An American Muslim Journal

"Islam is of the Devil": Wayne Sapp, Stephanie Sapp, Ludger Boecken, Heike Boecken sue Alachua County School Board to protect their hate speech

Two Gainesville, Florida area families, the Sapps and the Boeckens, sued the Alachua County School Board (Florida) in federal court seeking protection for their children’s anti-Muslim hate speech in public schools.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida represents the plaintiffs.

Wayne and Stephanie Sapp and Ludger and Heike Boecken filed the suit on behalf of their minor children who are students in Alachua County public schools.  The complaint was filed on November 23, 2009 in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District Court of Florida (Gainesville Division).

The lawsuit alleges that the Sapp and Boecken children were disciplined for and prohibited from wearing t-shirts imprinted with the hateful statement “Islam is of the Devil”.  The Sapps’ and Boeckens’ lawsuit seeks to have the school board’s policies that prohibit the wearing of the hate-speech imprinted t-shirts ruled unconstitutional.  The lawsuit also asks the federal court to enter an order stopping the school board from prohibiting the wearing of the clothing displaying the hate messages.

WHAT IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND DOES IT APPLY TO HATE SPEECH?

The freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the United States.  It is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and by similar provisions in state constitutions as well.
 
As a general principle it is easy to understand.  Application of the free speech principle, however, can be complicated.  When the speech being protected is pertains to equality, democracy, justice or other noble ideas it is easy to support.  But what about speech that promotes discrimination and bigotry?  The fact is that hate speech is protected under the First Amendment too.  Frankly, it would not be much of a right if this were not the case.

Over the years the First Amendment has been marshaled in defense of flag burning, cross burning, pornography, a Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois (at the time a predominantly Jewish town of Holocaust survivors), and fascist skinheads assembling and promoting their white supremacist venom in public.  Indeed, the First Amendment has a long list of very unsavory patrons.

While protecting hate mongers, racists and perverts is distasteful, the alternative is to fall prey to the tyranny of the majority and to the majority’s impulse to censor ideas with which it disagrees.  Censorship in one’s own hands never seems dangerous, but the true appreciation of its menace is had when one contemplates handing over the power of censorship to one’s ideological nemesis.  That is a frightening thought.

IS THE HATE SPEECH PROMOTED BY THE SAPPS AND BOECKENS PROTECTED?

The right to free speech under the First Amendment is very broad.  It is not, however, an absolute right.  The freedom of speech is limited by certain exceptions.  Speech that constitutes “fighting words”, or that is obscene or which interferes with another fundamental right, for example, would fall outside of the protection of the First Amendment.

According to the First Amendment Center speech within public schools is not unlimited.  First Amendment Center scholars note that minors are not accorded the same level of free speech rights as adults.  Additionally, when the government is acting as an educator (which is precisely the case with a public school) it has more leeway to develop and implement speech policies.  The overarching policy of a public school is teaching children in an environment that is safe and which is conducive to learning.

It is possible that the hate speech the Sapps and the Boeckens are promoting through their children’s attire falls outside of First Amendment protection.  The Sapps and the Boeckens’ complaint repeatedly alleges that the t-shirts worn by their minor children contained “non-vulgar” and “non-obscene” messages.  The plaintiffs are counting on their characterization of the messages (as “non-vulgar” and “non-obscene”) being taken as a matter of fact.  Their characterization should not be accepted at face value.  Their characterization should be vigorously challenged.

Is the statement “Islam is of the Devil” vulgar or obscene?  If it is considered vulgar or obscene, then the Alachua County school board is well within its rights to deem the message inappropriate and prohibit its exhibition in school.  This is the precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Bethel School Dist. No. 403 vs. Fraser.  In that case the majority of the Court concluded that:

Surely it is a highly appropriate function of public school education to prohibit the use of vulgar and offensive terms in public discourse.

The majority in Bethel also noted that:

The process of educating our youth for citizenship in public schools is not confined to books, the curriculum, and the civics class; schools must teach by example the shared values of a civilized social order.

The Bethel case sets out the rules or the law to be applied in the Alachua County case.  The question is only one of fact.

IS THE STATEMENT “ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL” VULGAR OR OBSCENE?

Regardless of one’s proclivity vis-à-vis the First Amendment, most American Muslims would agree that the phrase “Islam is of the Devil” worn on a t-shirt by students in a public grammar school or high school would be seen as vulgar and obscene to fellow students who are Muslims.  I would also hope it would be deemed vulgar and obscene by classmates of other faiths as well.  Furthermore, the presence of such hate speech will inculcate lessons of divisiveness and incivility, both of which are antithetical to promoting “shared values of a civilized social order.”

