.

In 2009, AirTran Airways “removed nine Muslim passengers, including three children, from a flight and turned them over to the FBI after one of the men commented to another that they were sitting right next to the engines and wondered aloud where the safest place to sit on the plane was.”  Also this year, a Muslim woman, Marwa El-Sherbini, was stabbed to death in a courtroom in Germany while being three months pregnant.  The attacker, Alex W., was a non-Muslim man that El-Sherbini was testifying against because of his Islamophobic remarks towards her.  In other words, she was killed for standing up for herself.

Are these reports new to you?  For many readers, I’m sure they are.  More details on the reports mentioned above, along with countless others, can be read in the following document by the Human Rights Watch:  “We Are Not The Enemy:  Hate Crimes Against Arabs, Muslims, and Those Perceived to be Arab or Muslim after September 11.” These reports do not even cover the number of innocent Muslims who have been abducted and detained in detention centers like Guantanamo bay.

The truth is that Islamophobia has an immense impact on many Muslims in the West, no matter what kind of discrimination they may or may not have experienced.  Harsh stares, verbal abuse, or even ignorant questions also need to be factored in to understand the Muslim experience in the post 9/11 world.  From a journal I studied a year ago titled, “The Effects of Discrimination and Constraints Negotiation on Leisure Behavior of American Muslims in the Post-September 11 America” by Jennifer S. Livengood and Monika Stodolska, all 25 Muslim participants (from diverse ethnic backgrounds) reported that their lifestyles and leisure activities (praying in public, jogging, traveling, outings with or without families, experiences in workplaces and school, etc.) was significantly affected and reduced by Islamophobia.  Some shared how they felt “otherized” after seeing signs that read, “Kill all the Arabs,” and others shared how they couldn’t jog through the park anymore without someone calling them a “terrorist” or telling them to “go back home.”  Some Muslims even expressed reluctance to share their Muslim identity or even pray in public because of their fear of Islamophobia.  Just recently, Al-Jazeera confirmed a report that FBI spies infiltrated Mosques to monitor Muslim-Americans.  At the end of the video clip, a young Muslim man shares how many Muslims are terrified to attend the Mosque because of this.

I have seen this fear with my own interactions with Muslims, including my own family.  Some in my family do not like disclosing their ethnic and religious identity to people because they want to avoid the prejudice and stereotypes.  These are stories that are not even known by most non-Muslims and never addressed by the mainstream media.

Shahrukh Khan may have encountered Islamophobia at the Newark airport, but will his status as a celebrity put the issue of Islamophobia in the spotlight?  As mentioned above, his upcoming film, “My Name is Khan,” is about racial profiling against Muslims, but only time will tell to see what kind of impact that will have on the general public’s attitude and perception of Muslims and Islam.  Regardless of SRK’s experiences, the fact of the matter remains that the Muslim lifestyle is very politicized, and has been ever since 9/11, even if the individual does not wish to discuss politics or social issues.  Muslims are still asked to answer for crimes that they never committed, they still face the daily vilification of their way of life in the mainstream media, they are still stereotyped, discriminated against, and victims of hate crimes, vandalism, and verbal abuse.

If Islamophobia is not taken more seriously or spoken out against, more stories will be forgotten, more people will suffer, and the next generation of Muslims will be born into societies that already have negative, hateful, and/or insensitive attitudes towards Muslims and Islam.  By ignoring Islamophobia, we are ignoring the struggle of our fellow human beings, as well as our own responsibility to speak out against injustice wherever it occurs.

Islam is of the Devil

Seen over on Just Another Day:

Cecilia brought to attention an act of discrimination happening here in the U.S. against Muslims. A church in Florida took it upon themselves to put this sign up outside their building.I really don’t need to say why this is wrong-we’re all intelligent people and can each list at least 25 reasons why this is wrong. All I’ll say is that if this said “Judaism is from the devil” or if Judaism was replaced with “Hinduism” or “Buddhism”, that sign wouldn’t have a life of more than a few hours, at most. Let’s all contact them one way or another and show them our opposition to this act of hate.

5805 NW 37th St

Gainesville, FL 32653

352-371-2487

info@doveworld.org

The Clarion Fund’s Film Jihad Against “Islamism”

This brilliant exposé of the Clarion Fund’s Islamophobic propaganda film was written by Azeezah, originally published at Muslim Lookout.

