An American Muslim Journal

Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman: Young, headstrong, sometimes right, sometimes wrong - but 4 years in jail? That is unjust!

I believe in the freedom of expression.  God created humanity with the power to think and the freedom to exercise that power.  Expression is the articulation of person's thoughts and beliefs and he or she must be largely free to do so.

Freedom of expression is not an absolute right though.  There are limits.  American secular law (as well as other nation's laws) creates numerous exceptions to the freedom of expression.  Essentially these exceptions are the result of a balancing between one person's freedom of expression and his obligations to others.

Freedom is at the core of Islam.  And while a Muslim majority state may develop laws to protect (or regulate) the right of free expression based on the principles and commandments of the Quran (and as expounded upon by the Sunnah), God does not prohibit an individual's right to think and believe and express himself.  I'm sure there are many Muslims who would like to muzzle anti-Muslim and anti-Islam expressions but such beliefs run afoul of Islam's core value of freedom.

Blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, then 22, was arrested in 2006 and charged with publishing opinions aimed at disturbing public order, insulting the head of state and defaming Islam. He was expelled from al-Azhar University, Egypt's most prestigious seat of Islamic learning.

via Reuters

I've read some of what Kareem wrote.  He must not have been attending classes at Al-Azhar University because his understanding of Islam is deranged.  I am speaking in particular about his March 25, 2005 blog post entitled "The Naked Truth about Islam..." (it was originally written in Arabic) which has been reproduced, along with his other writings, at FreeKareem.org.

This blog post is the product of a frustrated, angry and demoralized person.  It seems to represent a mix of disgust over some very disgusting things (the looting and pillaging of Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt in 2005) and his angst over studying Islamic Law when that was not what he wanted for himself.  Remember, he was only 21 when he wrote "The Naked Truth about Islam..." and he wrote it a day after seeing some truly horrible things.  I think that's a lot of mitigation.

But regardless of the existence of mitigating factors, Kareem should not be imprisoned for his words.  That is wrong and it is un-Islamic.

In my professional life I've been assailed for holding very strong views on the freedom of expression.  Even to this day people try to use what I've said and what I've done vis-a-vis the freedom of expression to attempt to smear my reputation.  Most recently some extremist Muslims have taken to "outing" my support for freedom of expression in support of allegedly anti-Muslim/anti-Islam speech by sending annonymous emails to my mosque and to the leaders of other mosques in my community.  So, I understand the vitriol that is directed at Kareem as he languishes in an Egyptian prison, jailed for his words.

Thankfully, I live in America and so far most of our civil rights and civil liberties are intact.  So I am going to exercise those rights to speak out for Kareem.  I don't like what he said and I don't share his opinions, but I cannot sit silently while he is imprisoned for his ideas.  That is neither humane nor Islamic.

Visit FreeKareem.org and find out about what has happened to Kareem.  In his case the Egyptian dictatorship is using Kareem's words about Islam as cover to suppress his other, more political commentaries about the Hosni Mubarak regime.  But rest assured that there are extremist Muslims running around in our own communities with some narrow understandings of Islam and these folks too would be keen and eager to mete out similar punishments to those of us who challenge their rigid set of interpretations.

So, regardless of what you think of Kareem's ideas, you should consider adding your voice to help all people around the world who are oppressed for their beliefs and for their words.  Kareem is among them.

_________________________________________________________________

Note: I realize that there are many other individuals throughout the world who are being held by oppressive forces simply because of what they believe and this blog post is in now way suggesting that this person's plight is more or less important than the others.

Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah: Slow police investigation, withheld autopsy report fuel further speculation

Delaying the investigation of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah's death at the hands of the FBI in October 2009 in Dearborn, Michigan is not the way to handle an already very contentious stand-off between the FBI and the American Muslim community.  The Dearborn police department and the Wayne County Medical Examiner need to move their process along and quickly report on their joint findings into the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.

The allegations that he was shot over 18 times, that he was handcuffed as he lay bleeding while an FBI dog was flown away for medical treatment by helicopter, and that he was shot while he lay on the ground all suggest an excessive use of force by the FBI.  These allegations also suggest a poorly planned execution of an arrest warrant and a questionable use of tactics (using a dog as part of the arrest warrant execution).

Dearborn-- The Wayne County medical examiner's refusal to release its autopsy report on Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah is fueling concerns in the Muslim community about a possible cover-up of facts surrounding his death, a community leader said Monday...