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO UPHOLD ALACHUA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD'S DECISION?

First and foremost, it is necessary for the Alachua County School Board to commit itself to zealously defending its actions.  It is not a foregoing conclusion that Alachua County School Board will aggressively litigate this case.  The resources and expertise of the ACLU are formidable.  At the same time public schools across the nation are sorely cash strapped and as a result the vigor with which the school board battles in federal court may be dictated as much by finances as it is by its principles.

Furthermore, the case will hinge on whether the judge or the jury who ultimately hear this case at trial will find the statement “Islam is of the Devil” to be vulgar or obscene.  This will, in turn, depend on how well integrated the local American Muslim community is with the interfaith and community organizations in the region.

Hopefully the American Muslim community in that region of Florida has relationships of friendship with the broader community.  Hopefully the American Muslims of this particular region have allies in the interfaith community who know them, understand their religious values and know firsthand what it is that Muslims believe.  Whether or not the “Islam is of the Devil” statement is vulgar or obscene is not an academic question.  Bringing theologians to explain the articles of the Islamic faith and its roots in the Abrahamic tradition is not the solution. 

This is a question that has to be answered from the heart and from the gut.  In order for people of other faiths to share American Muslims’ sense of revulsion and disgust over this hate speech, they need to know American Muslims as real friends.

It will be up to Florida’s American Muslims to marshal their resources and their allies to aggressively defend against the Sapps’ and Boeckens’ hate speech lawsuit.  Ideally the battle will focus on the core legal issues and will steer clear of any advocacy that promotes censorship.  This is the kind of case where American Muslims stand to lose even in victory unless they are very thoughtful about how they tackle the crisis.
 

Switzerland, Muslims, Minaret Ban: Islamophobia or something else?

The The New York Times this morning reported that Switzerland is poised to impose a ban on the construction of minarets.  Minarets are a common architectural feature of mosques serving both an aesthetic and functional purpose.  Minarets are commonly used as symbols of Islam as well.

Why are a majority of Swiss voters supporting a ban on minarets in their country?  Why is there an anti-Muslim movement in a country thought to be tolerant?  Why is there such a misunderstanding of Islam among the advocates of the proposed ban on minarets? 

Of the 7 million people who live in Switzerland approximately 300,000 are Muslim.  Most Swiss Muslims are immigrants from Turkey, Bosnia and Kosova.  Switzerland is home to the United Nations humanitarian agencies.  Switzerland is famous for its international neutrality.  With 4% of the Swiss population claiming Islam as their religion and given Switzerland’s history of tolerance it is disturbing to see Swiss opinion turn so negative towards a large religious minority within Switzerland.

The existence of an anti-Muslim movement is no longer surprising (it is still disturbing of course).  All it takes is a small handful of bigots to create a group.  But in the case of the Swiss, the minaret-banning legislation is poised to pass and that suggests popular support (at least of the voting public).  This development should be troubling to anyone who values religious freedom and values free societies that support religious pluralism.

According to the same NY Times story an opinion poll from earlier in the month found that 37 percent of Swiss were in favor of banning minarets, 10 percent were undecided and 53 percent were opposed to it.  Assuming for the sake of discussion that the poll was scientific and accurate, it appears that at least a few people who publicly said they were opposed to banning minarets had a serious change of heart in a matter of a few weeks.  Another possibility is that some Swiss harbor anti-Muslim sentiments but they are not comfortable voicing these bigoted opinions in public.  A third possibility is the confluence of a generally low voter turnout and a higher than normal turnout from the supporters of the minaret-ban legislation.

What is fueling the anti-Muslim movement in Switzerland?  Are Swiss Muslims doing something to fuel the bigotry?  Are Swiss Muslims integrating into Swiss society?  Do Swiss Muslims work with Swiss of other religious affiliations for issues of the common good?  Is the fact that only about 11% of Swiss Muslims are citizens a factor?  Is it difficult to become a naturalized citizen in Switzerland?

What do you think is driving Swiss citizens to curtail Muslim rights in Switzerland?

President Obama greetings for Eid al Adha; Hamid Dabashi says Muslim revolutionary Malcolm X critical to America's civil rights movement, who we are as a nation today

American Muslims seem to be reflecting a lot about what it means to be an American and a Muslim this thanksgiving.  Thanks to the confluence of the American Thanksgiving holiday and the Muslim Eid al Adha, many American Muslims are thinking out loud about their place in American society.