From the same team that gave America Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in the Middle East and the award-winning Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West comes a new blockbuster “documentary”: The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America. Undeterred by the thorough debunking Obsession received following its mass distribution in American newspapers last year (financed by the eminently shady Clarion Fund), producer Raphael Shore and director Wayne Kopping are back with more of the same in their latest offering.

The Third Jihad’s vortex of fear-mongering centers on the Muslim Brotherhood’s so-called “Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Plan For the Group in North America,” a document dating back to 1991 that supposedly outlines the Muslim Brotherhood’s manifesto of “grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western Civilization from within.” (The memorandum is available exclusively on the website of Steve Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism.) The Third Jihad premiered in Canada on Wednesday May 20 to a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s Eglinton Grand theatre; I attended the premiere to discover what my “radical” co-religionists envision for America. As the film’s narrator Dr. Zuhdi Jasser so ominously put it, “We all know about terrorism; this is the war you don’t know about.”

An exhaustive treatment of the film’s contents lies beyond the limits of this piece, and so what follows is an assessment of its most salient assertions and an analysis of the function those claims serve in The Third Jihad’s broader propagandic narrative.

“Where are the Muslims? Where are they in speaking out and condemning terrorism?” – Dr. Zuhdi Jasser

In Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani described the American endeavor to discriminate the “good” Muslim from the “bad” Muslim. This distinction is political, rather than religious or theological: as Mamdani explained, “Even when Bush speaks of ‘good’ Muslims and ‘bad’ Muslims, what he means by ‘good’ Muslims is really pro-American Muslims and by ‘bad’ Muslims he means anti-American Muslims.” The Third Jihad shamelessly exploits this bifurcative dynamic to cast suspicion on the majority of the American Muslim community – belying its opening disclaimer that it is only about the “small percentage” of Muslims embodying “the threat of radical Islam” – while propping up its Muslim cheerleader for American neo-conservatism, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser.

Dr. Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), is The Third Jihad’s narrator and central protagonist. He is described in the film as “a devout Muslim,” as if his pious Muslim-ness qualifies him to speak authoritatively on global and local Islamic politics and history (it obviously doesn’t, given the quality of the political and historical analysis The Third Jihad offers; see sections below). Moreover, it is obvious that what characterizes Dr. Jasser as a “good” Muslim is not his devotion to his religion, but rather his uncritical devotion to the neo-conservative agenda: AIFD’s list of core principles includes an affirmation that “as United States citizens we support our American armed forces,” and expresses a commitment to “work to express the consistency of the principles of Islam with economic principles of free markets and capitalism.” The film ends with an American-as-apple-pie scene of Dr. Jasser playing soccer with his children and exhorting people to “stand up for the freedoms and liberties our forefathers fought to create.”

The Third Jihad’s promotional material bills Zuhdi Jasser as “the one person who is not afraid to tell you the truth” about “the jihadist quest to rule America.” He is also apparently the only Muslim willing to condemn terrorism: “Where are the Muslims?” Dr. Jasser wonders in the film. “Where are they in speaking out and condemning terrorism?” (To relieve his bewilderment he could refer to the lists of anti-terrorism statements issued by Muslim leaders and organizations, compiled by Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Sheila Musaji.) Mainstream American Muslim organizations, including the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim Students Assocation (MSA) are cast in the role of “bad” Muslim, working to undermine Western society from within while deceptively “presenting themselves as moderate.” While it is true that the Muslim Brotherhood named ISNA and the MSA as possibly friendly organizations in their putative “General Strategic Plan,” the film gives no evidence to suggest that the organizations are indeed participants in the Brotherhood’s nefarious “grand jihad” plot, or are vitiating American society in any other way.

The Third Jihad’s portrayal of the American Muslim community as a towering fifth column is a potemkin construct of half-truths. For instance: The film shows extensive footage of the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS) proclaiming their desire to institute Shariah law in America, but it doesn’t reveal that the ITS membership is “less than a handfull [sic] of Muslims” localized in Jackson Heights, New York City. The film asperses CAIR because it was founded in 1994 by three former leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine (described as a front group for Hamas), but it conveniently neglects to mention that support for Hamas wasn’t illegal when the CAIR founders were IAP members.