The county Medical Examiner's Office denied a Nov. 2 request The Detroit News filed for Abdullah's medical examiner report, saying it was not complete...

Dennis Niemiec, a spokesman for the county, confirmed Monday that the report is completed but is being withheld at the request of Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad, who does not want the report released until his department completes its investigation. The county will seek more information from Haddad about how the release of the report would hamper his investigation, Niemiec said...

via The Detroit News

This latest disturbing news comes on the heels of an earlier effort at thwarting the free flow of public information in the form of an exorbitant fee (over $1000) being charged by the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in order to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request for Imam Abdullah's autopsy report.  Frankly, all of this is absurd.

The circumstances surrounding Imam Abdullah's shooting death, including the questionable affidavit in support of the arrest warrant (which chronicled a long list of fiery but protected speech by Imam Abdullah which ultimately bore little relevance to the underlying legal basis for the arrest warrant), make the spectre of an extrajudicial killing linger in the minds of American Muslims and those familiar with the sordid relationship between the FBI and the American Muslim community (as well as with the African American community).

Covering up the excesses of federal agents (if that is in fact the case) will not help.  The truth will come out sooner or later.  In the mean time the circumstances surrounding Imam Abdullah's shooting death are questionable enough to make reasonable people very skeptical of any delays by the authorities and serve to exacerbate suspicions about the heavy-handed tactics of the FBI when it comes to dealing with American Muslims.

Domestic radicalization and FBI-American Muslim Relations: What is the best strategy?

Should the 5 young American Muslims picked up in Pakistan be charged with any crimes in the United States?

"Charging them and throwing them in jail is not the solution," said Nihad Awad, national head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which approached the FBI on behalf of the families. "The government has to show some appreciation for the actions of the parents and the community. That will encourage other families to come forward."

The men, ages 18 to 24, traveled overseas just after Thanksgiving without telling their families and were arrested near Lahore on Dec. 8. A Pakistani court this week ordered them held for up to 10 more days of interrogation, but officials say their likely return to the United States could take months. Pakistani officials say the men were in touch with a Taliban recruiter and were aiming to join up with al-Qaeda and battle U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

No one has been charged, and the men's friends and spiritual advisers say they never saw any sign of radical beliefs or activities.

Federal prosecutors in Alexandria, where any criminal case would probably be brought, declined to comment. But law enforcement sources say prosecutors are likely to consider charges that include providing material support to terrorist organizations. Prosecutors face complexities that include whether the men's reported admissions to Pakistani authorities are admissible in a U.S. court and whether any statements were coerced.

Via the Washington Post

Did these 5 guys actually commit any crimes by the time they were apprehended?  What is to be gained by not charging them?  Does a greater prospect of domestic radicalization portend an even more strained relationship between American Muslims and the FBI?

There is an argument for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to be lenient with these 5 young men.  There is a lot to be gained for restraining the full force of the law and instead trading leniency for a more concrete and collaborative strategy that brings together the American Muslim community and the FBI in order to curtail future radicalization within the American Muslim community and to also accelerate the weeding out of those violent extremists who now dwell amongst us.  Also, these men may be good candidates for de-programming or de-radicalization.  With that de-programming comes the opportunity to learn a great deal about what caused them to snap in the first place.

Some of the questions I would like answered include: (1) How did these 5 young men conceal their hatred for America so well?  (2) Was the radicalization an acute event with some particular event causing these young men to snap?  (3)  What kind of religious environment did they have in their home?  and (4)  What kind of involvement did they have in their mosque and how did they view that involvement (were they using the mosque as a cover or did they in fact seek and receive spiritual guidance there)?  These are some of the questions I would like to have answered, because I think answers to these questions will be helpful in understanding the thinking of these young men.

If Holder decides to prosecute them aggressively with the severest possible charges, then we run the risk of these men becoming recalcitrant and opting to use the criminal prosecution as a soapbox for their ideas.  The recent prosecution (and conviction) of Ehsanul Islam Sadequee in Atlanta, GA for terrorism related charges is an example of just such a situation.  Sadequee, a 23 year old U.S. citizen, opted to defend himself, and in so doing, he seems to have squandered his opportunity to defend himself in exchange for sermonizing and speech-making on Islam.

On the other hand, being lenient could send the wrong message to other would be hirabis.  Being lenient on these 5 young men may suggest to other would be violent extremists in our midst to continue with their schemes and plots with greater impugnity.

