Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Is healing even possible?
After 9/11 President Bush reminded Americans that the attack was the work of a few terrorists and not the Muslim people. "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam," Bush said a few days after 9/11. President Obama reached out to Muslims worldwide in his 2009 Cairo speech, where he insisted that "America is not -- and never will be -- at war with Islam." Yet partly because of the furor over the "mosque" near Ground Zero, a new wave of anti-Muslim feeling has arisen. Gen. Petraeus recently spoke out against a planned burning of the Qur'an by a church in Florida, an act which Petraeus says threatens American operations in Afghanistan and harms America's image in Muslim countries.
Did we (Muslim and non-Muslims) do enough after 9/11 to heal the nation? If not, what should we have done? What more can we do now?
Anti-Islamic sentiment is rampant in our country. Instead of pointing fingers, let's focus on how different groups have tried to solve this problem and whether it's even possible to heal our nation.
...
Have Christians done enough? No.
The message in some churches today seems to be (paraphrased from George Orwell) that, under the law, all religions may be equal, but some are more equal than others. And Islam is at the bottom of the list.
Not all Christians are making life difficult for Muslims. But we need more Christians who are willing to point a finger at those in their own camp. Let's hear them call out the pastors who make Islam out to be any more dangerous than their own religion. Let's hear them denounce the Christians who silently condemn people like Pastor Terry Jones who will burn Qur'ans this 9/11, but say nothing out loud because they fear alienating their "brothers and sisters in Christ." Let's hear them criticize their neighbors and family members who say anything untrue about Muslims.
Failure to do those things is simply cowardice. It hurts our country.
Of course, we all need to be doing those things, but it would mean so much more if it came from other Christians.
...
Have Muslims done enough to heal this nation? As a whole, no.
There's no doubt in my mind that Muslims in America are good citizens who have been unfairly maligned in the past decade. They obviously don't support terrorism; they want to worship in peace.
The problem is that, when someone legitimately criticizes Islam's treatment of women, or points out some of the horrific things the Qur'an says, or draws an image of Muhammad, they cower back and say next to nothing in defense of free speech.
That's my biggest problem with the "moderates." They're quick to reject Muslims who are violent, but also quick to condemn anyone who has good reason to criticize Islam itself.
If Muslim-Americans want to heal the nation, they should realize (and openly admit) that, in our country, Islam is subject to the same kind of scrutiny as every other belief system. No one has to follow Islamic law or think well of Islamic traditions. In fact, we even have the right to mock Islamic beliefs if we so choose. (Obviously, no one has the right to stop Muslims from legally building a mosque. And no one should discriminate against Muslims in the workplace because of their beliefs.)
Where are the Muslim Voltaires who can say, "I disapprove of your critique of Islam, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"? We would all benefit by hearing from more of them.
..
Have atheists done enough? This is more difficult to answer.
Most atheists I know don't bother to slice and dice different religions - all religious claims are equally wrong to us. Does putting Islam at a level playing field with Christianity, Hinduism, Mormonism, and other religious faiths help them or hurt them? You could answer this either way.
Certainly, I don't believe atheists have singled out Muslims in the wake of 9/11 the same way some religious extremists have, and I'm grateful for that. However, we also haven't gone out of our way to make Muslims feel welcome.
You could argue we've hurt Muslim-Americans, but it's not because we "fear" them. It's because we think their religious beliefs are false and 9/11 gave many atheists the impetus to finally say that out loud. Author Sam Harris began writing his eventual bestseller The End of Faith the day after the attacks, and the New Atheism "boom" began to take shape not long afterwards.
Since then, we've put a much larger magnifying glass to different religions' claims and how incorrect those beliefs are. We have called attention to the fact that children should not be labeled with a particular religion, that no one has the right to censor free speech that condemns religious beliefs, and that non-Christians are equally patriotic citizens.
I think getting the nation to see all religious claims as sides of the same coin would go a long way toward uniting us... but I'm well aware very few people agree with me.
...
What all groups must remember is that while we can rebuke Islam all we want, that doesn't mean we ought to treat Muslim-Americans improperly. We need to defend their right to worship, build mosques, and run for public office. We need to remember that our respect for people (whatever their religion may be) is more important than our respect for their faith. If we can keep these things in mind, we may not "heal the nation," but we'll be building a nation that's hospitable to people of all religious and non-religious backgrounds.
By
Hemant Mehta
|
September 7, 2010; 11:43 PM ET
Save & Share:
Previous: What "we" can say depends on who "we" are |
Next: Human condition makes healing impossible
Posted by: Secular | September 12, 2010 2:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Part 2 Contd.