President Barack H. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sent Muslims in the U.S. and across the globe an Eid al Adha greeting.  This is what our President and First Lady said in their message:

Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha.  The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat.  The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj.  Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration's commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak.

That's great.  I've said this over and over again but it is worth repeating: this is the sort of small but meaningful messaging that will empower my children to be even more committed to America and to Islam than is my generation.

I know that other presidents have issued formal greetings in the past as well.  I am grateful to them all.  This year, with everything going on around us at home in the U.S. this message comes at a very critical time.  Thank you Mr. President.

THANKFUL FOR MALCOLM X AND THE MUSLIM CONTRIBUTION TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?

The civil rights movement was critically important to getting us closer to a world where bigotry and racism are nonexistent.  We are not there yet but without the struggles of African Americans in the mid-20th century our society would still be suffering a lot more from the hatred espoused by American racists.

Hamid Dabashi, the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York, argues in an opinion piece at CNN.com that we are long overdue in appreciating Malcolm X's contributions to the civil rights successes most often attributed solely to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Professor Dabashi brings up Malcolm X the American Muslim and his pivotal role in the civil rights movement as a means of piercing the American psyche's apparent resistance to accepting Islam as a contributing force for good in contemporary American society.  In his CNN.com essay he writes:

To avoid singling out Islam as diabolical, it is imperative for Americans to come to terms with the collectively repressed fact that by far the most important social uprising of their 20th century -- namely the civil rights movement of the 1960s -- is not as exclusively a Christian phenomenon as it is made out to be: The towering figure of a Muslim revolutionary named Malcolm X is of great importance in the history of that movement.

Professor Dabashi compared the roles of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as follows:

The way the history of the civil rights movement is mostly remembered now, an overwhelming role is assigned to the Southern Baptist genealogy of Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X is delegated to a radical fringe -- portrayed as more of a menace and a hindrance than a positive force in the civil rights movement.

But without the simultaneous presence of Malcolm X as a Muslim revolutionary, the Southern Baptist pacifism of Martin Luther King Jr. would not have been as formidable a force.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were the yin and yang of the civil rights movement -- ennobling anger and vision coming together in hopes of realizing the dream of equality.

Privately this is something I've thought about as well.  The problem or the challenge has always been that most Americans have a demonized picture of Malcolm X in their minds.  He stirs images of anti-semitism and black nationalism.

Perhaps, if scholars like Professor Dabashi lead the way in bringing this perpsective into the mainstream this very poignant example will help to re-frame Islam and Muslims in a positive domestic perspective.

Giving thanks, asking for forgiveness, fasting and feasting: The Day of Arafat, Eid al Adha & Thanksgiving

November 26, 2009 is Thanksgiving in the United States.  Today is extra special for American Muslims.  In addition to being a day of added reflection and thanks, particular with our friends and neighbors from the broader community, today is also the Day of Arafat, the ritual in the annual Hajj (pilgrimmage to Mecca) when Muslims worldwide fast and reflect and ask for forgiveness and thank God for all his bounties.  And tomorrow, day two of a 4 day Thanksgiving holiday, Muslims in America, in Mecca and all over the world will begin the second of Islam's two religious holidays - Eid al Adha.

Eid Mubarak, Hajj Mubarak and Happy Thanksgiving!

Dr. Hesham Hassaballa very eloquently reflected on the juxtapositioning of these important days this year.  His essay at AltMuslim.com relates his own memory of performing the Hajj, his time on the plains of Arafat begging for God's mercy and the emotions of gratitude to God.

Dr. Hassaballa's AltMuslim.com essay also suggests a twist to the tradition feasting that takes place on Thanksgiving.  He suggests:

Moreover, many Muslims will this day be fasting the daylight hours in solidarity with those blessed to be on the Hajj. Although Thanksgiving is most thought of as a feast: it is more fitting for it to be a fast. Even though, thankfully, the day is short and the sun will set early, as Muslims deprive themselves of food and drink, they are reminded of the countless people across the globe who forgo food and drink not out of choice, but out of dire deprivation. And that includes people who reside in this very country, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported. Therefore, we should be doubly motivated to help those who are less fortunate. If one is to be truly thankful for the bounties bestowed, then she should do all she can to help those in need.