The one factor that may (should) tip the scale in favor of leniency is the fact that the families actively sought the help of the FBI.  That is precisely the kind of cooperation the FBI wants.  The American Muslim community in the DC area is no stranger to the sordid history of the FBI with American Muslims but they recognized that the FBI is a valuable resources in protecting American Muslims as well as the broader community and in the interest of protecting these 5 young American Muslims, the families reached out.  Thankfully, and possibly as a direct result of this early outreach, these 5 young men were scooped up in Pakistan before they could harm anyone (including themselves).

Sooner or later we will reckon with the fact that we cannot alienate and marginalize American Muslims and still expect to garner this community's support in rooting out extremism within the American Muslim community.  Partnering with the American Muslim community is the only way, short of shredding our Constitution, to combat home-grown hirabah.  This is an opportunity to begin mending fences and building some trust between the American Muslim community and the FBI.

Little Green Footballs, Charles Johnson speak out against Islamophobia? Where is Bizzaro?

I remember Little Green Footballs.  It is an anti-Islam, anti-Muslim blog where you're sure to find a healthy dose of Islamophobic ranting.  Right?

That's how I remember the blog.  Back in October 2001 LGF was promoting the notorious Islamophobe Daniel Pipes' and Pipes' bogus claims that Muslims largely supported Osama Bin Laden and his 9/11 attacks (click here to read his rant).  It's been a few years since I visited the site but it caught my attention today when I read a blog post by Eric Fingerhut of the Capital J blog about LGF and its creator/blogger Charles Johnson.

Apparently Mr. Johnson and his blog have finally  begun to see the light when it comes to deciphering radical extremism under the guise of Islam and Islam the religion adhered to by nearly a fifth of the world's population.  I visited LGF this evening and lo and behold: there was a blog post about some fascists in the U.K. and their Islamophobic activities.  LGF actually used the term "Islamophobia".  That's a milestone folks.

Now the bigots and hatemongers of the blogosphere have LGF in their cross-hairs.  I guess Mr. Johnson may get a taste of what it's like to demonized on the internet.

Maybe I can get Mr. Johnson to do an interview with me so he can tell us about where he stands on issues that are important to American Muslims!

Mr. Johnson - an email interview perhaps?

Switzerland, Muslims, Minaret Ban: Islamophobia or something else?

The The New York Times this morning reported that Switzerland is poised to impose a ban on the construction of minarets.  Minarets are a common architectural feature of mosques serving both an aesthetic and functional purpose.  Minarets are commonly used as symbols of Islam as well.

Why are a majority of Swiss voters supporting a ban on minarets in their country?  Why is there an anti-Muslim movement in a country thought to be tolerant?  Why is there such a misunderstanding of Islam among the advocates of the proposed ban on minarets? 

Of the 7 million people who live in Switzerland approximately 300,000 are Muslim.  Most Swiss Muslims are immigrants from Turkey, Bosnia and Kosova.  Switzerland is home to the United Nations humanitarian agencies.  Switzerland is famous for its international neutrality.  With 4% of the Swiss population claiming Islam as their religion and given Switzerland’s history of tolerance it is disturbing to see Swiss opinion turn so negative towards a large religious minority within Switzerland.

The existence of an anti-Muslim movement is no longer surprising (it is still disturbing of course).  All it takes is a small handful of bigots to create a group.  But in the case of the Swiss, the minaret-banning legislation is poised to pass and that suggests popular support (at least of the voting public).  This development should be troubling to anyone who values religious freedom and values free societies that support religious pluralism.

According to the same NY Times story an opinion poll from earlier in the month found that 37 percent of Swiss were in favor of banning minarets, 10 percent were undecided and 53 percent were opposed to it.  Assuming for the sake of discussion that the poll was scientific and accurate, it appears that at least a few people who publicly said they were opposed to banning minarets had a serious change of heart in a matter of a few weeks.  Another possibility is that some Swiss harbor anti-Muslim sentiments but they are not comfortable voicing these bigoted opinions in public.  A third possibility is the confluence of a generally low voter turnout and a higher than normal turnout from the supporters of the minaret-ban legislation.

What is fueling the anti-Muslim movement in Switzerland?  Are Swiss Muslims doing something to fuel the bigotry?  Are Swiss Muslims integrating into Swiss society?  Do Swiss Muslims work with Swiss of other religious affiliations for issues of the common good?  Is the fact that only about 11% of Swiss Muslims are citizens a factor?  Is it difficult to become a naturalized citizen in Switzerland?

