Managing the Fallout of the US Terror Plot

After six Muslims were arrested this week for plotting a terrorist attack on an American army base I heard an interview with a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He was expressing concern for the safety of his community and thus stressing that these six were in no way representative of Islam or American Muslims and he criticized the media for portraying them as such.

As a Jew who has suffered from anti-Semitism I felt instant sympathy for this man’s cause. However, it was undeniable that he did not say enough to calm the nerves of his audience.

People have questions about the way Muslims think precisely because they are unclear about who represents the faith. Most Jews and Christians I know living in the United States feel their countries’ core values, such as equality, the respect for human life, freedom of religion, and justice for all, are in step with their religion. This should come as no surprise; most Jews and Christians are taught this from childhood onwards.

Whereas, it is true that many of the basic values of democracies are biblical, these are not exclusively Judaic or Christian. In fact one prominent American Muslim I know when asked which countries’ values are closest to those of Islam without hesitation he replied the values of the United States of America.

This is where people get confused. Because if this is in fact true why is it that six Muslims were arrested this week for plotting to attack the United States and slaughtering hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Fort Dix to “defend their religion”?

The answer is because the radicals do not see American values as dovetailing with those of Islam. However, while it is clear to me, as a person who has relationships with Muslims, that the overwhelming majority of Muslims living in the United States share American values as their own. Many Americans still need to be educated. This is demonstrated by a conversation I recently had with a former member of the United States government. He claimed that whilst it is possible for Muslims to live as minorities in predominantly Christian countries this was not the case for Christian and Jewish minorities in Muslim countries.

When I pointed out that Jews live very peacefully in countries like Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan-both have Muslim majorities-he was astounded and replied, “Well I did not know that and am very pleased to hear it.” Sadly the voices of those Muslims who preach tolerance and human rights are drowned out by the shouting of the terrorists. Because of terrorist attacks carried out in the name of Islam around the world many people wrongly label Islam as a terrorist religion and all Muslims as terrorists or as potential terrorists. Although this type of bigotry and stereotyping is as repulsive any other types of fascism, it can only be effectively countered with the cooperation of the Muslim community.

Americans and non-Muslims need to hear the voices of those prominent Muslims who say that classical American values and Islamic values are one and the same. The message needs to be loud and clear: we are on the same side. The fact that we are not hearing this enough is partly the fault of the Media, but organizations like CAIR are also to blame.

CAIR and others must begin to take a different approach to the unacceptable levels of Islamophobia in the West. In addition to the interview I listened to this week, a quick survey of their website shows that they focus mainly on the anti-Muslim bias in America and parts of its media. By doing this they ensure that their communities feel threatened which feeds the hate and resentment some Muslims feel towards the USA. They actually reinforce the impression that Islam is under siege by the USA when in fact it is not. This strategy must be modified.

In addition to their campaign against Islamophobia and the statements against terrorism in the name of Islam which they make regularly, organizations like CAIR must explain how America and Islam in fact share the same values. This message must be stressed in public, to the media and within their own communities especially to the youth. This way young Muslims living here can feel that, despite the imperfections of America, the United States is still their country, and the average non-Muslim American can know that most American Muslims are on the same side as they are. Undoubtedly this would go a long way to remove much of the fuel that drives Islamophobia.