Posted on 12/16/2001 4:36:38 AM PST by sarcasm
The events of Sept. 11 were not only a terrorist attack on America, but on Islam in the United States. About 500 Muslims died in the tragedy and the rest of them became hostage to fear, intimidation and insecurity about their future.
All the progress made in the growth of Islam in our country for the last 50 years seems to be reversed, and some immigrant Muslims have started to question whether they should go back to their countries of origin.
Of course, Muslim Americans like my children, who were born here, have no place to go. This is their home.
The response of many American Muslims to the tragedy of Sept. 11 is seen in two extremes. At one end is the group most visible on the Internet, still working on the conspiracy theory, touting the idea that this evil act was done by the work of Mossad, the CIA, the Pentagon, the militia or remote control devices, completely denying the possibility that it could have been the evil act and plot of Muslim terrorists.
On the other extreme are Muslim leaders, who, after recovering from the shock of Sept. 11, suffered from an unwarranted guilt complex and became apologetic. After visits by the FBI, they realized they must make politically correct statements now in order to save American Islam. They had to change their tone of speech and writing, and even retracted and regretted statements made before Sept. 11 against the U.S. "superpower."
Now, some of them are telling the same Muslim-American audience, "If you do not like the West, go back to your own country."
The average middle-class, mosque-going Muslims who run grocery stores, are office workers or students, are totally confused at what they should do or say. Should they side with the terrorists overseas or with the superpower that is bombing the innocent civilians in hospitals and houses in Afghanistan in order to free the world of these terrorists?
How can we present Islam to those who stereotype, profile and even call us their enemy? On record are close to 1,000 cases of such hate crimes since Sept. 11. Is the FBI our friend or our foe? Will our children get admission to schools of flight training, biomedical research and nuclear physics? Will we ever feel comfortable flying as a passenger in an airplane? Will our women in hijab be able to shop without fear?
The joy of being a Muslim in America is gone, at least for now. How can we live our faith while we work with those who defame it? We Muslim Americans are going through the most difficult time in our history in this country. These are difficult questions, and I have no simple solutions.
I hope and pray we regain our bruised self-esteem. Many of us, especially those from overseas, tend to live in the past rather than the present. While our bodies are here, our hearts and minds were left behind. We need to bring our hearts to the land we have adopted as our home.
Ordinary Muslim Americans need to take charge of our religion as we take charge of our families, our health and our lives. We should learn Islam for ourselves as a religion of love, peace and tolerance and prove it by our individual actions. If we want to be counted as Muslim Americans, we must take all the concerns of Americans, whether terrorism, anthrax, drugs, violence or even pollution as our own concerns. We must show Islam by our actions, not by speeches, videotapes and pamphlets.
We must denounce all those who use religion for their political gain and denounce political powers that wish to abuse the religion of Islam. We must reclaim our faith from the terrorists who hijacked it and also from the leadership who apologize for them.
God has chosen Islam for us, and we are thankful for it. As for the question, "Are you with us or with the terrorists?" We are neither with the terrorists nor with those who intend to terrorize us. We are here to stay, vote and participate in the American process. We are not going back, nor can we be interned.
Athar, M.D., is past president of the Islamic Society of Greater Indianapolis and the author of numerous articles on Islam. He can be reached by e-mail at sathar3624@aol.com
The guilt is NOT UNWARRANTED if the following quotation is a real question:
Should they side with the terrorists overseas or with the superpower that is bombing the innocent civilians in hospitals and houses in Afghanistan.
Someone pursuades Islamic Terrorists to commit their crimes. Others stand around pretending Terrorism can be somehous justified. Both are guilty.
Conclusion: From this article we see that Moslems, in fact, form groups hostile to the U. S. and the honor and freedom the U. S. stands for. Therefore, Moslems should be denied entrance to the U. S., and those that are already inside the U.S. monitored (i.e., spied on) as closely or more closely than we monitor the other openly hostile domestic groups openly.
Thats says it all right there! Get the *ell out of America terrorist scum!
I can never understand how the hell muslims get people to believe this. They always complain that they Islam is a very tolerant and peace-loving religion, and for some reason, many believe them. However, actions speak louder than words, and their actions show that they are actually quite violent and intolerant. For example, just look at some of their governments (case in point, the Taliban). In addition, I don't see other religions sending terrorists to spread their religion. What is even funnier is that they always make parallels between what they do and what other countries such as Israel do. For example, when Israelis say that the Arabs bombed hangouts for young people and attack school busses, Arabs quickly point out that there are kids killed in attacks of retaliation (like that kid who was killed about a year ago). The difference, however, is that the Arabs target Israeli children, whereas Arab children get killed in cross-fires. What is even more ironic is that the people on the news keep emphasizing Arab civilian casualties whenever they broadcast news from the middle east, yet they never seem to mention Afghani casualties. Its not like I'm crying a river for them, nor do I really feel any sense of remorse for them, just the U.S. is still being hypocritical of what it does and what it lets other countries do.
I'm a Catholic, would you take me as your bother? You would expect me to convert to Islam, but I can't. I have given my life and my soul the Lord, my God. He gave His only Son to die for the sins of man. He let His Son be crusified on a cross. He did this for the forgiveness of all of the sins of man.
He was born, lived and preached, and died on a cross. His message fills the air, it teaches tolerence, it teaches peace and understanding. The 33 years this man spent on this earth gave forth a New Testament to the "Word of God". His life meant more than any other life in the history of mankind.
He didn't own a weapon, he didn't need one. His protection came from His Father. He was the Son of God. He made this world better for the things He did in this world, and the way he departed this world. He gave His life for the sins of all of mankind. He was killed, buried, and resurrected. By the hand of His Father....God!
My religion requires me to care for my family, care for those less fortunate, it requires me to be peaceful and turn the other cheek to violence. It also gives me the right to take down evil by my own hand. It says "Thou shalt not Kill" but it means "Thou shalt not Murder". Murder is the killing of innocents, killing of my enemy is expected. You killed my innocent brothers and sisters, and I will kill you. That is not murder, what you did, is murder. I am going to make the pallet right, I am going to kill the enemy.
Now, I have my God given right, I have my gun, I have my American spirit. Let's Roll!!!!
Thats says it all right there! Get the *ell out of America terrorist scum!
Absolutetly, if they have to ask they don't belong here.
I hope and pray you regain some sense of proportion. 4000 innocents are slaughtered in the name of Allah, and you worry about your ego?!?!?
When orgs. like CAIR, and the Holy Land Foundation and various and sundry mosques are discovered to be supporters and funders of terrorism, and when Muslims in the ME say that the Osama tape is a fake, the cockles of American's hearts are not warmed.
Islam - a killer religion
Here's a happy thought from Middle East expert Daniel Pipes:
Islamists constitute a small but significant minority of Muslims, perhaps 10 to 15 per cent of the
population. Many of them are peaceable in appearance, but they all must be considered
potential killers.
How does 400,000 to 800,000 -- in our country -- potential killers sound?
America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)
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