What do you think is driving Swiss citizens to curtail Muslim rights in Switzerland?

President Obama greetings for Eid al Adha; Hamid Dabashi says Muslim revolutionary Malcolm X critical to America's civil rights movement, who we are as a nation today

American Muslims seem to be reflecting a lot about what it means to be an American and a Muslim this thanksgiving.  Thanks to the confluence of the American Thanksgiving holiday and the Muslim Eid al Adha, many American Muslims are thinking out loud about their place in American society.

President Barack H. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sent Muslims in the U.S. and across the globe an Eid al Adha greeting.  This is what our President and First Lady said in their message:

Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha.  The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat.  The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj.  Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration's commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak.

That's great.  I've said this over and over again but it is worth repeating: this is the sort of small but meaningful messaging that will empower my children to be even more committed to America and to Islam than is my generation.

I know that other presidents have issued formal greetings in the past as well.  I am grateful to them all.  This year, with everything going on around us at home in the U.S. this message comes at a very critical time.  Thank you Mr. President.

THANKFUL FOR MALCOLM X AND THE MUSLIM CONTRIBUTION TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?

The civil rights movement was critically important to getting us closer to a world where bigotry and racism are nonexistent.  We are not there yet but without the struggles of African Americans in the mid-20th century our society would still be suffering a lot more from the hatred espoused by American racists.

Hamid Dabashi, the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York, argues in an opinion piece at CNN.com that we are long overdue in appreciating Malcolm X's contributions to the civil rights successes most often attributed solely to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Professor Dabashi brings up Malcolm X the American Muslim and his pivotal role in the civil rights movement as a means of piercing the American psyche's apparent resistance to accepting Islam as a contributing force for good in contemporary American society.  In his CNN.com essay he writes:

To avoid singling out Islam as diabolical, it is imperative for Americans to come to terms with the collectively repressed fact that by far the most important social uprising of their 20th century -- namely the civil rights movement of the 1960s -- is not as exclusively a Christian phenomenon as it is made out to be: The towering figure of a Muslim revolutionary named Malcolm X is of great importance in the history of that movement.

Professor Dabashi compared the roles of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as follows:

The way the history of the civil rights movement is mostly remembered now, an overwhelming role is assigned to the Southern Baptist genealogy of Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X is delegated to a radical fringe -- portrayed as more of a menace and a hindrance than a positive force in the civil rights movement.

But without the simultaneous presence of Malcolm X as a Muslim revolutionary, the Southern Baptist pacifism of Martin Luther King Jr. would not have been as formidable a force.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were the yin and yang of the civil rights movement -- ennobling anger and vision coming together in hopes of realizing the dream of equality.

Privately this is something I've thought about as well.  The problem or the challenge has always been that most Americans have a demonized picture of Malcolm X in their minds.  He stirs images of anti-semitism and black nationalism.

Perhaps, if scholars like Professor Dabashi lead the way in bringing this perpsective into the mainstream this very poignant example will help to re-frame Islam and Muslims in a positive domestic perspective.

"Islam is of the Devil": Wayne Sapp, Stephanie Sapp, Ludger Boecken, Heike Boecken sue Alachua County School Board to protect their hate speech

Two Gainesville, Florida area families, the Sapps and the Boeckens, sued the Alachua County School Board (Florida) in federal court seeking protection for their children’s anti-Muslim hate speech in public schools.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida represents the plaintiffs.

Wayne and Stephanie Sapp and Ludger and Heike Boecken filed the suit on behalf of their minor children who are students in Alachua County public schools.  The complaint was filed on November 23, 2009 in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District Court of Florida (Gainesville Division).

The lawsuit alleges that the Sapp and Boecken children were disciplined for and prohibited from wearing t-shirts imprinted with the hateful statement “Islam is of the Devil”.  The Sapps’ and Boeckens’ lawsuit seeks to have the school board’s policies that prohibit the wearing of the hate-speech imprinted t-shirts ruled unconstitutional.  The lawsuit also asks the federal court to enter an order stopping the school board from prohibiting the wearing of the clothing displaying the hate messages.

WHAT IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND DOES IT APPLY TO HATE SPEECH?

The freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the United States.  It is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and by similar provisions in state constitutions as well.
 