“In today’s context there are actually two different types of jihad. There’s the violent jihad, where the Islamists use violence and terror to try and overthrow their enemy. And then there’s what has been termed the cultural jihad, where these Islamists use in a most duplicitous way the laws and the rights they are given in our society to try and work against society and overthrow it.” – Dr. Zuhdi Jasser

The promotional material accompanying The Third Jihad notifies that “radical Islamists are taking advantage of the United States of America’s democratic processes, and using them to destroy the American way of life.” The film provides several sinister (European) instances of this “cultural jihad”: toy pigs being banned in a British office because they offended a Muslim employee; Burger King recalling a desert because its logo resembled the Arabic script for “Allah;” a Turkish lawyer attempting to sue a soccer team because its jerseys displayed a Crusader-like cross. (Interestingly, Barbara Kay trots out many of the same examples in her National Post article on “soft jihad.”)

While these cases may indicate the oversensitivity of individual Muslims to insult of Islam, they are hardly signs of a concerted strategy to “try and work against society and overthrow it,” much less the most serious current threat to liberal democracy and society. If a ban on toy pigs is a troubling assault on rights and freedoms, then where do you rank the USA PATRIOT Act, which permitted the indefinite detention of non-citizens upon secret evidence and extensive government surveillance of communications? Or the judgment of Guantanamo inmates in secretive military commissions, contravening all notions of fair trial? Is the American state also waging a “jihad” on Western civilization?

“The clash between Islam and Christendom has now been going on for 14 centuries.” – Dr. Bernard Lewis

The Third Jihad condenses 1400 years of Islam into three jihads, rendering history thus: The first jihad was the 7^th century spread of Islam out of Arabia (and “that was obviously not done by peaceful persuasion,” comments Bernard Lewis), and the second jihad was the Ottoman expansion beginning in the 15^th c. CE. According to Zuhdi Jasser, “we’re [currently] in the third and final phase of their mission to bring about the domination of their version of Islam.” The graphic accompanying this cobbled-together history shows a map progressively covered by metastasizing star-and-crescent symbols, until the whole world is dominated by Islam. This domination is portrayed as a cumulative process, leaving one with the erroneous impression that the Ottoman Empire still exists and controls significant portions of the globe. One is also left puzzling when the Islamists conquered the continents of South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa, since the film deals mainly with North America and Europe.

Edward Said remarked in Orientalism that the Orientalists (including Bernard Lewis) saw Islam as a “ ‘cultural synthesis’ . . . that could be studied apart from the economics, sociology, and politics of the Islamic peoples . . . The impact of colonialism, of worldly circumstances, of historical development: all these were to the Orientalists as flies to wanton boys, killed – or disregarded – for their sport.” And so The Third Jihad draws straight, spurious lines of continuity from the Ottoman Empire to the modern day, blithely ignoring pesky historical “flies” such as the emergence of the modern system of nation-states, the colonial and post-colonial encounters between “Islam” and “the West,” the Cold War, and the processes of modernization and globalization that have been so instrumental in shaping the contours of political Islam. Juan Eduardo Campo makes an incisive analogy: “One can only imagine the objections that would be raised if a respected American Studies scholar were to interpret Chicano or African American gang activity in American cities in terms of ancient Aztec or African warrior religions, while neglecting to discuss the immediate social, cultural, and economic causes.”

Provided with no description of the different ways Islam has been interpreted and enacted throughout its history, the unfortunate viewer of The Third Jihad is left to imagine that the “version of Islam” spread through subsequent jihads is synonymous with the worst behaviors of Muslims documented in the film: extremism, oppression, and intolerance. (Incidentally, the branch of Islam that seems to constitute The Third Jihad’s greatest concern – Wahhabism – only achieved prominence in the early 20^th c. CE, a period entirely elided in the film’s telescoped history. Wahhabism was considered a form of heresy by the 18^th-century Ottoman Empire.) Moreover, the film’s insinuation that Islam as a religion was spread purely by the sword is misleading: even Daniel Pipes notes that in the prevailing classical conception of jihad, its purpose was “political, not religious. It aim[ed] not so much to spread the Islamic faith as to extend sovereign Muslim power.” Bernard Lewis’ castigation of the Muslim empires for using means other than “peaceful persuasion” to expand is historically anachronistic – is there any empire which extended its sovereign power without using force?

