1998

Islam and America——A Second Look

             The fact that Islam is rapidly gaining ground in America and the forecast that it will become the second largest religion by 2010 need qualifiers which would take away the dramatic effect of these statements but would put us on a more realistic ground. In his article, “America, Islam and Pakistan” (The News, March 27, 1998), Suroosh Irfani has compared America's Islamic florescence with Moghul India. He has rightly contrasted this situation with the contemporary realties of contemporary Pakistani society “where Muslims are killing each other in mosques and streets in the name of religious purity”. But he has overlooked certain basic facts.

             In spite of a rapid increase in the number of Muslims in the recent past, American society remains, predominantly, a non-Muslim society. Six million Muslims scattered in a country stretching from ocean to ocean with a population of over 250 million is hardly anything to be jubilant about. And even if there are signs of a growing “Muslim lobby”, let us not forget that the institutional structure of the United States is such that this lobby can only have a limited success in being effective in any substantial way. One only has to recall the mood of America during the Gulf war and the helplessness of American Muslims in the midst of a population which was mesmerized by the CNN live coverage. Let us also not forget the genocide of Muslims in Bosnia and the total failure of the American Muslims to mobilize public support for a decisive action to stop it. Had this been an ethnic cleansing of Jews, American war machines would have started firing at the very first cry of the Jewish community in the States.

            In fact, there is very little to be jubilant about. It is true that America provides an atmosphere in which Islamic discourse can be carried out without being threatened but this intellectual freedom, so painfully absent in our society, does not make the US “the best place on earth to be a Muslim”, as claimed by the report in the Newsweek (reproduced in Mr. Irfani's article without a critical analysis). Any Muslim who has lived in America with growing children knows how difficult it is to live there as a Muslim and raise children who would not lose their values and moral bearings to the unavoidable peer pressure at a very young age. The public school system in America is one of the worst places, not only for the Muslim children but for children of any faith. It is a system which produces eleven-year-olds capable of shooting at their teachers and school-mates. In spite of enjoying the continuous material support from successive governments, this system has the highest rate of dropouts in the developing world. Recent studies have shown serious concern about the quality of education and the system has become the focus of growing concern for American intellectuals and thinkers.

            Let us also not forget the strong anti-Islamic movement in America. The growing presence of Muslims in America has created a better awareness about Islam but this demographic pressure has also generated a phobia, creating fears about a perceived “Islamic threat”. This fear is being voiced, not only in popular press, but also in more “sober” publications where one would not expect such rhetoric. Titles such as “Muslims are coming! Muslims are coming!”, “Rising Islam May Overwhelm the West” (Buchanan, Patrick J., New Hampshire Sunday News, August 20, 1989) and “A Holy War Heads our Way” (Reader's Digest, January 1995) reflect a deep-rooted paranoia about Islam. Documentaries such as Jihad in America, shown on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on November 21, 1994, which used modern technology to reach the sub-conscious levels of the viewers to imprint certain messages, are signs of a dangerous movement which has already started to produce violent attacks on mosques and Islamic centers in the United States. (Several examples can be cited: On September 1, 1994, the Masjid of Yuba City, California was burned down; on October 25, 1994, Ikhwa Masjid in Brooklyn, New York was set on fire.)

            The opening sequence in Jihad in America begins with chants in Arabic as the word Jihad dissolves into Jihad in America and video clippings of Muslims praying are juxtaposed with scenes of violence. The producer of this infamous documentary, Steven Emerson, was also behind the Eye on America report. He has stated that all `Islamic Fundamentalists' in America are `potential terrorists' and suggested that FBI infiltrate mosques, Islamic institutions, conferences and meetings.)

            In spite of certain noteworthy efforts, the old taboos against Islam are still at work in the United States and perhaps with more zeal than before. Hardly a day passes when one does not hear about an incident related to this campaign of vilification of Islam; textbooks still contain pejorative material about Islam and its Prophet (SAW) and more recently, words and symbols sacred to Muslims have started to appear on consumer goods (e.g. a symbol similar to the word Allah on shoes made by Nike). This negative propaganda is producing a generation of militant youth in the Unites States which is involved, in increasing numbers, in incidents of desecration of mosques. Already, during the Gulf War of 1991, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States were glued to their TV sets, watching CNN live, depicting scenes like the ones they had seen on video games—killings which evoked no human compassion or empathy, but which merely propagated the American myth: “good guys kill bad guys”. This desensitized and de-humanized atmosphere is a ripe ground for more violence. In spite of the advent of the so-called age of equality, human rights and freedom of expression, Muslims remain the prime victim of an institutionalized discrimination.

            Discriminatory behaviour against Muslim women who wear head scarves is common. When Muslims want to build a school for themselves in the United States, a political and legal battle ensues whereas the chain of overseas American schools throughout the Muslim world keep flourishing.

            The intellectual discourse on Islam which is being carried out in America is also fraught with dangers. Under the pressure of certain contemporary movements and in the absence of safeguards present in the traditional Muslim societies, this discourse is moving at a dangerous speed. It is also showing the influence of contemporary debates in certain Christian circles which have started to accommodate fads and trends in their theology. Thus, voices have started to appear which purport to discuss the rights of gay Muslims! Under the disguise of tolerance and appreciation for diversity, anything goes. This is not to deny the importance of serious scholarship which continues to produce some of the most valuable literature on Islam but a note of caution is certainly in order.

            American Muslims have a unique presence in the world of Islam. They come from diverse cultural, racial, economic and national backgrounds. In America, their national identity melts, giving them the opportunity to interact with each other at the most fundamental level of religious fraternity. They share common concerns and common destiny. Like the American society itself, Islam and Muslims in America are a unique phenomenon in history. Living in a predominantly non-Muslim society, but united by their common beliefs, this community has a long way ahead. After suffering the loss of a whole generation, Muslims have finally realized that unless they set up their own institutions, they are doomed. But the building of schools is just the first step. There is a need for the development of a continent-wide institutional structure capable of addressing all aspects of Muslim life--from birth to marriage to death. Instead of being on the defensive for their beliefs and values, they need to assert the inner dimensions of their faith which propagates a balance between the life of this world and the hereafter. The focus on family life, moral and ethical values, chastity, institutionalized almsgiving and many other aspects of Islamic faith would prove to be very attractive to a society which is just learning to deal with the horrifying effects of loss of these values. Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) have made valuable contributions in the emergence of this institutional structure, but these organizations have spread out too thinly and are showing signs of static repetition. Their annual conventions and the nature of activities show a pattern which was suitable at the beginning of the movement but now the Islamic movement needs a new breed of leaders and a new agenda. Instead of mere survival, now it is a matter of asserting the pristine Islamic worldview which had once transformed the Arabian society within the parameters of a culture and society which has emerged as the world's dominant culture.

            America is a unique experiment in human history. There is no parallel to this bold venture. We have never witnessed a society so rich in its racial and cultural diversity, spread over such a vast land blessed with enormous resources. It is also true that the dominant force in the contemporary world is characteristically American and American culture and values form of the core of the magnetic current which is sweeping all societies. But for this very reason, it is important to be watchful. Because through its rapid spread, this dominant force may wipe out certain values and spiritual dimensions of human existence which are present in other cultures and societies. This will be horrific and no future Bill Clinton will be able to rectify the loss to humanity by making apologetic statements in Africa.

Published on March 30, 1998