As a general principle it is easy to understand.  Application of the free speech principle, however, can be complicated.  When the speech being protected is pertains to equality, democracy, justice or other noble ideas it is easy to support.  But what about speech that promotes discrimination and bigotry?  The fact is that hate speech is protected under the First Amendment too.  Frankly, it would not be much of a right if this were not the case.

Over the years the First Amendment has been marshaled in defense of flag burning, cross burning, pornography, a Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois (at the time a predominantly Jewish town of Holocaust survivors), and fascist skinheads assembling and promoting their white supremacist venom in public.  Indeed, the First Amendment has a long list of very unsavory patrons.

While protecting hate mongers, racists and perverts is distasteful, the alternative is to fall prey to the tyranny of the majority and to the majority’s impulse to censor ideas with which it disagrees.  Censorship in one’s own hands never seems dangerous, but the true appreciation of its menace is had when one contemplates handing over the power of censorship to one’s ideological nemesis.  That is a frightening thought.

IS THE HATE SPEECH PROMOTED BY THE SAPPS AND BOECKENS PROTECTED?

The right to free speech under the First Amendment is very broad.  It is not, however, an absolute right.  The freedom of speech is limited by certain exceptions.  Speech that constitutes “fighting words”, or that is obscene or which interferes with another fundamental right, for example, would fall outside of the protection of the First Amendment.

According to the First Amendment Center speech within public schools is not unlimited.  First Amendment Center scholars note that minors are not accorded the same level of free speech rights as adults.  Additionally, when the government is acting as an educator (which is precisely the case with a public school) it has more leeway to develop and implement speech policies.  The overarching policy of a public school is teaching children in an environment that is safe and which is conducive to learning.

It is possible that the hate speech the Sapps and the Boeckens are promoting through their children’s attire falls outside of First Amendment protection.  The Sapps and the Boeckens’ complaint repeatedly alleges that the t-shirts worn by their minor children contained “non-vulgar” and “non-obscene” messages.  The plaintiffs are counting on their characterization of the messages (as “non-vulgar” and “non-obscene”) being taken as a matter of fact.  Their characterization should not be accepted at face value.  Their characterization should be vigorously challenged.

Is the statement “Islam is of the Devil” vulgar or obscene?  If it is considered vulgar or obscene, then the Alachua County school board is well within its rights to deem the message inappropriate and prohibit its exhibition in school.  This is the precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Bethel School Dist. No. 403 vs. Fraser.  In that case the majority of the Court concluded that:

Surely it is a highly appropriate function of public school education to prohibit the use of vulgar and offensive terms in public discourse.

The majority in Bethel also noted that:

The process of educating our youth for citizenship in public schools is not confined to books, the curriculum, and the civics class; schools must teach by example the shared values of a civilized social order.

The Bethel case sets out the rules or the law to be applied in the Alachua County case.  The question is only one of fact.

IS THE STATEMENT “ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL” VULGAR OR OBSCENE?

Regardless of one’s proclivity vis-à-vis the First Amendment, most American Muslims would agree that the phrase “Islam is of the Devil” worn on a t-shirt by students in a public grammar school or high school would be seen as vulgar and obscene to fellow students who are Muslims.  I would also hope it would be deemed vulgar and obscene by classmates of other faiths as well.  Furthermore, the presence of such hate speech will inculcate lessons of divisiveness and incivility, both of which are antithetical to promoting “shared values of a civilized social order.”

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO UPHOLD ALACHUA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD'S DECISION?

First and foremost, it is necessary for the Alachua County School Board to commit itself to zealously defending its actions.  It is not a foregoing conclusion that Alachua County School Board will aggressively litigate this case.  The resources and expertise of the ACLU are formidable.  At the same time public schools across the nation are sorely cash strapped and as a result the vigor with which the school board battles in federal court may be dictated as much by finances as it is by its principles.

Furthermore, the case will hinge on whether the judge or the jury who ultimately hear this case at trial will find the statement “Islam is of the Devil” to be vulgar or obscene.  This will, in turn, depend on how well integrated the local American Muslim community is with the interfaith and community organizations in the region.

Hopefully the American Muslim community in that region of Florida has relationships of friendship with the broader community.  Hopefully the American Muslims of this particular region have allies in the interfaith community who know them, understand their religious values and know firsthand what it is that Muslims believe.  Whether or not the “Islam is of the Devil” statement is vulgar or obscene is not an academic question.  Bringing theologians to explain the articles of the Islamic faith and its roots in the Abrahamic tradition is not the solution. 

