Fellow Americans' suspicions frustrate US Muslims

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK – Nine years of denouncing terrorism, of praying side-by-side with Jews and Christians, of insisting "I'm American, too." None of it could stop a season of hate against Muslims that made for an especially fraught Sept. 11. Now, Muslims are asking why their efforts to be accepted in the United States have been so easily thwarted.

"We have nothing to apologize for, we have nothing to fear, we have nothing to be ashamed of, we have nothing that we're guilty of — but we need to be out there and we need to express this," said Imam Mohammed Ibn Faqih in a sermon at the Islamic Institute of Orange County in Anaheim, Calif., the day before the 9/11 anniversary.

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Within the U.S., domestic terror has become a greater threat, while ignorance about what Islam teaches is widespread. More than half of respondents in a recent poll by the Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life said they knew little or nothing about the Muslim faith.

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"I think that part of the reason the general American public is not listening is the common human impulse to fear and mistrust what we don't know or understand," said Abdullahi An-Na'im, an expert in Islam and human rights at Emory University School of Law.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100912/ap_on_re_us/us_muslims_in_america

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Uncensored, Breaking News http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[aquart]

2. Well, I'd thank that nice, peaceful Iman Rauf.

Poor innocent, unsophisticated fellow never imagined there would be so much fuss.

[6000eliot]

4. This commotion didn't start until the republicans decided

to use it as an election issue. They always stir up fear and hate, since they don't have any actual ideas to get people to vote for them. Musilms have a right to build their churches anywhere they want, as do all other religions. Period.

[pipoman]

6. Actually no religion,

nor anyone else for that matter, actually has "a right" to build "anywhere they want". Building is and always has been subject to covenants and restrictions, zoning, and can be effected by the objection of other property owners in the area. period.

[DBoon]

13. "as do all other religions"

I think the OP meant that muslims should not be subject to any restrictions that do not apply equally to any other religion

[DBoon]

14. They didn't get any traction bashing gays

they then went after "illegal" immigrants (meaning in the minds of their minions anyone with a Hispanic surname).

That didn't work, so they switched to Muslims

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

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[newfie11]

5. If this is how most Americans feel I am ashamed to be an American

How on earth can anyone blame all Muslims for the shit read in the newspapers. AGAIN I ASK how many actually know a Muslim?????????????????????
Before you start with the bigoted shit maybe they should meet and get to know these people.

This is what is wrong and has been wrong with this country forever!!! If someone is "not like us"(White, Protestant) they are not to be trusted and there must be something wrong with them!!!

BTW I am white, blue eyed blond, and protestant but I have seen bigoted people over this country not just the south.

The UGLY AMERICA is alive,well and multiplying. God help the rest of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We attacked a country that had NOTHING to do with the attack on us, we left/are leaving them in a shambles, killed off hundreds of thousands of innocent people and Americans have the audacity to be pissed at innocent Muslims here in America????

Fuck you all! :grr::grr: :grr: :grr:

[madrchsod]

7. i know several and all of them have kept me alive

they did`t care who or what i was.

the christian right can no longer attack the jews and judaism so they take their evil out on islam and anyone who is`t "white"

[Dappleganger]

8. Just last week I heard...

"but I have friends who are muslim and even have lunch with them, but they still want to build on top of the World Trade center as a celebration of the 9/11 victory!"

Ugh.

[struggle4progress]

9. History sadly suggests that hate and anger and suspicion are much easier

to stir up than tolerance and neighborliness

"The only thing necessary for evil to prevail in the world, is that enough good people do nothing"

If we want a decent society, we have to work towards it every single day

The forces that produced the anti-Catholic kulturkampf and the anti-semitic shoah in Germany, that produced race hatred in the American South, that produced the horrors of tribal "ethnic cleansings" in the former Yugoslavia ... these are always with us

Stand up and fight back

[Bragi]

11. I see a problem with the 'left' perspective too

I agree right wingers are hate mongers, and blame every Muslim for the actions of a few. They are indeed loathsome.

The left, however, in correctly advocating tolerance, seems to want to also deny that ANY Muslims are intolerant, and trying to pursue their goals through intimidation and violence.

I'm convinced that neither perspective gives us an accurate or useful appreciation of what is happening.

I'm certain the right wing will not change its views in any way, but I think we need a more nuanced and reality-based perspective from the left.

In preaching tolerance, we also need to not be afraid to acknowledge that there are Muslims who advocate and practice violence, and not afraid to criticize them for it, or to criticize Muslims who are complacent or silent when confronted with that violence.

[Bragi]

16. I have changed my view on my last point (above)

Update: I think what I'm asking instead is that I would like Muslims in my communities to acknowledge that violence is taking place, as is coercion, by members of their community, and to accept that I need to defend my interests.

Once that is clear, I don't need to be critical if they choose not to speak out on it, as I sympathize with the reasons they likely have for doing not wanting to do so.

For the record, my view is, as of this moment:

That the amended paragraph therefore read:

In preaching tolerance, we also need to *not* be afraid to acknowledge that there are Muslims who advocate and practice violence and coercion, and to *not* be afraid to criticize these members of the Muslim community.

[Odin2005]

12. People are being whipped up into a hateful frenzy by RW Hate Radio.

[Turborama]

15. K & Rec #5

Thanks for posting.