PREACH PEACE IN YOUR OWN CONGREGATION FIRST?

Common Dreams contributor Afsheen Shamsi asks, "What Will It Take To Stop Hatred Towards Muslims?"  She continues, "Muslims are loving, peaceful people. Our holy book, the Quran, explicitly states that taking a life is the same as killing all of humanity, and saving a life is the same as saving all of humanity."

Yes, Jack Ryan made the same observation in Executive Orders, which preceded the Bin Laden raids in 2001, and President Bush emphasized those things throughout his Global War on Terrorism, attempting, with varying degrees of success, to distinguish Islam from the people who committed atrocities in the name of Allah and hoped to justify it in the end.

She's right to note that her neighbors are not always mannerly.

I’m holding out hope for a better tomorrow. But with every major period of hatred towards Muslims, my hope shakes. Despite decades of advocacy, most policymakers, leaders, and influencers are still fearful to speak in support of Muslims – or worse, they embrace blatant discrimination.

It’s mind-boggling that it is controversial to condemn hate against Muslims. The fact that we can’t even do that—the absolute bare minimum—reveals just how dangerous it is to be a Muslim in America and how far away we are from true acceptance.

And yet, her photograph reveals a bountiful head of hair, something that would not be possible in Iran or Saudi Arabia.  Then she attempted to sell a resolution condemning "Islamophobia" in Princeton, New Jersey, and encountered Islamoskepticism.

I recently drafted a resolution to condemn and combat Islamophobia along with my co-author Sami Shaban, a Palestinian American. I introduced the resolution to the Princeton community, where I have lived for almost two decades. I thought the process would be simple. After all, why would there be backlash to a statement that simply condemns hate against Muslims?

I was taken aback when the resolution faced opposition. A community leader felt that given the events of October 7th, it was not the right time to pass such a resolution without an equivalent for antisemitism. They also felt that there had not been sufficient condemnation of the attacks of October 7th.

It was painful, gut-wrenching opposition. Allies, including an LGBTQ+ community leader, and I explained that Princeton had already passed a resolution to condemn and combat antisemitism some time ago—and that the Islamophobia resolution was actually modeled after it. I also felt the need to state that as a Muslim, I am against all violence and that violence is never a solution, especially to a political problem.

Fine. Speak back to the preachers who rile up the jihad.  Denounce the fundamentalists who like to toss the alphabet people off the roofs of buildings.  If nothing else, model Western dress at work, at play, and at worship.  And if you want people to stop judging you by the company you keep, do more to turn the violent crazies into heretics and apostates. Maybe hold a joint service with a synagogue, or have your imam and a rabbi swap pulpits one weekend.

Muslim and Jewish communities are natural allies. Muslims love Moses as a prophet of God, and the Torah is one of our holy books. And right now, both of our communities are experiencing unbearable pain and hatred here at home. It is important, in our support of one another's communities, to recognize that while we must acknowledge and combat the hatred against both groups, we must not be conditional in that support.

The event was also a painful reminder that despite my decades-long work to advance justice for all marginalized communities, for some people, I will always be seen as a terrorist sympathizer. While every religion has its share of terrorists – those who claim to commit horrible acts falsely in the name of their religion – I don’t know that any other community has to constantly defend itself. It is exhausting for Muslim Americans to constantly state, “I condemn terrorism,” and to be held responsible for any acts of terrorism committed around the world by terrorists claiming to be Muslims. In fact, to demand and expect such condemnations of us is a perpetuation of Islamophobia and is harmful to the Muslim community because we continue to only be seen through the lens of terrorism. This is very traumatizing for the Muslim American community.

While you're at it, perhaps speak up against the practices of "deconstructing whiteness" or holding all men accountable for the ill-mannered behavior of a few.  It's exhausting to have to fend off the Diversity Weenies all the time.

For now, take care of the firebrands in your own congregation, and let emergence run its course.