Perhaps this can be tradition that American Muslims bring to Thanksgiving heretofore.  Just as Islam has adapted to the multitude of cultures across the globe over the past 1400 years it is doing the same in the United States as well.  Perhaps fasting in the daylight hours according to the Islamic rules of fasting with a traditional thanksgiving meal (with its welcomed fusion with some ethnic elements from time to time) after sunset?  I think its a good idea!

Best Buy wishes its Muslim customers "Happy Eid al Adha"!

 
Best Buy advertisement in 11/22/09 Sunday papers

Yesterday’s Sunday newspaper ads included a very pleasant surprise.  It was in the Best Buy ad insert, but no, it was not about a great deal on a cell phone or a laptop.  While the latest gizmos are very exciting, this time it was something else that caught my attention. 

The front page of the ad said “Happy Eid al-Adha”.  Can you imagine that - “Happy Eid al-Adha” on the front of a major American retailer’s advertising insert?  It is not something I was expecting but I am very happy about it.

Of course not everyone is going to be happy about Best Buy’s decision.  Islamophobes are zeroing in on the Best Buy eid greetings as proof of a nefarious plot to “Islamicize” America.  “It’s anti-Christian” some say.  At the other extreme, some Muslims will certainly berate me for thinking this is a good thing because, in their mind, I am trying to be an American.  Ba-Humbug them all!

Best Buy’s Eid al Adha greetings in the Sunday paper ad insert is a smart marketing decision.  They did it because it benefits their bottom line.  American Muslims are consumers like everyone else.  November 27 is Black Friday (the unofficial kick-off to the Christmas shopping season) and this year it also happens to be Eid al Adha, the second of two annual Islamic holidays.  Especially in this economy, it makes a lot of sense for Best Buy to leverage every possible gift-giving holiday to its advantage.

The extremist Christian right-wing bemoans practices that properly separate church and state because to them the state ought to promote Christianity only.  Not surprisingly then, these same extremist Christian right-wingers gets bent out of shape whenever Islam is appropriately acknowledged alongside Christianity, Judaism and the many other faith traditions in America.

The blogosphere is already buzzing with all the usual crack-pot Islamophobes frothing at the mouth and tripping over one another to whine and moan that Islam is being given special treatment.  Many of the most virulent Islamophobic websites are asking their hate-brigades of Pat Robertson-following, Mark Levine-loving and Rush Limbaugh-listening people to contact Best Buy to complain about their supposed “anti-Christian" behavior and to tell Best Buy they are boycotting the store (um, yeah, unless that really cool 52 inch HD flat screen dips under $600 – oh yeah, Hannity and O’Reilly in HD baby…).

On the flipside, there are the reflexively anti-American Muslims who will attempt to suppress any appreciation of Best Buy’s eid greetings because it is an invitation to be more American.  “Fear Allah brother!” they will surely exhort via email and at the mosque.  I know I’m going to get an earful of “The eid greeting is right above thanksgiving -  that’s a Christian holiday!  It’s proximity to the eid greeting makes it Haraam brother!”

Frankly, I am at my wits end with these nutty anti-American Muslims as much as I am with the Islamophobe kooks.  In response to their accusation about being more American I respond: guilty as charged…  brother. 

I am happy to see Muslim holidays making it into mainstream American life.  I am heartened to know that corporate America is taking notice that the American Muslim market is a goldmine for their bottom line.  It bodes well that phrases like “Happy Eid al-Adha” are making their way into the consciousness of America.

Whenever I can get an acknowledgement of Islam and Muslims in America, be it from an eid greeting from the White House or in a Best Buy advertisement, I am happy.  These little efforts go a long way in reinforcing the message I try to convey to my children: you have a right to be a devout and practicing Muslim and a patriotic and engaged American citizen at the same time.

Having grown up in an America that was a lot less aware of Islam and Muslims and having come of age at a time when Islam and Muslims were demonized in the media, I have a keen appreciation for accurate and positive images of Islam and Muslims.  The Best Buy greeting is a small but important milestone in the establishment of Islam in the pluralistic religious foundation of America.  When my kids see the eid greeting they react with a nonchalant “cool”.  Yes, it is cool.

Eid al Adha on November 27, 2009 all across Illinois, U.S. & the world

In a few days the American Muslim community will celebrate Eid al Adha.  According to the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Illinoisans will be celebrating the festival of the sacrifice on Friday, November 27, 2009.  To read more about the Eid al Adha celebration click here.

Eid Mubarak to All!