This is a question that has to be answered from the heart and from the gut.  In order for people of other faiths to share American Muslims’ sense of revulsion and disgust over this hate speech, they need to know American Muslims as real friends.

It will be up to Florida’s American Muslims to marshal their resources and their allies to aggressively defend against the Sapps’ and Boeckens’ hate speech lawsuit.  Ideally the battle will focus on the core legal issues and will steer clear of any advocacy that promotes censorship.  This is the kind of case where American Muslims stand to lose even in victory unless they are very thoughtful about how they tackle the crisis.
 

CAIR-MI, ACLU and Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice Call for Investigation into Luqman Ameen Abdullah shooting in Dearborn, MI...Finally!

Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah

This should have been done weeks ago but the realities of limited time, limited resources and an avalanche of horrible incidents in our nation made it very difficult.  Today it was reported that a coalition including the Council on American-Islamic Relations - Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice send the U.S. Department of Justice a letter asking for an investigation into Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah's shooting and death in Dearborn, Michigan a few weeks ago at the hands of the local FBI.

There is no word yet on whether or not the U.S. Department of Justice will open an investigation or not.  The letter was to be released by CAIR-Michigan this evening.  It was not available on CAIR-Michigan's website this evening nor was it reproduced on Dawud Walid's (Dawud is the executive director of CAIR Michigan) personal blog.

Locally (in Illinois) the American Muslim community is silent (institutionally) on the shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.  Despite numerous requests for comments or feedback to the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) no information at all has been provided.  To date there is still no press release or statement even addressing the shooting.  This is a shame.

Congressman Don Manzullo - Republican - says Islam is a savage religion? Really?

 
Congressman Don Manzullo (R)
Illinois' 16th Congressional Dist

On Sunday (11/15) U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, a Republican member of the Illinois congressional delegation, said the detainees at Guantanamo Bay military prison follow "some savage religion."  All of the detainees at GITMO are reportedly Muslims or from Muslim majority countries.  It is safe to say Manzullo knows this fact.

Illinois is a great state and by and large the elected officials of this state have a good relationship with American Muslims.  That has a lot to do with the fact that American Muslims are very active and engaged in public and interfaith life in Illinois.  Even though we have some "less than enlightened" politicians run arounding still (i.e., Congressman Mark "It's okay to profile Muslims and Arabs" Kirk), it is still disturbing to hear one of our congressmen describe Islam as a "savage religion".

We all know that Islam abhors violence and mayhem and the killing of innocents and that oppression is considered reprehensible in Islam.  The world "Islam" means peace.  We also know that a powerful, multi-faceted and cunning campaign has been underway for many years even before 9/11/01 and those forces have tripled and quadrupled their vicious attacks on Muslims and Islam in America and abroad.

Manzullo's calling Islam a savage religion is sickening.  Thankfully Senator Durbin and Gov. Quinn have both come out to let Illinoisans know that what Manzullo is doing is pure fearmongering.  They pointed out that Manzullo's comments are meant to use fear of Islam to kill a plan that would bring GITMO detainees to a currently unused prison in far northwest Illinois.

Manzullo and other Republicans in Illinois can disagree with Sen. Durbin and Gov. Quinn about the effectiveness of selling the prison in Thomson, Illinois to the federal government for the purposes of housing and trying GITMO detainees.  Manzullo and his Republican colleagues should, however, try to use sound and persuasive arguments and not slip into bigotry.  That is wrong.  That is disgusting.

Whatever his true feelings are Manzullo is doing the right thing now by rephrasing and explaining his comments.  According to the Chicago Tribune Manzullo explained:

"I never once said that Islam is a savage religion. It is a false conclusion or assumption. These terrorists have perverted the peaceful nature of Islam for their own demented purposes."

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American Islamic Relations, was quoted in the same Chicago Tribune story as saying:

"It is outrageous and very sad that a representative of the people would partake in an attack against a global faith.  He could have said, 'a savage ideology' or 'a savage interpretation' or any type of nuance that a politician like himself knows how to do."

Rehab is exactly on point.  Manzullo should work harder to avoid defaming the faith of 6 million of his fellow Americans.  His 16th congressional district, which includes the cities of Rockford, Crystal Lake and parts of East and West Dundee, is home to many Muslims.  There are at least 4 mosques in his congressional district and the American Muslim constituents are hardworking and patriotic Americans.  Shame on Manzullo for being so callous.

