FOR MONTHS, ARAB- AND MUSLIM-AMERICAN lobby groups have passionately spoken out
against war with Iraq, citing the potential for everything from the mass murder of
Iraqi babies to the creation of tens of thousands of baby bin Ladens. Warnings of
dire consequences have flooded underground Internet chat rooms frequented by the
most vitriolic voices in these groups.
Rarely did any of these activists cite the destruction Saddam Hussein has wrought on
the Iraqi people or condemn his terror-enabling Baathist regime. Rarer still was
there condemnation of the extremist rhetoric emanating from Islam's lunatic fringe,
including the ethereal ruminations of public enemy number one, Osama bin Laden.
Citizenship Before Civil Rights: The Silent Majority Must Speak
BUT THESE VOICES do not represent the majority of Americans who hold Islamic
religious beliefs or hail from Arab ancestries. Indeed, they represent a fraction,
probably less than five percent, of the total Arab- and Muslim-American population.
And this lobby's funding often comes from the pockets of wealthy, demented men in
far-off deserts who are blinded by the ambition to defend Islam in the belly of the
infidels.
Which is why now, when our armed services are asked to defend the very Constitution
and Bill of Rights that enable minority dissent in this great land, all Arab- and
Muslim-Americans share a moral responsibility to join together in support of the men
and women who put themselves in harm's way for our right to speak. To do otherwise
is simply no longer acceptable.
It is also high time the leaders and activists that represent these lobby groups
learn the meaning of citizenship before demanding the civil rights that such an
honor bestows. The silent majority of America's Arabs and Muslims--silent for too
long--must now speak up.
We bear a greater responsibility to stand now because we understand the religious
and ethnic motivations that have created the Middle East's tyrannical and autocratic
regimes, and thereby spawned threats to U.S. security. We must bear the burden of
teaching our brethren in that part of the world what freedom and democracy can mean
for them, and why our military actions are designed for their liberation, not
invasion or occupation.
The Structural Problem of America's Arab and Muslim Communities
UNFORTUNATELY, there is a chasm between responsible Arab- and Muslim-American voices
and those of activist immigrants from the Arab and Islamic world who come to our
shores in search of civil rights protections before accepting the responsibilities
of citizenship.
Most of the immigrants who founded and formed our communities landed on U.S. shores
in the mid-to-late 1970s. They were talented, often highly educated people who made
valuable contributions to America's professions--doctors, scientists, engineers,
teachers, and, yes, even some of our best taxi drivers. Today these people represent
perhaps as much as one-third of the total U.S. Arab and Muslim population.
There's just one problem with these pioneers. They brought with them their
prejudices and ethno-religious rivalries. Whether on the Israeli-Palestinian issue,
Kashmir, Kosovo, or Iraq, they have spent the past three decades lining the pockets
of our political leaders with cash earned from their very successful American
enterprises, and then lobbying them with virulent, unproductive agendas.
They have used their resources to build our nation's mosques, a noble deed in its
own right, but have too often allowed these mosques to be filled with hatred and
animosity towards Jews and Christians and even Muslims who refuse to toe their line.
And most dangerously, they have infected the minds of their children with the same
prejudices and rivalries.
American-born Arabs and Muslims, who represent over half the population of our
communities, are still in the building phases of life--getting an education, finding
a job, paying the mortgage and getting the kids to school every day. They have
neither the time nor the financial resources to play power politics with our "what
have you done for me lately?" politicians, nor are many of them willing to challenge
the Muslim traditions of questioning their elders even when they're wrong. And
therein lies the structural problem--when and how to pass the baton of
responsibility to the next generation for developing voices of reason.
The Silent Majority Speaks
THE MAJORITY of hardworking Arab- and Muslim-Americans want to speak out in the
vivid colors of patriotism that define our nation in times of war. But many fear
either being labeled as traitors by zealots who know little about Islam or being
disowned by their parents for disavowing the antiquated beliefs of elders.
America's Arab and Muslim leaders, regardless of their views on the U.S. decision to
disarm Saddam by force, need to make important changes in how they lead the
community during times of peace, but especially so in this time of war. Rooting
their activism in the principles that define citizenship is a good place to start.
There is simply no room in American life for those Arabs and Muslims who believe
they belong to some higher Ummah, or global Islamic community without borders.
Whether these leaders are imams in our nation's mosques or teachers in our public
schools or activists in special-interest groups, they must publicly voice their
support for our men and women serving in the armed forces. Imams, in particular,
have this responsibility since they have spewed forth so much of the venom that
afflicts our communities.
At today's Friday prayers, every imam in America who is a citizen or permanent U.S.
resident has a moral obligation to ask his congregation to pray for the safe return
of all our soldiers doing battle to rid the world of a menace to peace. They should
invite U.S. media outlets to witness their prayers, so Americans can understand the
unity of purpose we all share during this sobering time.
The highest honor an American ever holds is the title of Citizen of the United
States of America. It is high time American Arabs and Muslims learn what that really
means and use its lessons to raise up Muslims in far-off lands so they will not be
so desperate to tear us down.
I, for one, will start by setting the example. I ask Almighty Allah to give the men
and women of our armed services the courage to do right, the strength to forgive
when wronged, and the wisdom to free a nation from the scourge a madman brought upon
its citizens. God Bless you for defending my freedom and for defending our nation.
May you come home safely, and for those of you who make the ultimate sacrifice, may
God grant you peace in heaven.