The film situates this piecemeal history within a cosmic clash between two “religiously-defined civilizations” which will only end when “they [the Muslims] triumph universally” (according to Bernard Lewis). The “clash of civilizations” thesis has been discredited ad nauseum (see, for instance, Francis Robinson’s “Islam and the West: Clash of Civilizations?”), so I will refrain from entering into a full rebuttal of it in this piece. However, one wonders if Zuhdi Jasser realizes that if Bernard Lewis was correct – that the “Islamic” and “Western” civilizations really are fundamentally incompatible – his dream of creating “a world where my children can grow up, and there’s no conflict in their hearts between being American and being Muslim” would be unattainable.

“The real war is not a war against a bunch of terrorists. It’s a war between the values of freedom and democracy, and the values of barbarism.” – Dr. Tawfik Hamid, “former Jamaa Islameia terrorist”

The Third Jihad plays as fast and loose with contemporary politics as it does with history to extend its Manichean grand narrative to the current age. Sundry conflicts are stripped of their contexts and presented as fronts in a unified Islamist movement. In Dr. Jasser’s analysis, “When we look at the conflicts in India, Chechnya, Indonesia, Gaza, Iraq, Somalia, and countless other countries,” what’s at root is “the quest for Islam to become the dominant religion.” No allusion is made to the history of violence between Muslims and Hindus in India, or the brutal repression of Chechen separatists by the Russian government, or America’s pre-emptive war in Iraq, or the 60-year Israel/Palestine conflict. The Muslim actors in these theaters are robbed of all rational political motivation: “It’s an entire movement,” states Rudy Giuliani, “and the idea of it is hatred for our way of life.”

But as writer Melanie Phillips suggests in The Third Jihad, “surely it’s more sensible to look at what they [radical Muslims] actually say they’re doing.” For example, Al-Qaeda’s 1998 declaration of jihad “against the Jews and the Crusaders” outlined three goals of the jihad: the withdrawal of American troops from Saudi Arabia, an end to sanctions against Iraq, and the establishment of Islamic control over holy sites in Jerusalem. These objectives were obviously not driven by abhorrence for American “freedom and democracy,” but rather by specific elements of American foreign policy that have crippled freedom and democracy in parts of the Muslim world. Portraying the situation as an ineluctable “clash of civilizations” – in which the enemy “hates us for what we are, not what we do” – may provide absolution for America, but it does nothing to address the root causes that give rise to violence. Obviously violent Islamism and anti-Americanism do exist, but The Third Jihad mischaracterizes both its motivations and its scale.

“Islamism is like cancer. You either defeat it or it will defeat you.” – Dr. Tawfik Hamid

Ironically, The Third Jihad mirrors the “us-against-them” logic and rhetoric of the anti-American radical Islam it so decries. And its farrago of innuendo and half-truth is extremely persuasive. Following the screening, a member of the audience stood up and drew a parallel between Islamism and Nazism, arguing that Islamists have to be destroyed as the Nazis were – a dangerous proposition, considering the blurry line the film draws between radical Islamists and the rest of us Muslims. But that is the inescapable conclusion of The Third Jihad’s perverted message. If the dog is to be put down, it must first be declared sick.

Open Discussion: President Obama’s Speech in Cairo

President Obama delivered a very moving and powerful speech in Cairo on June 4th, 2009.  The speech focused primarily on improving American and Muslim relations, but also addressed issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I admit that it was heartening and emotional to hear Obama cite so many verses from the Holy Qur’an, as well as referring to the miracle of al-Isra, the Night Journey, in which the Prophet Muhammad journeyed to the seven heavens and met with Jesus, Moses, and Abraham, peace be upon them all.  When Obama said “peace be upon them” after mentioning these Prophets, there was enormous applause from the audience because the attendees, as well as Muslims all around the world, knew exactly what it meant:  Respect.

It was also nice to hear Obama stress on the importance of Islam being part of America.  He acknowledged the contributions of Islamic civilization, particularly in mathematics, science, poetry, architecture, and music.  When he spoke of Israel and Palestine, he emphasized on a two-state solution and recognized the struggles that both Israelis and Palestinians face.  For many Muslims, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is crucial simply because U.S. foreign policy has been overwhelmingly supportive (politically, militarily, and economically) of Israel while vilifying and ignoring the plights of Palestinians.

Although there were many times during the speech where it seemed like Obama was hesitant to acknowledge certain atrocities, such as Israel’s recent airstrike on Gaza, it was at least refreshing to hear a U.S. president recognize the Palestinian humanitarian crisis.  I really liked when he said “children of Abraham,” because that kind of language speaks to the hearts of inter-faith communities around the world.

