We, The Muslim Americans

``I can’t think of another minority group as diverse in its views, attitudes, and extent of assimilation as American Muslims of Middle- and Southeast origin. I risk overgeneralization by lumping together a good number of countries with quite distinct cultures``

How about Organizing yourselves as `Pakistani-Americans` instead of `Muslim-Americans`? Has that thought crossed your mind? I doubt it.

Dear Ms. Shamim:

This was an excelllent essay, thoughtful and fun to read. To be Muslim and American, I hope that the day will not come when the choice Muslim or American is imposed upon Muslims of America - imposed is the correct way to view the possibility of such a ``choice`` - because overwhelmingly those Muslims, not born here have made a conscious choice to be Americans - only a panicked government seeking to score political gains, or one under the influence of religio-political ideas hostile to Islam, will be responsible for such an imposition. Political involvement and resolution to ensure such a choice shall never enter public discourse, is an imperative for Muslims of America.

``su//cks to be a Muslim..`` Yes, it can, it has, but one can take responsiblity, that is to say become aware of what being a Muslim means, and not allow someone else`s defintion, or attititude or fear, define you - but one can`t just be a Muslim by virtue of birth, after becoming an adult, it will become a choice, one which I hope many more Muslims will make the effort, to make it a reasoned choice.

anne:

…about time you made an appearance here:)…(and i know it is not you but the chowk staff should be reprimanded for the formatting…wonder if they can fix it?)

…much has been written and would continue to be written about post nau-dou-gyaarah trauma…and you have expressed the immigrant muslim parent’s p-o-v very well…but!

…but why … yeah that is my query with the american media…i feel we have been inundated with the hows and wheres and whens but by and large the majority of the journalists and experts have been deafeningly silent on the whys of the bombing…one can be charitable and excuse the tube-journos but one is hard pressed to find excuses for the print media….and unless they …and we examine the issues seriously and then come to a consensus all other measures would be seen as hogwash…like the indians and pakistanis with their isi and raw obsession i think the americans have found their al-qaeda lurking behind every dark corner…and speakling of al-qaeda…i remember the time when i was exposed to a baghdadi-qaeda!…now there is a loaded word for an arabic primer…

…then there is also the serious possibility that this is a well thought out plan…and under the guise of ‘terrorism’ the unilateral unipolar uniamerica wants to dominate the world for the next century…

…oh well…

lve,

t

ps: shall we spread some rumour about pulitzer;)

Ms. Shamim

Its a well written and balanced article-except a couple of points (May be you have already changed your mind from this thesis, after six moths down the road):

1. You say

``I risk overgeneralization by lumping together a good number of countries with quite distinct cultures, but I do so in response to the hostile and provocativeatmosphere evoked by Muslim leaders like Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Khomeini, Zia-ul-Haq, and of course, Osama bin Laden. These men may speak (or have spoken) different languages, but their fanatic zealotry, oppressive tactics, and antagonism toward the West – all in the name of God – have blended them together into one big monstrous whole and rendered any differences irrelevant.``

Comment:

I wish this statement were true. On the contrary these monsters were created to give something American public to hate about. No reality has ever came so clear than this, post 9/11; although the part where you say ``These men may speak (or have spoken) different languages, but their fanatic zealotry........`` is still true.

2. You say:

``However, my faith in the intrinsic strength and basic essence of this country tells me that these are and will remain isolated incidents. My hope is that even if we do see a large-scale outpouring of anti-Muslim sentiment, there will be enough social and political resistance to counter it, and we will be fine in the end – or at least as fine as we were before September 11.``

Comments:

Unfortunately, this is just wishful thinking. The post 9/11, Roman era moves by US government, which have converted the rest of the world into just a big military outpost, will increase the level of violence towards the Americans and vice versa. As in past American government will attribute this violence and hatred to the religion and political ideologies of opponents-And this process is already in progress in full swing. I think we (as American Muslims and Americans) are heading towards more testing times.

Thanks Anne Shamim,

This is an incredible piece of writing that
should be distributed to as many Muslim American households as possible.

Ras

yasser is right through experience have u ever seens articles published these days on middle eas issues ,``arab and muslim american groups....`` what islamists dont realize is that they are simple cam followers of arabs ..........please learn to develop a Pakistani American sense of nationality but i have yet to meet another person with these thoughts ....South Asian or Muslim American group activism is doomed not to benefit pakistan in anyway how many ``arab and muslim american groups`` denounced burning alive of of muslims gujurat? to my knowledge none only indian and pakistani groups did ....i wanna see jim zogby denounce muslim killings in kashmir chechyna turkestan india etc but he wont....