Kenney, Abusumayah and a hate crime in Tinley Park, Illinois

 
Valerie Kenney

Richard Roeper does not understand the law.  At least, he does not understand Illinois’ hate crimes statute very well.  Perhaps I can help him.

Illinois’ hate crime law is straight-forward.  Under Illinois’ Hate Crimes Statute (720 ILCS 5/12-7.1):

“A person commits hate crime when, by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or national origin of another individual or group of individuals, regardless of the existence of any other motivating factor or factors, he commits assault, battery…” (emphasis added)

In defendant Kenney’s case she battered Abusumayah when she pulled at her scarf and simultaneously made anti-Muslim comments to Abusumayah.  Her battery was motivated by her hatred of Islam and Muslims.  Her actions fit the statutory requirements of a hate crime.  The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office made the right call in charging Kenney with a hate crime.

Mr. Roeper is not happy about Kenney being charged with a hate crime.  He thinks it was merely stupid.  Yes, what Kenney did was stupid, but since it fits the definition of a hate crime, it makes sense for the prosecutors to bring the charge.  Kenney will have ample opportunities to defend herself against the hate crimes charge in court.  She may opt, as is her right, to be tried by a jury of her peers and allow the jurors to decide if she is guilty of hate crime.

The prosecutor has a mandate to protect the people.  It is not simply a matter of prosecuting people after they commit crimes but also about deterring crime by using the prosecutorial powers effectively.  I hope the thinking in Anita Alvarez’s office was that, post-Ft. Hood, there may be some very strong and misplaced anti-Muslim sentiments in the community and that it is a matter of public safety to deter people harboring such hatred from acting out criminally.  The prosecutor is doing all the ignorant would-be Kenneys in Cook County a favor by letting the community know that hate crimes against Muslims will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Mr. Roeper says that prosecuting Kenney under the hate crimes statute “cheapens the definition of a hate crime” because what Kenney did was merely “stupid and mean” but clearly he does not understand the role of prosecutors.  The prosecutors’ office creates public policy by exercising its discretion as to which crimes will be prosecuted and the manner in which they will be prosecuted.

There is a palpable anti-Muslim sentiment in the community.  The minority of Americans who espouse hatred for Muslims are vocal and, as is obvious with Kenney, they are willing to break the social contract by acting out against those whom they perceive to be Muslim.  Roeper would prefer that we waited until someone gets beaten or killed or until a mosque is vandalized or a Muslim family’s home is burned down by arsonists.  The law-abiding, hard working American Muslim families in Illinois are not willing to wait around for something even worse to happen.

It would have been better for everyone if Kenney would have kept her hate to herself in that grocery store.  Alas, Kenney chose to expose her bigotry to the public and engage in criminal behavior as well.  Now it is up to our criminal justice system to work it out.  Mr. Roeper can continue to use his column irresponsibly by whipping up the Kenneys of our community into a hateful frenzy by suggesting that she will go to jail for 3 years and be fined $25,000 for what she did.
 
Rather than taking this foolish route, what Mr. Roeper should have done is come out squarely against Kenney’s actions and acknowledged that, if proven, her actions are a hate crime.  By doing this he would have affirmed his commitment to basic decency and the rule of law, and then he would have greater legitimacy to advocate for a constructive punishment that takes into account the severity of the battery, the injuries to the victim, Kenney’s past criminal history (if any) and the possibility of contrition (by Kenney) and community service as alternatives to a long incarceration and or an onerous monetary fine.

Instead, Mr. Roeper used his public stage as a newspaper columnist to indict himself as ignorant and insensitive to the concerns and fears of a large community of his fellow Americans.  Way to go Mr. Roeper.

"Children of Dust" by Ali Eteraz makes for interesting reading but not for the reasons author gives (Book Review)

Ali Eteraz is a wonderful storyteller.  His memoir, “Children of Dust”, is an engaging story of  life as a child in Pakistan to his adolescence and young adulthood in America with several pit stops  in between.  “Children of Dust” is very well written.  Eteraz’s life story provides a startling look inside the painful lives led by many Pakistani children.

Subtitled “A Memoir of Pakistan”, billed as creative nonfiction, and promoted as a “searing memoir revealing the truth about militant Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan”, “Children of Dust” is more a story of child abuse and neglect, a horribly deficient primary education system in rural Pakistan, perverted and sadistic religious teachers and their devastating impact on a young man’s life.  Islam certainly played a role Eteraz’s narrative, but what really stands out is the psychological damage that abuse and neglect had on his life and the behavioral issues that stem from them.