MR. Mehta then adds "That's my biggest problem with the "moderates." They're quick to reject Muslims who are violent, but also quick to condemn anyone who has good reason to criticize Islam itself". Actually they are not quick to reject the violent muslims but are eager to rationalize their violent coreligionists' behavior. On the other hand they demand that their scripture be given proper respect by overlooking its vile verses. Above all the promoters of the NYC mosque chose to build one in NYC supposedly to promote tolerance and understanding. They must realize if anything there is a dire need for tolerance in those islamic paradises than in NYC. It was abundantly clear the shallowness of the islamic tolerance during the Tsunami of 2005 December. One after the other the bigoted clergy of these paradises paraded with their cosmological analysis of the tsunami. Their firm conclusion was it was their skydaddy's approbation against the victims of the tsunami is due to their hedonistic lifestyle. How many of the moderate muslims here have taken those bigots to task? Hardly anybody.
He further adds "If Muslim-Americans want to heal the nation, they should realize (and openly admit) that, in our country, Islam is subject to the same kind of scrutiny as every other belief system. No one has to follow Islamic law or think well of Islamic traditions. In fact, we even have the right to mock Islamic beliefs if we so choose. (Obviously, no one has the right to stop Muslims from legally building a mosque. And no one should discriminate against Muslims in the workplace because of their beliefs.)" On the contrary they have been foremost in front to criticize the Danish Cartoons or the Draw a MO Day"
Where are the Muslim Voltaires who can say, "I disapprove of your critique of Islam, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"? We would all benefit by hearing from more of them".
With such performance I would be hard pressed to grade them any beyond D-
Posted by: Secular | September 12, 2010 2:36 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Testing
Posted by: Secular | September 12, 2010 2:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment
PART 1
At the outset this essay comes across as very balanced, spreading the blame across all parties. This is on closer examination thus fraught with the a priori assumptions not comprehending the later observations. While it is a good place in the beginning to start with assumption that all parties equally blame worthy or that all parties have legitimate positions. But when that is not tempered by the actual facts on the ground, then it becomes unfair to some and too licentious to others. This article suffers from that almost all the way.
Mr. Mehta begins with the following analysis:
"Have Christians done enough? No."
Fair enough, but does anyone really expect that to be possible, amongst a collection of 250+ million of them. There are bound to be some who are racists, and bigots of various varieties. But by and large there has been very little overt profiling and discrimination.
Then Mr. Mehta claims "The message in some churches today seems to be (paraphrased from George Orwell) that, under the law, all religions may be equal, but some are more equal than others."
Not that I would ever subscribe to this view, but the above observation begs the question "What else do you really expect, from the clergy of one faith over another faith?" By very definition clergy of every faith is a prejudiced group of people if not outright bigots. These are the people who sell unsubstantiated claims as fact to the credulous and gullible. The real question ought to be is there greater degree of this since 9/11/01 or the same. To this I am not sure the answer is resounding YES.
Then he goes on to say "Not all Christians are making life difficult for Muslims. But we need more Christians who are willing to point a finger at those in their own camp. Let's hear them call out the pastors who make Islam out to be any more dangerous than their own religion. Let's hear them denounce the Christians who silently condemn people like Pastor Terry Jones who will burn Qur'ans this 9/11, but say nothing out loud because they fear alienating their "brothers and sisters in Christ." Let's hear them criticize their neighbors and family members who say anything untrue about Muslims." I think a lot of the moderate clergy have indeed called and criticized such display of bigotry and xenophobia. Those who have not are generally been a fairly small minority, albeit still quite significant. That said then those are the guys who are the bigots and the rest have taken them to task.
Finally he concludes "Failure to do those things is simply cowardice. It hurts our country.
Of course, we all need to be doing those things, but it would mean so much more if it came from other Christians". I think this charge is unfair. While I will not give a grade of "A+", it wont be any less than "C", which is as best as it gets, in the 21st century, which is still filled with credulous being who are eager to believe in the bronze age myths.
Posted by: Secular | September 12, 2010 12:20 AM
Report Offensive Comment
........."WE SALUTE ALL GOOD MEN & WOMAN"
......
.....
...
.===================================+++===()
............. #..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#....:..:..:..:..:...:..:...:
............. #..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#....:..:..:..:..:...:..:...:
............. #..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#....:..:..:..:..:...:..:...:
............. #..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#....:..:..:..:..:...:..:...:
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
............. #..#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#.#..#..#..#..#..#..#..#
...
....
......