Re: author

“It sucs to be Muslim. Those were the words uttered by my fifteen-year-old son as we sat…2000 words… I didn’t have a worthwhile response for my son when he told me it sucked to be Muslim. But I think I’ll have him read this essay and hope …”

My advice – don’t bother reading this essay to your son. It will confuse the hell out of him. If after asking the question yourself, and attempting to answer it in a long article you still state, ‘I didn’t have a worthwhile response for my son…’ how do you think that HE will understand it? Instead, tell him that while religions may be great idea, far too many have died ‘protecting’ or ‘propagating’ them too. It is better to have a healthy dose of skepticism for any dogmatic thinking whether it is communism, and any my-way-or-the-highway religion.

fawad79 # 6

``....i wanna see jim zogby denounce muslim killings in kashmir chechyna turkestan india etc but he wont....``

fawad79, you should consider whether you harbor a deep streak of pan-Islamism similar to that of Hindutva that many Indians and Pakistanis rightly criticise. If that is what appeals to you most, you should follow your heart, but it shouldn`t be a matter merely of pragmatics (for example: I am not a pan-Islamist because Arabs are not. If they were, I would be delighted to be one too).

Whether one agrees with ylh or not, he is not an Islamist. He is concerned with the welfare of Pakistan. There are some others on Chowk who are Islamists. For them, Pakistan is merely a launching pad for the world-wide ummah.

This is not merely a matter of semantics. The implications of these differences are enormous. The two paths lead to two completely different kind of societies in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Given how we are brought up, this is not an easy choice to make. But you must make this choice very clearly for yourself if you seek any degree of clarity and integrity in your intellectual life.

temporal mian

... why ? ...you still ask why ?

``…but why … yeah that is my query with the american media…i feel we have been inundated with the hows and wheres and whens but by and large the majority of the journalists and experts have been deafeningly silent on the whys of the bombing…``

.... come on ! .... we all know why ...everyone and their one-legged sister has talked around and under this issue because of political correctness and other such nonsense....`` this is not a war against islam .. the muslims are good guys except for those who fly planes into tall buildings and ruin absolut with pomegrante juice `` ....... nobody is saying it on cnn but you don`t have to be too clever to read between the lines ...let me tell you what bill buckley has to say about this ....................but, before i do that, let me state it in plain dotted english :

.... alif: because the ideology that most muslims subscribe to is inherently hostile to modernity, moderation and everything and anything that can be labelled western, farangi, heathen or whatyoumayhaveit ..... kind of like the commie thing ....let`s call this ``irreconcible differences in ideology``

..... bay : most muslims are angry because they are miserable ....... some, like urstruly foam at the mouth, others simmer and seethe .... and they think they are miserable because the fat white baptist from arkansas ( and his jewish cousin from haifa) is persecuting them ...we love being victims ......let`s call this the ``persecution complex``

..... pay: most muslims are still peed off at losing cardoba and constantly whine about the mosque which has been turned into a church ..... of course, they also want to turn the church that was turned into a mosque and then into a museum, back to a mosque .... and let`s not even talk about mandars ...... so let`s call this thing, ``architectural deprivation``

.... ta`y:....most of us are lazy bums who would rather sit under the palm tree eating dates and then complain about the white man stealing our oil which we didn`t know was there in the first place ....of course, the malays complain about the chinese and the gujus complain about the hindoos and everyone blames it on the jews or the cia ........so let`s call this the ``old blame it on the other guy syndrome`` .......

.... this is not a complete list by any means, but i think you get the gist ....let me summarize :

- irreconcible differences in ideology

- persecution complex

- architectural deprivation

- the old blame it on the other guy syndrome

.... i am sure you won`t see alan keyes say this on msnbc, but you can bet that this is exactly what he is thinking - and he is not wrong inspite of being a black loudmouth fresh off the plantation ......

...... not to change the subject, but now we have another clown in khaki asking for a referendum to install himself as the master of the three ring circus ..... here we go again !.... blame it on the cia or the usda or the faa ... go on - i dare you! .....in a few years you will be asking the same question again - why? ...oh, but why? ....pray, tell me why?........ but before you blame the cia, read all the silly posts from gushing pakis like romair who think this guy is the greatest thing since gajar ka halwa .........

.... do you still want to know what william f buckley, a man who i greatly admire, inspite of his rumpled collar, has to say ?

``It is thought to be a sign of toleration to defer to Islam as simply another religion. It isn`t that. It is a form of condescension. Carefully selected, there are Koranic preachments that are consistent with civilized life. But on Sept. 11 we were looked in the face by a deed done by Muslims who understood themselves to be acting out Muslim ideals. It is all very well for individual Muslim spokesmen to assert the misjudgment of the terrorists, but the Islamic world is substantially made up of countries that ignore, or countenance or support terrorist activity.

Mustafa Kamal Uddin, a 32-year-old body-and-fender man in Karachi, explained it to a New York Times reporter. You see, he said, holy wars come about only when Allah has no other way to maintain justice, times like now. ``That is why Allah took out his sword`` on Sept. 11.

We demand to know: Who taught Mustafa Kamal Uddin to reason in that way, and the crowds in Karachi to support such thinking? Pending an answer to the question, and the unmistakable assumption by reputable Muslims of the responsibility to extirpate such misteaching, renounce modern Islam. Either restore the proper Allah -- or get ready for a holy war.``

...... and temporal mian, regardless of whose side hazrat khizer is on, the muslims will, and should, loose this holy war .........

salute!

