The Muslim Moment
American Muslims should act boldly and show that their radical, anti-American leaders are wrong.
by Fred Barnes
11/01/2001 12:01:00 AM
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Fred Barnes, executive editor
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THE IMAGE OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS has been badly bruised since September 11--this, despite vigorous efforts by President Bush and others to defend their loyalty and protect them from threats and violence. Muslim leaders (but not grass-roots Muslims across the country) are at least partly to blame. Why? For starters, rather than express support for Bush's war against terrorism, they've spent much of their time in the past seven weeks condemning American bombing of the Taliban in Afghanistan, opposing anti-terrorist legislation, and emphasizing their victimhood. Then, there's the case of the Muslim cleric in New York who fabricated a story of persecution and fled to Egypt, where he accused Jews of plotting the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and Jewish doctors of poisoning Muslim children. And there are countless examples of American Muslim leaders indulging in hate speech to attack Israel.
I could go on. Suffice it to say tough criticism of the Muslim community has ensued. In Commentary, Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia argues that American Muslims aren't as patriotic as other Americans: "It is not accurate to say, as President Bush said of the Islamist leaders with whom he met on September 17, that they 'love America as much as I do.'" In the Wall Street Journal, Muqtedar Khan, director of international studies at Adrian College in Michigan, says "American Muslims must avoid the impulse to blame the U.S. (or Jews or Hindus) for all Muslim miseries."
All this is backdrop to an extraordinary
opportunity Muslim leaders and organizations have to promote America and democratic values in the war against terrorism--in other words, to come to the aid of their country. I don't mean just cooperate with the investigation of radical Islamic terrorism in this country. That's goes without saying. Besides, helping investigators is largely passive, a matter of answering questions. American Muslims need to be proactive.
They should begin by trumpeting the president's oft-repeated point that America is not at war with Islam. Living here, they know it's true. So why not say so in their press conferences and public statements and resolutions and speeches? Timing and location are important. Now is the moment, and the place to appear is the Islamic world. If American Muslims show up in Pakistan or Egypt or one of the Persian Gulf states and make that point, it's bound to have enormous impact. They'd be credible. They could also make themselves available to Al Jazeera, CNN International, Sky News, the BBC, Voice of America, and other broadcast outlets heard in Muslim nations.
Next, American Muslims should demand of Muslim countries what they thrive on here: tolerance and pluralism. As things stand, the Saudi government is free to build mosques and schools all over America. But build a church in Saudi Arabia? Not a chance. Practice Christianity in Iran? Only if you're ready for jail. American Muslims could single out the Taliban for criticism, since it is holding eight Christians from the West for evangelizing.
This last suggests a bigger step American Muslims should take. Now, they are coming forward to complain about any post-September 11 harassment. This is proper, but it needs to be extended. When Islamic terrorists in Pakistan kill 16 people in a Christian church, as they did last week, Muslim leaders in the United States should be the first to denounce the attack. When Muslim rebels seize American missionaries in the Philippines, they should immediately respond.
Val:Y
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