Source/Credit: The Charleston Gazzette
By Faheem Younus | May 24, 2011
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- I am a Muslim physician. For the past decade, I have taught a simple principle to my medical students: Never jab your patients where they hurt.
Not because you don't have the freedom to do so. But exercising your freedom recklessly would not foster trust between you and your patients. If you must examine such an area, do it gently, with their permission.
This principle seems to be at the heart of the debate over Islam, so aptly captured by the May 19 editorial in the Gazette. And in this debate, we are all doctors; we are all patients.
Just look at how many times in 2010, both Muslims and Americans, jabbed each other at tender spots in the guise of "freedom." Americans hurts when Muslims insist on building a mosque near Ground Zero. Muslims hurt when South Park insists on mocking their prophet on primetime.
Americans hurt when their Muslim neighbor drives an explosive filled SUV to midtown Manhattan, hoping to kill scores of innocent people. Muslims hurt when TV show hosts bash their faith, hoping to increase their ratings.
Americans hurt when Muslims hesitate to declare their loyalty to the flag of United States of America. Muslims hurt when their loyalty to the flag of United States is questioned.
Remember the huge media frenzy in December 2009 when a Pew poll claimed that 47 percent of American Muslims think of themselves as Muslims first and Americans second? But do you also remember that a similar poll in 2006 received no media attention when 42 percent of Christians answered the same question in the exact same way. What unnecessary jabbing!
Instead of fostering trust, such a charged atmosphere is instilling an identity conflict within Muslim-American youth. Hint: Muslims are Americans, too.
Therefore, in Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest American-Muslim organization, we teach our youth to blend their American and Muslim identity to become "Muslimericans".
Ahmadiyya Muslims achieve this goal by helping Muslim youth integrate their pledge to Holy Quran with their Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag. We encourage the immigrant Muslim-American parents to appreciate the freedom and opportunity that America provides, even in the aftermath of 9 /11. For thankfulness is a core Islamic value. Our scholars personify verse 4:60 of the Holy Quran, proclaiming, "Obey Allah and obey His prophets and obey those in authority among you," instead of creating doubts regarding loyalty to non-Muslim states.
And we urge the media to protect the rights of "Muslimericans" by avoiding stereotyping. Try explaining to a 25-year-old why no media outlet was interested in covering 100 Muslims gathered to donate blood when they would have flocked in a heartbeat for one Muslim planning to blow himself up. Promoting interfaith dialogue instead of provoking interfaith hatred is required. And Muslims must shed their sensitivities for such a dialogue to occur.
When I teach courses about Islam at colleges, one of the ground rules is for everyone to know that they can ask any question; without being afraid. We talk about Jihad, women's rights, Shariah law and everything else in between.
The fantastic May 19 editorial in the Gazette asked one simple question: Can we all just get along? It felt like a doctor, asking to examine a tender area, carefully. It was a call for peace.
And my answer is, yes, we can. As we are trying to promote freedom around the world, a bleeding, tumultuous world is actually longing for the same peace. We can and must establish peace by enjoying our freedoms with the same calculated deference exercised by our doctors.
Younus is an adjunct faculty member for religion/history at the Community Colleges of Baltimore County and a clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland. He can be reached at faheem.you...@ahmadiyya.us.
Read original post here: Can we all just get along? Yes, we can, a Muslim says
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