Bigotry toward
Muslims Is Growing
By Salam Al-Marayati
and Safiya Ghori
US
It is a sad day for Muslims in America. I woke
up recently to hear radio host Jerry Klein suggesting
that all Muslims in the United States should be
identified with a crescent-shaped tattoo or a
distinctive arm band – and then heard an
hour of my fellow Americans agreeing with him.
Earlier this month, right-wing pundit Dennis Prager
ranted that the first Muslim member of Congress,
Keith Ellison, should not be allowed to take his
congressional oath on the Qur’an. The week
before it was the case of six US imams being handcuffed,
detained and thrown off a US Airways flight because
they were praying their daily prayer at the gate
before boarding the plane. The week before that,
it was a Michigan man who was dragged outside
of his home and beaten by a mob of 10 people who
were shouting, “You're a (expletive) Muslim,
you're not American, go back to where you came
from”. Unfortunately, the list of incidents
is extensive and American Muslims are beginning
to feel the impact of Islamophobia.
In a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, perceptions of
Muslims as terrorists or potential terrorists
are not uncommon, yet in the last year there has
been a growing amount of anti-Muslim sentiment.
A recent USA Today/Gallup poll found that nearly
40 percent of Americans admit to harboring feelings
of prejudice against Muslims. Furthermore, the
hateful rhetoric that is spewing out of right-wing
radio talk shows such as Prager's only adds fuel
to the flame of Islamophobia, enhancing the fears
of the public and perpetuating an image of a so-called
“culture war.”
Klein eventually revealed that he had staged a
hoax by stating that Muslims in the United States
should be identified with a tattoo or armband.
As an hour of callers congratulated Klein on his
bigoted statements, one man specifically asked,
“What good is identifying them? You have
to set up encampments like during World War II
with the Japanese and Germans.”
As an American Muslim, I can understand concerns
about Islam and Muslims, but that should never
be a pass for prejudice and bigotry. America stands
for something better than this type of blatant
racism.
America celebrated the victory of Ellison as the
first Muslim congressman, but AM radio talk-show
host Prager decided to impart his Islamophobic
opinion by stating that Ellison should not be
allowed to take his congressional oath on the
Qur’an, because it “undermined American
civilization.” He also stated that “America
should not give a hoot what Ellison's favorite
book is” and that “America is interested
in only one book, the Bible. And if you are incapable
of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in
Congress.”
Prager's intolerant and unbelievably erroneous
comments clearly display his ignorance of the
US Constitution. Based on Article VI of the Constitution,
“no religious test shall ever be required
as a qualification to any office or public trust
under the United States”. In addition, the
establishment clause and free exercise clause
of the Constitution mandate the equal treatment
of people without regard to their religious beliefs.
This unequivocally means that the government cannot
dictate what a person uses as a religious book.
What Prager is trying to say is that Ellison is
unfit for office because of his religious beliefs.
His attacks are specifically targeted toward the
fact that Ellison wants to use a Qur’an
to administer his congressional oath. Why didn't
Prager cry foul when Rep. Debbie Schultz, D-Fla.,
refused the Bible offered by Dennis Hastert and
borrowed a Hebrew bible for her swearing-in ceremony?
What about when Linda Lingle, the governor of
Hawaii, took her oath on the Torah?
The reason there was no uproar over this matter
was because Schultz and Lingle were merely practicing
their constitutional right to swear on the books
they believed in – not on the book society
believes in. In the aftermath of this incident,
Jewish groups around the country have also condemned
Prager's bigoted comments.
Simply put, there isn't one book that can encompass
the beliefs of American society. What truly unifies
Americans is a values system that is built on
religious freedom as a fundamental and cherished
right. The fundamental ideals of America are freedom
and democracy, and this is achieved by celebrating
religious and cultural diversity.
Similarly, a few weeks ago, CNN's answer to Bill
O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, challenged Ellison: “Sir,
prove to me you are not working with our enemies”
simply because he is a Muslim. These types of
questions marginalize the majority of Muslim Americans
who feel that their act of allegiance to the United
States is always in question. When will we stop
questioning patriotism a la McCarthyism?
Evicting six imams who had been cleared by the
FBI from a US Airways flight will not create a
safer America. Islamophobia is a growing reality
of racism around the world. The only way to stop
it is by embracing the greatness of America and
respecting the religious diversity that is present
in this country.
The Dennis Pragers and Glenn Becks of the world
certainly have a right to free speech, but they
are only a part of this increasing trend of widespread
bigotry that is emerging as the ugly face Islamophobia.
( Al-Marayati is executive director of the Muslim
Public Affairs Council (www.mpac.org). Ghori is
the MPAC program director. Courtesy San Diego
Union-Tribune)
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