THE DAY the towers fell was a day that tested our nation's character. When we remember Sept. 11, we remind ourselves why our country is a good one. We think of the firefighters who perished to save us, the citizens who donated blood to the injured and the day all of our petty differences dissolved in solidarity. Beneath fallen towers, the story goes, we found common ground. But amidst the tremendous amount of national pride that followed, while flags and the spirit of resilience draped our cities, a great suspicion and hatred arose. There was one group of Americans that was largely left out from the new national unity. Even now, nearly seven years later, we still question whether these people really belong in our country. These Americans are called Muslims.
On September 20, 2001, in a joint session of Congress, President Bush gave a speech to the entire world. In it, he specifically addressed the Muslim people -- in order to make a distinction between the terrorists of 9/11 and the Islamic faith. He said, "... to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful."
By characterizing Islam as peaceful and Osama bin Laden as an extremist on the fringe, our President tried to reassure the Muslim world that Americans would take care to separate Islam from terror. Just days after thousands of Americans died, this was an honorable and courageous thing for our President to do.
But since 9/11, the term "Islamic-extremism" has been used more to discredit the entire faith rather than to serve as an important distinction. In 2005, The Department of Justice reported that 630 hate crimes were committed against Arabs, South Asians and Muslims as "backlash" from 9/11. When, in 2006, Keith Ellison (D-MN) was elected the first Muslim congressman in history, CNN's Glenn Beck asked him on his TV show, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies ... I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way." And in early 2008, when Fox News, CNN and The New York Times ran stories about Sen. Obama's middle name, it became apparent that many Americans do not approve of Muslims holding public office. To have an "Islamic sounding name" is enough to warrant American disapproval.
Since President Bush made his speech after 9/11, the evidence suggests that we have actually blurred the distinction between Islam and terrorism. Popular books like "The Truth About Muhammad: Founder Of The World's Most Intolerant Religion" and "Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah" offer the most impoverished and belligerent interpretations of the religion -- but still sell. And when Islam is cited in video clips by Osama bin Laden and other violent aggressors, these claims are then used by commentators like Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter as authoritative accounts of the Qur'an.
Because of these books and commentaries, when Americans hear the word "Islam" it is usually followed by hyphenated words like violence, terror and extremism. This has successfully brought together our conception of Muslims with militancy and has effectively split off similarities between Muslims and the rest of the democratic world. If our most influential teachers of Islam are either extremists who hate the West, or Westerners who are not attentive to President Bush's distinction, how can we possibly reach a lasting peace?
When Muslims tell stories about themselves, when they remind their children where their cultural pride comes from, they should not invoke Osama bin Laden or Al-Qaeda. Like the Bible, the Qur'an is at its best when it promotes ideals of social justice, of increasing toleration, of classlessness and equality, of mercy, compassion and human solidarity. These are the ideals that link classical Islam to Western liberal democracies, the same ideals that unite Muslims and Christians as brothers and sisters. These are the same ideals that have allowed the United States to flourish for over two centuries.
If more Americans are exposed to this hopeful vision of Islam, if they read Hamza Yusuf and Salmon Rushdie instead of Robert Spencer and David Horowitz, then we can make President Bush's distinction more clear. If more Muslims in America organized democratically, they could offer peaceful and democratic interpretations of Islam and enrich our deprived national discourse.
Even if the pessimistic commentators are right, even if the moderate voices of Islam are but whispers in a roar of violence, then Americans should not fall deaf to these whispers; we should listen harder. It is in the American character to seek these peaceful voices out and to make them sing loudest, above the cries for war.
Hamza Shaban's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at hshaban@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 4 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