While citing the Qur’an and reaching out to Muslim majority countries displays the President’s desire to improve relations, it’s important to stay mindful that actions speak louder than words.  As Tariq Ramadan mentions in his recent article, “Obama’s speech to Muslims will mean little if its symbolism is not followed up by concrete measures to restore trust.”  In no way am I trying to deny Obama’s efforts, but rather I’m simply pointing out that I truly hope he follows up on his words.

What are your thoughts?  If you missed the President’s speech, you can watch it below (it’s divided into 6 parts):

Watch Part 2
Watch Part 3
Watch Part 4
Watch Part 5
Watch Part 6

Egyptian-born American Muslim to advise White House

This is a post from a couple of weeks ago, but I still thought it was worth sharing.  Written by Marwa Awad, originally published on Al-Arabiya News.

The first Muslim scarf-wearing woman appointed to a position in President Barack Obama’s administration met with lawmakers Monday and discussed her role on an interfaith advisory board the new administration hopes will broaden dialogue and understanding.

Dalia Mogahed’s dimpled smile shined from under her hijab, the Muslim headscarf, as she addressed senate staff and think tanks at a meeting organized by the Congressional Muslims Staffers Association to discuss American Muslim public opinion in the wake of a recent survey.

The Egyptian-born American who heads the Gallup American Center for Muslim Studies, a non-governmental research center providing data-driven analysis on the views of Muslim populations around the world, became the first Muslim veiled woman to be appointed to a position in the White House.

“I am very honored to be given this opportunity to serve my country in this way,” Mogahed, who will be Obama’s window into the Muslim American community, told AlArabiya.net.

Last month, Obama signed an executive order setting up a new body at the White House called the “Office of Religious Partnerships” to support religious institutions and strengthen inter-faith dialogue and government ties. The advisory group, consisting of 25 religious and secular representatives, is to report to the president on the role religion can play in resolving social problems and addressing civil rights issues.

“The key idea of the council is to tap into the energy and wisdom of religious organisations and leaders who focus on faith groups to solve common problems,” explained Mugahed.

Mogahed will brief Obama on what Muslims want from the U.S. in a bid to create channels of communication and correct the erroneous image of Muslim Americans.

The advisory group will help define issues of concern to religious constituents including the effects of economic crisis on minority groups and the phenomenon of fatherless families. It will also seek to reduce the number of abortions and strengthen inter-faith relations between Muslims and Christians.

“The main premise behind the council is cooperation between faiths and helping them become a force that helps push society forward,” said Mogahed. “These societal challenges are shared by all faith-based groups and it is our task to unite them against common challenges.”

Mugahed will keep her full time job at Gallup while serving as an advisor.

Qualified

Mogahed’s appointment comes at a critical time given the rising tide of Islamophobia in the media and within some academic circles.

“I am very happy that Dalia was asked to be part of this advisory group because she represents a unique position,” Jihad Saleh Williams, from Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, told AlArabiya.net.

Mogahed coauthored the book with John L. Esposito which covered findings from 40 countries

“There is always the question of who are the experts? Who speaks about Muslims? That is on the minds of policy makers and people in general,” said Williams. “Dalia knows the Muslim community and all that she says comes from her work at Gallup, which is fact-based and is the opposite of the ‘experts’ we often see on TV who speak, not based on facts, but on ideology. Dalia is the fact-based alternative to that,” he explained.

As a senior researcher and executive director of the Gallup Center with a chemical engineering and business administration background, Mogahed headed studies on Muslim public opinion worldwide. Her studies and resulting statistics have been quoted in prominent media such as the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy magazine, Middle East Policy and the Harvard International Review.

In 2008, she co-authored woth John L. Esposito “Who speaks on behalf of Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think,” the largest and most comprehensive study of the Muslim public opinion around the world.

Changing image of Muslims in America

The first Muslim advisor appointed by the White House marks the beginning of an opportunity for Muslims to seriously engage in public policy and contribute to developing solutions to social challenges.

“American Muslims have ideas and should participate in the development of solutions that serve their country and it is important that they get the opportunity to do so,” Mogahed said.

She hopes to counter stereotypes of Muslims as extremists and sources of unrest that have gained ground in recent years in the wake of U.S.-led wars in two Muslim countries.

