The chairman of the House Homeland security committee congressman Peter King has begun hearings on what he calls the growing radicalization of the Muslim community in the US and the lack of cooperation law enforcement agencies are receiving from members of this community. This is the latest event of a worrisome trend in the US which includes ongoing efforts in the state of Tennessee which would effectively make it illegal to be a Muslim and the talk of an American Christian pastor last year in Florida of burning the holy Quran and many other incidents like the vandalizing of mosques which Muslims consider sacred, holy places of worship.
This "latest assault on the American Muslim community" is completely unjustified. As someone who has visited the US and met with members of the Muslim community (most of my stay was in Dearborn, Michigan which is home to the largest Arab American community) I saw firsthand how members of this community (particularly the younger generation born and raised in the US) embrace American laws, rules and the atmosphere in which they live without of course contradicting their Muslim beliefs. Some members of this community even defend the thorough inspections at US airports and say that US authorities reserve the right to resort to such methods as they are under the threat of possible attacks. (Regardless of the religious affiliation of the attacker).
Many from the younger generation even say that they can't imagine themselves going back and living in their countries of origin because they had gotten used to the way of life in the western world. At the same time this younger generation is using the virtues of the society in which they live to raise their voices in support of their cause. In one case a Lebanese American told me how she and some of her colleagues protested and walked out when Daniel Pipes, a well known Zionist was making a speech at their university. (This is a clear example of how the Muslim community is taking advantage of a right they have in the US to resort to peaceful, legitimate and CIVILIZED means to object, a right which they would not have enjoyed in many Muslim countries).
This brings me to another very important point. The uprisings we are witnessing in the Muslim world also offer clear evidence that Muslim people are just the same as other people and aspire to enjoy liberties and rights. Now I am not saying that western society is perfect when it comes to liberties and rights (indeed members of the American Muslim community also complain about prejudice treatment by state authorities).But what I am saying is that the latest events in the Muslim world are about a people who rose against oppression, corruption, political marginalization and a clampdown on their rights, especially their right to freedom of expression. Could this be labeled as radical? So what the American public should realize is that is no need to fear an IMAGINARY radicalization of Islam whether in the US or beyond. Of course there are other reasons why the American public should be wary of these hearings.
First of all they are being conducted by a republican congressman who aspires to become a
senator and wants to gain the political support of the Zionist lobby in the US. (Here note also the latest news about republican congressman John McCain expressing support for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an "Israeli" who was convicted of spying in the US for "Israel")Second we have to look at those who gave testimonies during these hearings. The latest information says that one of those people who gave a testimony in favor of the idea of "radicalized Islam" has a record of being arrested for drunken driving according to the FBI and hence there has been a call for his testimony to be dismissed.
According to Ibrahim Hooper from CAIR (the council for American and Islamic relations) those testifying in favor of the "radicalization of Islam" are a bunch of selected individuals who only offer personal opinions not based on any facts.
In conclusion American Muslims have contributed and continue to contribute greatly to American society. Just take a visit to the Arab -American museum in Michigan and get an idea about these contributions. There must not be an overgeneralization that a handful of individuals represent the Muslim community. And regarding this handful of Muslim individuals (who in practice have nothing to do with Islam), although I absolutely do not justify their acts whatsoever, these acts stem from anger against the American alliance with "Israel" which Muslims view is greatly contributing to the killing of their fellow Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. Just ask the head of US Central Command General David Petraeus.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
No comments:
Post a Comment