In the book’s prologue Eteraz writes:

"This book is about a thoroughly Islamic childhood and about a boy's attempt not merely to know his identity, but to assert his sovereignty."

Eteraz’s childhood, in reality, had very little to do with Islam.  Certainly, Islam as a cultural talisman permeated his life but to call it “thoroughly Islamic” is a distortion of reality (based on his own account).
 
His early education in religion was not about the broad concepts in Islam, nor about its basic articles of faith.  Instead, his earliest exposures to Islam were related to concepts such as “Koh-e-Qaf” (from ancient Persian mythology – a sacred place beyond the mountains according to some) and “jadu” (black magic), and his grandmother’s supposed regular meetings with Prophet Muhammad (s) in her dreams.  It is not exactly the firm foundation upon which to build a young Muslim’s religious life.

Early in the story Eteraz writes of his experience sexually harassing a servant girl just a few years older than him at his home Pakistan.  This is the first signal that Eteraz’s childhood was neither wholesome nor idyllic.  He was seven years old and the servant girl was only a few years older.  Eteraz writes of how he forced the girl to undress, of how he exposed himself to her and then attempted to grope her naked body.
 
Eteraz says nothing about attending public or private primary schools in Pakistan where he spent his early years.  The only formal education he writes about are intermittent stints in various madrasahs where his parents sent him to memorize the Holy Qur’an.  Eteraz suggests that his parents sent him to these madrasahs because they had no alternatives.

Madrasah is an Arabic term for school but Eteraz’s accounts of the madrasahs he attended are frightening images of non-stop physical, psychological and sexual abuse of young boys.  Eteraz writes a riveting account of the fear he felt while he attended the madrasahs.  He writes of sadistic teachers at the madrasahs who beat children with sticks for making mistakes, of locking up children in prison cells and of child molestation.
 
Eteraz writes of his own rape at the hands of two other boys while in Pakistan.¹  It is an eerie narrative.  While his description is unmistakably of rape, Eteraz couches it in benign imagery.  The narrative Eteraz uses is something one might expect a child to use in order to protect himself from the psychic trauma of re-living the assault.

The experience with “Islam” once he comes to America is only slightly better than what he suffered in Pakistan.  He came to America in the 1990s, a time when mosques and established religious life for Muslims was just becoming more institutionalized but was fraught with cultural and political overtones (many of which remain in place even today).

Eteraz’s life story in America is one that is familiar in most aspects, if not all, to many American Muslims who grew up in America and attended high school and college in America in the 1980s through to the present.  He experienced the need to fit in and a frustration with the overbearing and superficial Islam pushed by his parents as a means of vaccinating him from the social ills of American society.

The end of high school and the start of college mark the midpoint of Eteraz’s book and covers about two-thirds of his chronological age.  Eteraz does an amazing job in telling a compelling story up to this point.  Thus far Eteraz has written in great detail about what he saw, what he heard and what he felt.  It is compelling storytelling.

While the book remains readable and entertaining to the very last page, from this point forward Eteraz’s narration changes.  Rather than continuing to tell a story with details and experiences, much of the remaining book summarizes events and then liberally sprinkles in political and religious editorials.
 
Eteraz chronicles his college years as being filled with sexual exploits, outward religiosity and inner conflict between Eteraz the religious Muslim wanna-be leader and Eteraz the young college kid who indulged many of his sexual impulses.  It reads more like a summary than a story.

The book’s final chapters are the least detailed and are heavy on self-reflection.  Eteraz describes “Children of Dust” as creative nonfiction and by the last few pages one cannot help but wonder if these final experiences are heavy on the “creative” and easy on the “nonfiction” because the story seems almost too perfectly tailored to accommodate the religious or philosophical epiphany with which “Children of Dust” climaxes.

Throughout the latter part of the book Eteraz works very hard to build himself up as an Islamic fundamentalist.  Presumably this is because, in his mind, his life’s story is about his personal exposure to radical Islam with a redemptive ending.  However, what Eteraz writes about vis-à-vis his activist Muslim college experience is not so different from the experiences of many other American Muslim college students.

Still, Eteraz’s epiphany at the end is intriguing.  The realization that he confronts about his religiosity in the final pages of “Children of Dust” is an interesting and thought-provoking notion.  The book is worth reading for this epiphany alone, but there are other good reasons too.

“Children of Dust” provides some insight into the humanity of one American Muslim.  By telling his own personal story, with all the painful experiences, Eteraz humanizes and contextualizes the otherwise one-dimensional “American Muslim” that most Americans read about but never get to know.