As for being the first veiled woman in the White House, Mogahed said the veil was a non-issue in the process of hiring; that her appointment was based on Obama`s interest in hearing from Muslims and her ability to provide that information through her work at Gallup.

“Hijab was not an issue. What the Obama administration is after is sound advice on how to engage American citizens in a common cause,” Mogahed said.

There are currently two full time Muslim hires in the White House, though neither hold high-ranking political positions. However Williams said that the Obama administration is generally behind on appointments and that the Muslim community, like other groups, has submitted resume books it hope will be consulted as more staffing decisions are made throughout the summer.

Muslim in America: Defining an Identity

This post is by guest contributor INAL, a mixed-heritage Muslimah in America. INAL is the writer behind the blog Shadjar Al Noor . . . Really?. Her article was originally published under the title “Who are We Really as Muslims in America, Really?” on her blog and is republished here with the author’s permission. To see the original post, click this link.

Some have given what others never considered possible.

This afternoon as I was walking down the block away from my apartment building I started looking- really looking at the people that would come my way. I normally don’t do that…I just go where I have to and I leave the “Fashion” police to someone else.

But what struck me was that every one person was different from the next. Oh sure, some shared a language, a culture, a dress code (even our teenagers have their particulars)- but really no shared commonality other than living in the same area. Here in NY who people are, how they act changes from block to block; from uptown to downtown- east and west side.

I can go to the upper West-side and feel all the Dominican come right at me- the language, the music, the clothes women wear; the clothes men wear- the types of shops and the restaurants- fast food or sit down- with some of them having the “Bellonera” or jukebox blasting the latest merengue or bachata. And for a quick moment I can identify with them because they are a part of my culture- but then I remember I have hijab on- and that immediately sets me apart. Some shops who have Spanish speaking Lebanese or Jordanian will Salaam me as I pass and I greet them warmly…they get few chances to encounter another Muslim in their daily work up in “Dominican City”.

Soho is a totally different world…you have the chic boutiques and cafes; the run down book stores every one loves to come into and just sit and read- or the posh stores like Dean and Deluca or the skateboard & snowboard stores my youngest daughter loves to shop in because they also sell the kind of clothes she wears. Here its white city- and by that I mean most who live in the renovated lofts and buildings of Pre WWI and WWII are upper middle class white. It is also close to NYU and you’ll see tons of students hanging about- doing what they do when not burning the midnight oil. There again once in a while you will see a hijab- maybe a student- maybe a vendor- or a sight-seer. But rarely in a large enough group- so when I go buy something I need I get the looks, sometimes the smiles of good morning- sometimes the looks of hatred…

When we sign up our children’s life….

I remember in one of those non-credit courses I love to take at NYU a very “red neck” ex-marine sat through one of our lectures on  Afghanistan; taught by a professor who has been going there on and off for the past thirty years and a journalist by profession. This “student” was an angry man an ex-marine (considering what my son has told me about that particular branch of the service -at times I don’t blame them)-but he felt that the Muslims in the class couldn’t identify with blood and gut mentality and that while some came from war torn countries- those of us “Lily White” couldn’t comprehend his view of giving your life for your country- And he asked me point blank since he knew I had been born in America if I had done anything for my country as a Muslim? I said yes- I had signed off my only son’s life to the US government’s Navy. That when it came to sacrifices that one was a good one- had he given up his only Son’s life for “the cause”? No- he had not…the man never bothered me again.

The professor was overjoyed when we would sit after class, those of us who were Muslims and sort of have a second class with him where he learned from us- as we were all as different as night and day. He learned of the things no one really knows about Muslims- their personal lives- the lives they lead in their homes; their personal thoughts and opinions…We would talk about what it was like in Turkey, in Afghanistan, India, Lebanon, Jordan and other places.  We would bring family photos for him to look at and it enriched his life he said in ways journalism had not- because as much as he had been staying in Afghanistan he only knew some of the men; and only in certain situations. The last question he asked us was “Who are you really- as Muslims in America?”

One young guy from Lebanese parents said, “I don’t speak for anyone, but I’m just an American who happens to be Muslim is all.”

And I have to agree, I don’t have a country that is my one and only home to go back to…this is it. America is my home. Yes, Jordan and Spain and even Yemen are my ancestral homes in my heart. Yemen because it is the homeland of the man I adore; Jordan is because half of my genes comes from there and my brothers now all live there with their families…and Spain because technically that is where my mom’s family came from as Moorish as they are.

