In discussions among Muslims this new breed is very apparent. In most situations it is not the ultra-conservative or extremely literalistic Muslim that is the problem. Our communities are plagued more and more with men and women who are at war with themselves, primarily for not fitting. Their square- pegs-in-round-holes situation has begun to cause friction within communities
9/11 led to the development of a whole new genre of Muslim - the kind that despises its own skin. In the humdrum of life the issues generated by them do not really matter, it is only when earth-shattering events occur like the tragedy at Fort Hood that they become difficult tragedy at Fort Hood that they become difficult to deal with.
"O you who believe! Testify to the truth even if it goes against yourselves, your parents or your relatives" (Qur'an, Surah Nisa 4:135). This is a tall order, no doubt, and the human psyche is for certain the reason for its revelation. We are all tilted toward our families and the prevailing opinion. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was confronted with this in preIslamic Arabia and after the most persuasive arguments about Islam, people refused to consider it just because their fathers and grandfathers had worshipped gods of their own making, Laat, Manaat and their ilk for generations.
As we grow and mature it is vital that we examine our belief system with an un-jaundiced eye, religion and culture included, choose, and then be comfortable with our choice.
The various permutations of pathology would not really matter had there not been a 9/11 and thereafter tragedies like the one recently at Fort Hood in which a Muslim psychiatrist while chanting "Allaho-Akbar" opened fire on a large number of soldiers, causing the deaths of 13.
Reaction to such events is when one has to deal with the self-hating Muslims and fend off their ire. There are various kinds of these haters. One is the "coconut": people who are entirely Westernized, patterning their lives on their perception of the successful Western contemporary. Unfortunately they are white on the inside, but the outside, despite the most affected of accents and the greatest shades from the sun remain deeply brown; and if not in the physical sense, the perception in the observer is one of foreignness.
Then you have the "nerve-grater": blames all ills of the world on Muslims, staunch supporter of the melting-pot theory, believer in blending in seamlessly, Muhammad is shortened to Mo, talks incessantly about mosques functioning more like churches.
There is not too much of a difference between the "coconut" and the "nerve-grater", there can be many areas of overlap, but they can totally distinct as well.
The "moderate" Muslim, a gift from George W. Bush is as dysfunctional a term as he was dyslexic. What is a moderate Muslim, pray? One who believes but not too much or all the way? One who prays once, maybe twice but not five times a day?
A man who goes to the mosque one Friday out of the month rather than all Fridays?
There are also the "moderate-fundos"; the ones that harass, pursue, question and wear down those Muslims that they see as "fundamentalist," another misnomer, for by definition every Muslim by virtue of believing in the articles or fundamentals of faith is a fundamentalist.
Events like the tragedy at Fort Hood instead of galvanizing and uniting Muslims, has shown the cracks in our ranks. All the varieties of self-hating Muslims described above have indulged in a collective defense mechanism of transference. Their anger at Nidal Malik Hasan has not caused them to write to the media and get it to cover accurately and not stir up sentiment, they have turned their guns so-to-speak on those Muslims that they call "fundos", "jihadis" etc. The "fundo" may well be a peace-loving Muslim, who is as bewildered with this new insult as anyone else.
In Surah Hujarat in the Quran (49:11) God says: "O you who have attained to faith! No men shall deride [other] men: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than themselves; and no women [shall deride other] women: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than themselves. And neither shall you defame one another, nor insult one another by [opprobrious] epithets: evil is all imputation of iniquity after [one has attained to] faith; and they who [become guilty thereof and] do not repent - it is they, they who are evildoers!" In discussions among Muslims this new breed is very apparent. In most situations it is not the ultra-conservative or extremely literalistic Muslim that is the problem. Our communities are plagued more and more with men and women who are at war with themselves, primarily for not fitting. Their squarepegs-in-round-holes situation has begun to cause friction within communities and the disillusionment even of those that are not directly involved. Their anger and agenda has become more and more directed toward those fellow Muslims that seem in their opinion to be comfortable and even proud of their culture and religion. This reverse-fundamentalism is really a manifestation of transference and an innocent Muslim can be the victim of some heavy verbal and emotional abuse.
It appears that Nidal Malik Hasan was a deeply disturbed individual who acted alone, but the media tried to put Islam on trial again. Soon thereafter Jason Rodriguez killed a person and injured several in Miami and no one cared to ask about his religion. In the effort to be "fair and unbiased" we cross the lines into frank injustice.
Muslims ought to believe in Islam being above attack; if they do not they ought to calm that reluctance and convert out.
The rest of us must correct misconceptions and misportrayals and the wholesale hijacking of Islam, be it by a Muslim or the media.
Transferring our anger to another Muslim and indulging in finger-pointing does not just weaken the Muslim fraternity, it is one of the worst exercises in futility and, if I may, stupidity.
(Mahjabeen Islam is a free-lance columnist and physician.
Her email is mahjabeen.islam@gmail.com)