America needs to hear more stories about young Muslims with the same boldness as Eteraz’s “Children of Dust”.  Americans want to really know Muslims and especially those living in America.  “Children of Dust” gives Americans a great insight into the mind of a somewhat typical American Muslim.  That is an invaluable resource.

______________________________________________

Title:  "Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan"
Author: Ali Eteraz
Copyright 2009
Publisher:  HarperCollins and HarperOne
ISBN: 978-0-06-156708-7

¹UPDATE (11/23/09): An earlier version of this article stated that the rape occurred in a madrasah.  This was inaccurate.  In fact the rape occured, accordingto Eteraz, when he was away from the madrasah he was attending.

CAIR-MI, ACLU and Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice Call for Investigation into Luqman Ameen Abdullah shooting in Dearborn, MI...Finally!

Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah

This should have been done weeks ago but the realities of limited time, limited resources and an avalanche of horrible incidents in our nation made it very difficult.  Today it was reported that a coalition including the Council on American-Islamic Relations - Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice send the U.S. Department of Justice a letter asking for an investigation into Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah's shooting and death in Dearborn, Michigan a few weeks ago at the hands of the local FBI.

There is no word yet on whether or not the U.S. Department of Justice will open an investigation or not.  The letter was to be released by CAIR-Michigan this evening.  It was not available on CAIR-Michigan's website this evening nor was it reproduced on Dawud Walid's (Dawud is the executive director of CAIR Michigan) personal blog.

Locally (in Illinois) the American Muslim community is silent (institutionally) on the shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.  Despite numerous requests for comments or feedback to the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) no information at all has been provided.  To date there is still no press release or statement even addressing the shooting.  This is a shame.

Congressman Don Manzullo - Republican - says Islam is a savage religion? Really?

 
Congressman Don Manzullo (R)
Illinois' 16th Congressional Dist

On Sunday (11/15) U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, a Republican member of the Illinois congressional delegation, said the detainees at Guantanamo Bay military prison follow "some savage religion."  All of the detainees at GITMO are reportedly Muslims or from Muslim majority countries.  It is safe to say Manzullo knows this fact.

Illinois is a great state and by and large the elected officials of this state have a good relationship with American Muslims.  That has a lot to do with the fact that American Muslims are very active and engaged in public and interfaith life in Illinois.  Even though we have some "less than enlightened" politicians run arounding still (i.e., Congressman Mark "It's okay to profile Muslims and Arabs" Kirk), it is still disturbing to hear one of our congressmen describe Islam as a "savage religion".

We all know that Islam abhors violence and mayhem and the killing of innocents and that oppression is considered reprehensible in Islam.  The world "Islam" means peace.  We also know that a powerful, multi-faceted and cunning campaign has been underway for many years even before 9/11/01 and those forces have tripled and quadrupled their vicious attacks on Muslims and Islam in America and abroad.

Manzullo's calling Islam a savage religion is sickening.  Thankfully Senator Durbin and Gov. Quinn have both come out to let Illinoisans know that what Manzullo is doing is pure fearmongering.  They pointed out that Manzullo's comments are meant to use fear of Islam to kill a plan that would bring GITMO detainees to a currently unused prison in far northwest Illinois.

Manzullo and other Republicans in Illinois can disagree with Sen. Durbin and Gov. Quinn about the effectiveness of selling the prison in Thomson, Illinois to the federal government for the purposes of housing and trying GITMO detainees.  Manzullo and his Republican colleagues should, however, try to use sound and persuasive arguments and not slip into bigotry.  That is wrong.  That is disgusting.

Whatever his true feelings are Manzullo is doing the right thing now by rephrasing and explaining his comments.  According to the Chicago Tribune Manzullo explained:

"I never once said that Islam is a savage religion. It is a false conclusion or assumption. These terrorists have perverted the peaceful nature of Islam for their own demented purposes."

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American Islamic Relations, was quoted in the same Chicago Tribune story as saying:

"It is outrageous and very sad that a representative of the people would partake in an attack against a global faith.  He could have said, 'a savage ideology' or 'a savage interpretation' or any type of nuance that a politician like himself knows how to do."

Rehab is exactly on point.  Manzullo should work harder to avoid defaming the faith of 6 million of his fellow Americans.  His 16th congressional district, which includes the cities of Rockford, Crystal Lake and parts of East and West Dundee, is home to many Muslims.  There are at least 4 mosques in his congressional district and the American Muslim constituents are hardworking and patriotic Americans.  Shame on Manzullo for being so callous.

