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How to counter Islamophobia?
A) We must wake up
B) If we are 7 million, we must plan to positively influence at least 10 non Muslims Americans about the truth in Islam and educate them that Islam is far from what some literalistic totalitarian extremists are trying to tell them. We could thus at last be able to work with over 70 Million people in the US.
C) Not all evangelicals are islamophobes (example the African American evangelicals etc). Humans are humans. They have a fear of the unknown and the fear increases when they are misfed. We may have to make up for the lost decades of the work that our past generations were not able to accomplish. Building bridges amongst ourselves, + building bridges with all other people. Now we have to work at the grass root level as well as above that i.e. Neighbors, Schools, Town councils, States, federal level, media of all forms etc.
D) We have to take away the mikes from the extremist people who claim to represent Muslims, and replace them with articulate, educated, moderate, enlightened people and let them be our representatives.
E) We must re-align the education of our children (and our own) into areas and fields which help make public perception and influence policy. i.e. Producers, actors, writers, journalists, lawyers. [Please note that Doctors are not on this list…. ] Thus enabling us to make a larger impact.
F) We must remain positive in times like this. There is no other way. We have examples of other communities, and times where only positive activities led to positive results and this is in complete sync with our faith.
G) We may have to focus on things here in the US while easing on our obsessions for the US foreign policy. Learn to crawl, then walk and then walk fast and then finally run or maybe fly. There is usually no short cut to being effective.
H) We must all keep defense funds (15% of your income) i.e to be sue happy if anyone does do active discrimination, or any form of hate crime. One person’s defense fund can come in handy for others as well, to make a legal example out of the hate mongers. The legal system in the US still is better than most Muslim countries. We must use it.
I) Come forward when you are attacked or discriminated against at any level. Unless the story is told with names and details, not one knows. And if no one knows no one can help. There are good people in the US who are waiting to hear our stories, but we usually shy away and stay in our self created comfort zones.
J) Finally we must be honest with ourselves. If we see a Muslim doing wrong (in the US and abroad), we must be the first ones to point it out. Our silence is perceived as our agreement with their actions/views. If we disagree with them we must say so and make our selves heard. We need to represent ourselves, and not let an uneducated person do that. If we do not come up with our own solutions someone else will impose their solutions on to us. Which are usually not fair as we may have hopefully learnt by now.
M. Saud Anwar
S.Anwar@sbcglobal.net
November 2003
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