Thank you for an excellent read, Ms Shamim. It is reassuring to see people express hope in anyone`s future, American or otherwise.

Look forward to reading more (and good luck to you as the conspiracy/paranoia unfolds on your board. . .)

Regards,

Aamir

Anne,

``But there are other intangible privileges too that so many of us take for granted: the freedom of thought and choice, the fostering of artistic and creative expression, the overall atmosphere of open-mindedness; the list is delightfully long and wonderfully complex.`` Isn`t that so true!

I liked it very much. As Ras said, this essay should be distributed widely in America. I know I`ll give it to a few people.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Well said. These `Muslim American` Forums don`t concentrate on any Issues of Pakistan especially the Kashmir issue.

I remember when my proposal to include Kashmir on the forum of American Muslim Alliance was repeatedly shot down by the leadership, despite the fact that the leadership was almost entirely Pakistani American.

Arabs are a baneful influence, and though my heart goes out to the suffering of the palestinian people (as it does for the dead Israelis too), I will not lift a finger for the Palestinian cause until and unless Arabs take a more vocal stance on Kashmir.

-YLH

re shammi #7:

Couldn`t agree more. After reading the whole article, one fails to find any coherent theme or message. No wonder the kids here are so confused.

later

-sac

Anne Shamim,

A genuine issue raised.

However, economic migrants always have to pay a price. The value judgement involved is whether it`s too high !

My advice would be to tell your son to eat hot dogs, cheer touch-downs and home runs, and to integrate just as the Italian/Polish-Americans. It`s no use arguing over a `Muslim` identity when the prime motive for migration is economic and not to propogate one`s identity.

Reply #: 3 temporal

[…then there is also the serious possibility that this is a well thought out plan…and under the guise of ‘terrorism’ the unilateral unipolar uniamerica wants to dominate the world for the next century… ]

I don`t think that it was pre-planned, but that`s indeed how it has turned out. Given that America has embarked on an elaborate military course over women and children killed in WTC, but condones targeted killing of women and school children in Palestine which has actually accelerated after WTC. That does seem rather odd.

Rgds

``I do so in response to the hostile and provocative atmosphere evoked by Muslim leaders like Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Khomeini, Zia-ul-Haq, and of course, Osama bin Laden. These men may speak (or have spoken) different languages, but their fanatic zealotry, oppressive tactics, and antagonism toward the West – all in the name of God – have blended them together into one big monstrous whole and rendered any differences irrelevant. ``

Zia-ul-Haq was, and is still is, one of the most adored men in the US govt. circles. His funeral had one of the highest no. of international attendees ever. George Schultz, the US Secretary of State, was sent as the official US rep. Zia is still a legend in the US military and cold war political circles (and in the journalistic circles amongst the journalists who actually went into Afghanistan). As far as the US was, and is, concerned, he alongwith the Afghans broke the back of the mighty USSR.

One can argue with the tactics used by Zia in fighting the Soviets, but the USSR`s actual destination was Karachi, not Kabul. And when they reached the Baluchistan border, they were a four hour tank ride away from the Arabian Sea. Once they entered Pakistan, India would have attacked simultaneously, and Pakistan would have been history. So the Afghanis basically fought, under the leadership of Zia and the, ``dreaded`` ISI agents, to protect Pakistan. And they did so very successfully, when the US had calculated that even its forces could not protect Pakistan, without a nuclear strike on the Soviet forces.

Where Zia screwed up was within Pakistan. He attempted to turn Pakistan into his own version of an Islamic state. But the Americans weren`t too bothered about that. Zia never showed, ``antagonism toward the West – all in the name of God.``

Saydam was the US blue-eyed boy also when he was attacking Iran. He was supplied with all kinds of weapons, including chemical weapons by NATO. It is only now that Saydam, for some reason, has gone nuts and has become anti-US.

Our good Ayotollah from Iran was anti-US from the get-go. No bones about it. While one cannot agree with the Ayotollah`s anti-US attitude, one has to agree with the general Irani anti-US attitude. After all, the US did get rid of a democratically elected Irani govt., and installed the Shah of Iran and his Savak on top of a complete Irani generation.

This brings us to our good friend OBL. OBL was on the US friendly list also, while he was fighting the filthy commies. He was even given US funds. But he seems to have gone nuts somewhere in between, and is now very anti-US.

And I wouldn`t put Zia (or Khomeni) on the list you have presented. His faults were at a much lower scale than the other two, and they weren`t at all directed towards the US. I would however place people like Ariel Sharon, and a few US foreign policymakers on that list with the other Muslim gentlemen.

Moral of the story: There is no reason for any Muslim in the US or anywhere to feel apologetic for any Muslim figure. Since many of these figures were actually funded by the US itself. And no one should be able to point to any of the people you have mentioned to sideline Muslims