Some argue that Manzullo should be given some slack for clarifying his comments.  Taking Manzullo to task in the media and hopefully through some targeted civic actions in his district is not about being harsh or vindictive.  It is about saying enough is enough to Islamophobic rhetoric by our leaders.  It is about sending a message to Manzullo that he needs to step up and defend American Muslims from Islamophobes like his fellow Republican congressman Mark Kirk (R - 10th Dist - IL) and national Republicans like Rudy Gulliani.

American Muslims have a responsibility to speak out against violence and extremism done in the name of Islam.  American Muslims have been doing this since long before 9/11 and certainly a lot more since then.  They do this not because they are responsible for the actions of other Muslims but because their fellow Americans deserve to know what Muslims really believe.  Given the power and reach of Islamophobes through extremist Christians like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham and through the right-wing media such as Faux News and right-wing talk radio, it is up to American Muslims to share the truth one neighbor at a time if need be.

The battle against religious extremism cannot be won by using Islam and Muslims as scapegoats.  American Muslims are America's greatest asset in the battle against religious extremism and terror conducted in the name of Islam.  It is about time that Manzullo and others recognized this fact and stopped making the same old tired and bigoted comments.

Manzullo has the thanks of American Muslims for his after-the-fact explanation.  Better something than nothing and better late than never.  As a follow up act Manzullo needs to make sustained efforts to reach out to, connect with and help his American Muslim constituents just the same way he helps others in his district.  In order words, he needs to treat his American Muslim constituents fairly.

Are we at war with Islam? Only according to extremist, warmongering radicals

Have you noticed how extremist, warmongering radicals all see Islam at war with America?  Al Qaeda and its spawn certainly promote this belief.  And so too do extremist, warmongering radical Americans. 

That's right: extremist, warmongering radical right-wing Americans go to great lengths and leave no idiotic conspiracy theory that supports their warped worldview untapped in trying to convince themselves that Islam is evil and that all Muslims are openly and secretly trying to kill all non-Muslims.  It is about time we exposed these violence-prone fanatics who deceptively wrap the Stars and Stripes around themselves to mask the mix of Christian Identity, White Supremacy, Dominionism and xenophobia.

You know who these folks are - they are the people you see at rallies and protests, they are the screwballs who call into right-wing talk radio and lace their anti-Muslim diatribes with "God Bless America", "Amen" and "Yee Haa" and they are the entertainers pretending to be pundits and journalists on Faux News and on America Right satellite radio and are on the donor rolls of extremist Christian leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham.  They are the people shaving their heads and putting bedsheets on their heads and getting swastikas tattooed on their bodies.  They are the people bombing abortion clinics, killing doctors, going on shooting rampages against anyone who is not White and who target non-Christians with gun violence and random thuggery.  They have the blogs that rightly decry Al Qaeda organized violence and then go one indict every other Muslim for good measure.

These extremist Americans have more in common with Al Qaeda than with the rest of America.  Instead of allowing Americans to close ranks and deal with the fanaticism of Al Qaeda together, their hate ideology is extremely effective in keeping American Muslims off balance and consistently in a defensive posture.  Instead of spending time rooting out extremism, hours and hours of time is spent by American Muslims telling America who they are and what they believe.

Eight years ago American Muslims recognized that they would have to make the case for Islam as a religion of peace and for themselves as patriotic and loyal Americans.  For eight years American Muslims have been talking in interfaith gatherings, wearing the American flag on their lapels, blasting out press releases condemning terrorism committed by their co-religionists throughout the world and contributing day after day as productive citizens in all walks of life.

Today it is clear that American Muslims cannot do it by themselves.  They need the help and support of the rest of America.  They need the help of everyday Americans who know American Muslims as neighbors, co-workers, friends and classmates.  Do the math and you will understand why, in the face of a frenzied and high powered smear campagin by American extremists within this society, 6 million American Muslims cannot possibly share their aspirations, hopes, their hospitality and their love of America with the other 300 million Americans by themselves.

Americans need to unite against extremism.  American Muslims need to get out of their comfort zone and continue condemning terrorism and violence committed in the name of Islam.  The rest of America needs to rally behind those American Muslims who have stepped forward to speak truth to power and confront extremism within their own community as well as against the vicious bigotry of fanatical, righ-wing extremist Americans.  This is the need of our time and all Americans of good will need to do their part.