The first, second generations, even the third generation Muslim families that have another ancestral home sometimes mystify their homeland, because it helps, especially for the first generation, to cope with living in the States- others because it is their subliminal message to their offspring to keep them attached to their traditions, culture and religion. To others, only Allah knows why they say what they say, and do what they do…it is what it is.

We are threaded to one another in a fabric called Islam by the faith and its precepts we may follow completely, partially or not at all…But many of us are also American born and bred here; we don’t have those threads that bind us more tightly to particular ideas, traditions and culture…I will not, nor ever will speak for another Muslim and be their spokesperson- because we are as diverse as the drops of rain that come down on a rainy day…we just have to understand that some of us will be standing in the middle of the umbrella; some of us on its edges; and others will just stand in the rain and let it pour on them…

That to me is Islam and who we are.

Hoagland’s Hogwash: Islamophobia in the Washington Post

by Guest Contributor Fatemeh Fakhraie, originally published on Racialicious.

Jim Hoagland’s April 12, 2009 article for The Washington Post, entitled “The War Within Islam,” is the best example of “journalistic” Islamophobia I’ve seen in a reputable news source in quite a while. Hoagland has written for The Washington Post for several years, and his focus is on both national and international politics.

But in all his time at the Post, this is the first time he’s ever shown editorial concern for Muslim women. In fact, it’s only the second time he’s focused on Muslim women at all: in 2005, he wrote about the gains that Iraqi women gained in the 2005 elections. These two articles alone reflect a heavy-handed political paternalism that is amplified when he discusses the position of women in predominately Muslim societies. Get ready to see some serious faking concern for women to mask and justify martial occupation!

On a serious note, Hoagland opens by describing the recent video of a Pakistani girl being publicly whipped. This was a horrific occurrence, and no one should be made to suffer this way, publicly or privately. But Hoagland’s use of this video to illustrate the “brutality” of the local Taliban is misplaced because he ends up casting an illustrative net so wide that it catches all Muslim and Southwest Asian men, dehumanizing all instead of only a few. Which one is worse, I’m not sure.

While Hoagland attempted to differentiate between Islam and the political entities he discusses in last Sunday’s article by using specifics (“the Taliban’s version of Islamic law”; “Fanatical Islamic sects have framed their battle in holy terms and seek to destroy their faith’s mainstream values.”), any delineation is lost in his judgment-laden words and mischaracterizations of Afghan and Pakistani men.

The casual insertion of disparaging and condemnatory phrases, such as “…the local Taliban commander continues to flog her without mercy…”, “brutal subjugation of poor, uneducated women…”, and “The savage misogyny and feudal fury of the Swat Valley…”, paints a picture of a place where men are evil and women are victims. (emphasis mine) Instead of placing the blame on local manifestations of patriarchy, he hurls blame at local Taliban, not minding that his condemnation falls like misguided bombs on innocent men who have nothing to do with the Taliban or the public whipping in Pakistan.

Even without actually using the words “brutal” or “savage,” Hoagland successfully uses language to construct Afghan and Pakistani Muslim men as both: “The recent U.S. strategic review, … depict[s] the struggle in the desolate Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier as being rooted in fierce nationalism, the region’s ancient warrior culture, the failures of nation-building and the rebirth of jihadist terrorism.” Ancient warrior culture, huh? If that doesn’t convince you that these brown guys are also the bad guys, then what of “the desire of Pakistani and Afghan men to be left in peace to deal with their womenfolk as they see fit.”? Or “The savage misogyny and feudal fury of the Swat Valley are alien to modern, urban Turkey…” ?

There’s an interesting angle. The idea that Turkey is the “good” Muslim country, and Afghanistan and Pakistan are the “bad” ones is also racialized and Islamophobic. All three countries are predominately Muslim, but because of Turkey’s political/ideological identification with the white, non-Muslim West (particularly Europe), Turkey is the “tolerant, sophisticated” country, despite the fact that Turkey has just as many failings in women’s and human rights as Afghanistan and Pakistan do, both in its history and the present day.

