American Muslims

For this Muslim, the spirit of Veterans Day brings back an early childhood memory. When I was a boy I entered an Islamic prayers competition at my mosque and was awarded a medal. On it read the words, "I shall be ready to sacrifice my life, wealth, time and honor … for the sake of my country. " This is a pledge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, America's first Muslim ,organization established in 1920. There was no discrepancy between the loyalty I was taught in my mosque and the loyalty I was taught in my elementary school classroom, where each day started with the Pledge of Allegiance.

It is regrettable that you allow a forum for the kind of casual, stupid bigotry shown in letters such as Dana Ely's and Will Placek's The defects of their kind of thinking rest in a cluster of false, indeed absurd assumptions about private religion and public civil law. First, Sharia is not some kind of monolithic set of beliefs held by all Muslims, but, properly understood, reflects the effort on the part of individual Muslims to...

The initiative of a set of New York City Muslims to build an Islamic Cultural Center a couple of blocks from the site of the terrorists'-destroyed Twin Towers in lower Manhattan, New York City, has generated a super-heated controversy and much tension in U.S. society. In this tense situation a national debate is raging across America and a potential for violence exists. It is very laudable that the New York City government headed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the U.S. government headed by President Barack Obama, and a large segment of U.S. intellectuals and community leaders have defended the religious freedom rights of America's Muslims to build their places of worship anywhere in the U.S. However, it is time for the American Muslims to turn more sensitive, take initiative and make a serious effort to resolve this unseemly controversy and diffuse this very divisive tension.

Thank you for your article "American Muslims hope for turning point" (May 15). The issue of anti-Muslim prejudice deserves more attention. The ignorance and prejudice against American Muslims sickens me and makes me ashamed of this country. I really hope that the death of Osama bin Laden is a turning point for our Muslim fellow citizens. It is sad that after 10 years they are still facing such horrid accusations in the U.S. It's even more sad when polls proclaim that many citizens are "wary" of Islamic people, even though they probably know next to nothing about them.

CHICAGO -- The nuclear bomb that exploded during a recent episode of Fox's 24 did not raise new questions about whether Islam and Muslims pose a threat to America. Instead, the blast just reinforced and amplified the questions that many Americans have been asking since 9/11. Polls show that many Americans believe Islam encourages violence, and they suspect that Islam and Muslims pose a threat to this country. They hear al-Qaida calling on Muslims to kill Americans. They hear about verses in the Quran relating to subjects such as violence and loyalty, and they have real questions about whether Muslims are commanded to be violent and about whether Muslims can be loyal to a secular state like America.

It seems that in a post 9/11 world, Americans and Muslimericans (American Muslims) are at an impasse. The failed Times Square bombing and Fort Hood tragedy, along with a perceived lack of loyalty of American Muslims to this nation create an image of Muslims and Americans as being incompatible. The September 11th "Burn a Quran" day just emphasizes the racial stereotypes and religious bigotry that our Constitution is supposed to protect Muslims from. In this realm, Muslims are treated as second class citizens and their religion is compared to that of a political ideology or a cult.

Thank you for your article "American Muslims hope for turning point" (May 15). The issue of anti-Muslim prejudice deserves more attention. The ignorance and prejudice against American Muslims sickens me and makes me ashamed of this country. I really hope that the death of Osama bin Laden is a turning point for our Muslim fellow citizens. It is sad that after 10 years they are still facing such horrid accusations in the U.S. It's even more sad when polls proclaim that many citizens are "wary" of Islamic people, even though they probably know next to nothing about them.

It is regrettable that you allow a forum for the kind of casual, stupid bigotry shown in letters such as Dana Ely's and Will Placek's The defects of their kind of thinking rest in a cluster of false, indeed absurd assumptions about private religion and public civil law. First, Sharia is not some kind of monolithic set of beliefs held by all Muslims, but, properly understood, reflects the effort on the part of individual Muslims to...

Dance, monkey, dance. That's what the United States has long shouted at immigrants and ethnic groups suspected of being disloyal. The nation asks its newcomers to perform in meaningless ways to "prove" they belong here. The dancers change, but not the dance. Because the U.S. is continually incorporating immigrants, the perceived threat of betrayal is constant. This week, Rep. Peter T. King, Republican of New York, will call the tune on Capitol Hill, with hearings meant to test the loyalty of American Muslims.