Some argue that Manzullo should be given some slack for clarifying his comments.  Taking Manzullo to task in the media and hopefully through some targeted civic actions in his district is not about being harsh or vindictive.  It is about saying enough is enough to Islamophobic rhetoric by our leaders.  It is about sending a message to Manzullo that he needs to step up and defend American Muslims from Islamophobes like his fellow Republican congressman Mark Kirk (R - 10th Dist - IL) and national Republicans like Rudy Gulliani.

American Muslims have a responsibility to speak out against violence and extremism done in the name of Islam.  American Muslims have been doing this since long before 9/11 and certainly a lot more since then.  They do this not because they are responsible for the actions of other Muslims but because their fellow Americans deserve to know what Muslims really believe.  Given the power and reach of Islamophobes through extremist Christians like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham and through the right-wing media such as Faux News and right-wing talk radio, it is up to American Muslims to share the truth one neighbor at a time if need be.

The battle against religious extremism cannot be won by using Islam and Muslims as scapegoats.  American Muslims are America's greatest asset in the battle against religious extremism and terror conducted in the name of Islam.  It is about time that Manzullo and others recognized this fact and stopped making the same old tired and bigoted comments.

Manzullo has the thanks of American Muslims for his after-the-fact explanation.  Better something than nothing and better late than never.  As a follow up act Manzullo needs to make sustained efforts to reach out to, connect with and help his American Muslim constituents just the same way he helps others in his district.  In order words, he needs to treat his American Muslim constituents fairly.

Are we at war with Islam? Only according to extremist, warmongering radicals

Have you noticed how extremist, warmongering radicals all see Islam at war with America?  Al Qaeda and its spawn certainly promote this belief.  And so too do extremist, warmongering radical Americans. 

That's right: extremist, warmongering radical right-wing Americans go to great lengths and leave no idiotic conspiracy theory that supports their warped worldview untapped in trying to convince themselves that Islam is evil and that all Muslims are openly and secretly trying to kill all non-Muslims.  It is about time we exposed these violence-prone fanatics who deceptively wrap the Stars and Stripes around themselves to mask the mix of Christian Identity, White Supremacy, Dominionism and xenophobia.

You know who these folks are - they are the people you see at rallies and protests, they are the screwballs who call into right-wing talk radio and lace their anti-Muslim diatribes with "God Bless America", "Amen" and "Yee Haa" and they are the entertainers pretending to be pundits and journalists on Faux News and on America Right satellite radio and are on the donor rolls of extremist Christian leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham.  They are the people shaving their heads and putting bedsheets on their heads and getting swastikas tattooed on their bodies.  They are the people bombing abortion clinics, killing doctors, going on shooting rampages against anyone who is not White and who target non-Christians with gun violence and random thuggery.  They have the blogs that rightly decry Al Qaeda organized violence and then go one indict every other Muslim for good measure.

These extremist Americans have more in common with Al Qaeda than with the rest of America.  Instead of allowing Americans to close ranks and deal with the fanaticism of Al Qaeda together, their hate ideology is extremely effective in keeping American Muslims off balance and consistently in a defensive posture.  Instead of spending time rooting out extremism, hours and hours of time is spent by American Muslims telling America who they are and what they believe.

Eight years ago American Muslims recognized that they would have to make the case for Islam as a religion of peace and for themselves as patriotic and loyal Americans.  For eight years American Muslims have been talking in interfaith gatherings, wearing the American flag on their lapels, blasting out press releases condemning terrorism committed by their co-religionists throughout the world and contributing day after day as productive citizens in all walks of life.

Today it is clear that American Muslims cannot do it by themselves.  They need the help and support of the rest of America.  They need the help of everyday Americans who know American Muslims as neighbors, co-workers, friends and classmates.  Do the math and you will understand why, in the face of a frenzied and high powered smear campagin by American extremists within this society, 6 million American Muslims cannot possibly share their aspirations, hopes, their hospitality and their love of America with the other 300 million Americans by themselves.

Americans need to unite against extremism.  American Muslims need to get out of their comfort zone and continue condemning terrorism and violence committed in the name of Islam.  The rest of America needs to rally behind those American Muslims who have stepped forward to speak truth to power and confront extremism within their own community as well as against the vicious bigotry of fanatical, righ-wing extremist Americans.  This is the need of our time and all Americans of good will need to do their part.