USA: Faith and practice | Muslims must dispel growing fear of Islam

A Time magazine poll last year showed that those Americans who never met any Muslim-American were more likely to say they had a negative opinion of Islam as compared to those who personally knew a practicing Muslim.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Duluth News Tribune
By M. Imran Hayee | September 11, 2011

On the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, what can Muslim-Americans do to help alleviate their fellow citizens’ growing fear of Islam?

Jihad!

No kidding. The true Islamic Jihad, in fact, goes hand in hand with alleviating the fears of Americans.

To find out why, let’s explore the origin of the problem first. Although many believe the events of Sept. 11, 2001, instantly shaped Americans’ perception of Islam, polls indicate Americans gradually developed their opinion of Islam during the past decade. Shortly after Sept. 11, only 14 percent believed Islam encouraged violence. A decade later, a Pew poll finds that 40 percent of Americans now believe Islam is more likely than any other religion to encourage violence.


What caused more Americans to negatively view Islam as time passed after Sept. 11?

Some blame the media.

According to a 2010 Time magazine poll, 62 percent of Americans claim to have never met a Muslim. Instead, Americans shape their views of Muslims from what they observe in the media. We all remember what happened during this past July 22 when America learned about the horrific massacre of nearly 70 innocent youths in Norway. Many of us heard that pundits from all major networks and prominent newspapers, including the New York Times and Washington Post, wrongly anticipated an al-Qaeda connection.

Blaming the media for tarnishing Islam’s image, however, provides only a temporary relief. Islamophobia is on the rise in America and brazen acts from individuals such as Major Nadal Hasan and Faisal Shahzad have contributed to its upsurge.

Can Muslim-Americans do something to reverse this? A Council on American-Islamic Relations poll of 2004 showed that a vast majority of Americans said they would change their views on Islam if Muslims condemned terrorism more strongly and showed more concern for Americans.

Are Muslim-Americans doing enough of what their fellow citizens expect from them?

Last year, in the wake of the Ground Zero mosque controversy and Pastor Terry Jones’ Quran-burning event, a non-Muslim friend reminded me: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.” He meant to suggest that “good” Muslim-Americans have failed to connect with and explain to their fellow Americans the true Islamic values, which has given al-Qaeda and its followers an opportunity to hijack their religion.

A Time magazine poll last year showed that those Americans who never met any Muslim-American were more likely to say they had a negative opinion of Islam as compared to those who personally knew a practicing Muslim. Unfortunately, with a population of less than 1 percent, Muslim-Americans can’t personally reach all Americans without extraordinary efforts — or a true Islamic Jihad.

In the absence of Muslim-Americans’ extraordinary efforts, from all around, their fellow Americans pick bits and pieces like “Islam is an evil religion,” “Muslims have an agenda to take over the West,” “Muslims want to impose Sharia in America,” and “kill them wherever you find them.” All this chatter leaves an ordinary American with no choice but to develop a very twisted and violent vision of Islamic Jihad.

On the contrary, Islam teaches the complete opposite. In fact, Prophet Mohammed and his companions were severely persecuted — some of them brutally killed — in his hometown of Mecca for 13 years after the prophethood, and they never raised weapons. Finally, the Prophet and his companions were forced to abandon their hometown, empty-handed, and migrate to Medina.

While in Medina, the Meccans would not leave the Muslims alone and waged a major battle the very next year to completely extinguish them. At that point, the Quranic verse, “Permission to take up arms is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged,” was revealed. In the subsequent verses of the Quran, the same theme was reiterated, making it absolutely clear that Muslims were allowed to fight only in self-defense. The Quran says, “And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but do not transgress. Surely Allah loves not the transgressors. And kill them wherever you find them and drive them out from where they have driven you out.”

In reality, defensive fighting in the way of Allah is just one of many examples of Islamic Jihad. Literally, Jihad means to make an effort, to endeavor and to strive in the way of Allah. In Quranic terminology, any good deed in the way of Allah is a Jihad.

The Quran has mentioned many ways to do Jihad including showing kindness to neighbors, feeding the hungry, helping the needy and excelling each other in good works. There are many such examples of true Islamic Jihad which Muslim-Americans and their fellow Americans can do together. Once Muslim-Americans ramp up their efforts to do true Islamic Jihad jointly with their fellow citizens, the real harmony will prevail and gone will be the days of Islamophobia.

M. Imran Hayee is a professor and director of graduate studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth.


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