The Obama administration, grappling with a spate of recent Islamic terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country is confronting a rising threat from homegrown extremism. The warnings point to a threat more immediate than that posed by terrorism from overseas, because U.S.-based militants are frequently American citizens who are able to travel freely and strike at home or abroad. The growing administration concern comes at a time when anti-terrorism officials and experts have pointed to signs of accelerated radicalization among American Muslims, a trend driven by online propaganda and the influence of foreign networks.

Dance, monkey, dance. That's what the United States has long shouted at immigrants and ethnic groups suspected of being disloyal. The nation asks its newcomers to perform in meaningless ways to "prove" they belong here. The dancers change, but not the dance. Because the U.S. is continually incorporating immigrants, the perceived threat of betrayal is constant. This week, Rep. Peter T. King, Republican of New York, will call the tune on Capitol Hill, with hearings meant to test the loyalty of American Muslims.

For this Muslim, the spirit of Veterans Day brings back an early childhood memory. When I was a boy I entered an Islamic prayers competition at my mosque and was awarded a medal. On it read the words, "I shall be ready to sacrifice my life, wealth, time and honor … for the sake of my country. " This is a pledge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, America's first Muslim ,organization established in 1920. There was no discrepancy between the loyalty I was taught in my mosque and the loyalty I was taught in my elementary school classroom, where each day started with the Pledge of Allegiance.

It seems that in a post 9/11 world, Americans and Muslimericans (American Muslims) are at an impasse. The failed Times Square bombing and Fort Hood tragedy, along with a perceived lack of loyalty of American Muslims to this nation create an image of Muslims and Americans as being incompatible. The September 11th "Burn a Quran" day just emphasizes the racial stereotypes and religious bigotry that our Constitution is supposed to protect Muslims from. In this realm, Muslims are treated as second class citizens and their religion is compared to that of a political ideology or a cult.

The initiative of a set of New York City Muslims to build an Islamic Cultural Center a couple of blocks from the site of the terrorists'-destroyed Twin Towers in lower Manhattan, New York City, has generated a super-heated controversy and much tension in U.S. society. In this tense situation a national debate is raging across America and a potential for violence exists. It is very laudable that the New York City government headed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the U.S. government headed by President Barack Obama, and a large segment of U.S. intellectuals and community leaders have defended the religious freedom rights of America's Muslims to build their places of worship anywhere in the U.S. However, it is time for the American Muslims to turn more sensitive, take initiative and make a serious effort to resolve this unseemly controversy and diffuse this very divisive tension.

The Obama administration, grappling with a spate of recent Islamic terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country is confronting a rising threat from homegrown extremism. The warnings point to a threat more immediate than that posed by terrorism from overseas, because U.S.-based militants are frequently American citizens who are able to travel freely and strike at home or abroad. The growing administration concern comes at a time when anti-terrorism officials and experts have pointed to signs of accelerated radicalization among American Muslims, a trend driven by online propaganda and the influence of foreign networks.

T he American Muslim community continues to experience numbness and is in deep shock following the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist who was born in Virginia to Jordanian parents, is accused of opening fire on his colleagues, killing 13 and wounding 38. The officer, who was commissioned in 2001, provided counseling to help alleviate psychological stressors that servicemen and woman experience....

What a relief to read in a new Pew Research Center study that Muslims in America are "largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world." Phew. No more worries. On the other hand, the study's findings may depend on how you define "largely." Here's another way of putting the Pew results: While a majority of older U.S. Muslims have largely assimilated, more than a few younger Muslims think suicide bombings are justified.

EXACTLY 10 days after my 24th birthday, I would awake to a day that would mark the true beginning of my existence as a human. On a day when my country was attacked and in the subsequent year in which my religion was berated, I have been plagued by sleepless nights, blessed with sympathetic smiles and unnerved by threats where others vowed to "take care of people like me." Although I was no less of an American on Sept. 10, only one day later was I commanded to "prove" my loyalty to America and to apologize for my religion.

A new Gallup poll finds that American Muslims consider themselves to be thriving, and yet large numbers say they do not feel content. Is that any wonder, when Muslims traditionally have been excluded, or have excluded themselves, from social and political involvement in this country? The North East Chapter of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) will bring its annual conference to Baltimore in May. The theme is "What it means to be Muslim in America." As a young Muslim woman who has attended many such conferences, I am quite familiar with the theme.