Hoagland also drags out that old gem about Islam being incompatible with modernity: “All religions are absorbing the shocks of globalization. But none has felt more besieged than Islam as the flow of people, goods and instant communications across borders perturb or limit its deep reach into gender relations and family structures.” This paints Islam and Muslims as if they “can’t handle” modernization, and are thus not modern. Not to mention the myopic view that misses examples of religious extremism and gender backlashes from other faiths that have also grown with the rise of globalization.

The article is simply more of the same martial voices trying to camouflage themselves as “protectors of brown women from brown men” under the guise of politics. Hoagland’s judgmental phrases that cast Afghanistan, Pakistan, and everyone within their borders as innately and decidedly good-or-evil is not journalism, and it’s astonishing to see someone who has written about the region and its politics for so long know so little.

(Photo Credit: Xabier Mikel Laburu)

Stop Judging Me

by Guest Writer Ahmad Yousaf, originally published on his blog, i-Slam

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

I was driving in my car listening to AM radio and for some God-forsaken reason, I tuned in to Mark Levin (a man who makes Rush Limbaugh sound intelligent and reasonable). My blood boiled as he repeatedly used words like ‘Islamic terrorists, Islamic, hate-mongerers, Islamofascists, ect.’

After slamming my fist into the steering wheel, imagining the Nissan sign in the middle was Levin’s face, I saw that I was low on gas so I pulled in to an Exxon. While my gas was being pumped, my frustrations about judgemental and ignorant human beings seemed to actually get worse. I decided that the best way to cool off was to eat something (explains a lot about my recent weight gain). I stepped in to the little gas station ‘mini-mart’ with my face red with anger and my stomach ready for retribution. I picked up a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Gatorade, went up to the register and handed the lady behind the register my credit card. The following poem ensued.  Keep an open mind while you read it and please comment and tell me what you think.

STOP JUDGING ME!!!

It was late, and her register was the only one open.
She was about 50 years old, caucasian and looked tired

She gave me a familiar cold stare that I had gotten used to
since the word Muslim became synonymous with the word terrorist.

I tried to look at myself through her eyes
See myself for what she sees me as, lies
Or at least ignorance, but contentment in ignorant bliss
Has the truth conveniently missed
It has the innocent painted
The purity of simple souls tainted
With blood soaked beards and masked executioners,
Having the masses seeing me as Osama incarnate, straight from the sands
Guilty by religious association, they have caught me with red hands
As if I personally tore down the towers brick by brick
That I made them sick with anthrax tricks
That on September 12th I had a smile on my face
Like I didn’t wish I could go back to the history books and hit backspace
As if I am building the dirty bomb they dream about in their nightmares
That I sting the eyes of mourning moms and churn out their widowed tears
As if I am the Wal-Mart of sorrows
The one stop shop crusher of happiness and snatcher of tomorrows
Like I mass produce grief and woe
And I sliced the throat of lady liberty and let her blood flow
And she thinks this of me before shes sees anything except my name
And before I can apologize for something I never did I am tagged with blame
So from her, I get a funny look, a rolling of the eyes
A smirk of disbelief or a suspicion ridden sigh
Relegating me to someone who belongs in Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo
No longer worthy of the right of opportunity, a chance to show
Who I really am… to explain with which eyes I see
Instead she keeps a watchful eye on me
As if I am going to jump over the counter and steal her liberty
But what she doesn’t realize is that she has already given up the freedom to think
And I watch as, in her false sense of patriotism, she sinks
When I reach out to help her, she flinches as if I am a murderous crook
And in reflex I say, 
“Lady, its been eight years, pick up a freakin book,
I am not a terrorist; Islam is not evil as they say
I do not drink the blood of children,
and hide from the sunlight during the day
I am just like you, just another human being
And it kills me to know that when you look at me all you are seeing
Is another sociopathic mass killer or another Saddam!”
She put up her hand,
Her face became red but her demeanor remained calm
‘I am sorry, I didn’t mean to look at you strangely or make you feel this way
And I know that many do judge you unfairly in the world we live in today
But I– I am just a single mother of one
And you look so much… well, the truth is you remind me of’
And now her tears began to run…
‘and I really miss him so much, but you look just– like my son………’

Her son had passed away at a young age and that ‘cold’ stare she gave me wasn’t cold at all. It was just one of sadness because I reminded her of someone she loved.  I hope the title ‘Stop Judging Me’ meant something different when you started the poem and when you ended it.

(Photo Credit: Pascal Deloche/Godong/Corbis)