........ Credit From "JJ"
....................................... http://onwapo.com/ ::
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 11, 2010 7:52 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Mr. Mehta,it seems to me, has presented a fair, balanced, and insightful commentary. In that spirit, I offer the following:
FIVE QUESTIONS ISLAM'S AUTHORITATIVE VOICES NEED TO ANSWER. American Muslims need to tell us what the most authoritative voices of Islam would say in answer to the five questions posed below. The issue is not what individual American Muslims might answer. We need to know what the most authoritative voices of orthodox Islam would say.
Here are the questions:
1. Does Islam allow for the separation of church and state?
2. Does Islam allow for the full legal equality of women?
3. Does Islam allow for religious pluralism? For example, if a Muslim male married a Christian female, would the husband and wife be able to say to their children, “We will attend the mosque on Friday and the church on Sunday and consider ourselves a bi-religious family. When each of you is 18 years old, you will be free to choose. You can continue of bilateral approach; or, you can choose one religion over the other; or, you can choose another religion altogether.”
4. What does Islam say (according to the authoritative voices) should be the fate of heretics? For example, if a member of the Egyptian soccer team got up tomorrow morning and announced he was converting from Islam to Christianity and changing his name from Mohammad Ali to Cassius Clay, what do the authoritative voices of Islam say should be his fate?
5. Does Islam allow for the publication of a scholarly book alleging that Muhammad was a fraud?
(Alternatively, instead of posing the questions to the authoritative voices of Islam, we ask American Muslims to imagine the question is, “What do Islamic textbooks used in the teaching of Muslim students in America say in answer to the following questions?”)
Posted by: tbarksdl | September 10, 2010 7:29 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Averroes was the Voltaire of Islam. Sadly, Muslims don’t seem to agree with him. I don’t really know even whether he’s a well known figure among Muslims.
In fact, he was kind of an accommodationist. Non overlapping magisteria and all.
Maybe they should be encouraged to read their own intellectuals' works just as we read Voltaire.
Posted by: jose_ | September 10, 2010 7:19 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Excellent post Hermant, it sums it up nicely.
"This is because our modern, liberal democracies "took the teeth" out of the Christian churches long ago, when we separated them from our governments."
Well for the most part, but we still have Christians that feel strongly enough about abortion they kill doctors.
But no one did kill over the communion wafers. We will know the Muslim religion has truly merged into the US culture when as Hermant says, Muslims start saying "I disapprove of your critique of Islam, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"?"
I would love to have heard this with reference to the now canceled Koran burning, and had that been a loud message from the Muslim community it would have gone a long way to solving some of the disharmony and misunderstanding that is currently pervasive.
Posted by: sailor10 | September 9, 2010 8:27 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Irrational Pacisfism has blinded us. The wounds of 9/11 will never heal because Islamists continue to inflict wounds on innocent populations around the world. They are killing and raping Hindus in India, right at this moment ( news clip below ). MK Gandhi agreed British partition of India based on Islamic demands but that was not enough to satiate Jihadi minds!
I really am not sure burning few copies of Koran will snuff the hatred from Islamists. Just check out what is happening in this border district in India facing Islamic Bangladesh, classic demographic warfare by Muslims once they reach the "threshold" of Intolerance! Lesson for America!
NO RESPITE DESPITE ARMY PRESENCE
http://hindusamhati.org/
NO RESPITE DESPITE ARMY PRESENCE. TODAY MORNING AGAIN MUSLIMS ARE ATTACKING DIFFERENT HINDU VILLAGES AROUND KARTICKPUR AWAY FROM THE MAIN ROAD.
HINDU WOMEN ARE FLEEING FROM BISWANATHPUR TOWARDS KARTICKPUR AS A LARGE MUSLIM MOB IS PROCEEDING FROM DOGACHHIA SIDE. POLICE IS TOTALLY HELPLESS. SEVERAL RAF PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN SEVERELY BEATEN UP BY THE MUSLIMS. EVEN ARMY IS UNABLE TO STOP THE MUSLIM MOB.
"KHEJURDANGA KARMAKAR PARA" VILLAGE JUST NOW BURNT. IT IS 2 KM. INSIDE FROM THE MAIN ROAD. ARMY IS NOT GOING THERE.
WOMEN ARE SCARED. ARMY IS NOT GOING INSIDE AS THEIR NUMBER IS TOO SMALL, ONLY ABOUT 200
SITUATION EXTREMELY WORSE. HINDUS ARE WAITING FOR MASSACRE. ALL SIDES ARE BLOCKED BY THE MUSLIMS. NO ROUTE TO ESCAPE.
Posted by: futuralogic | September 9, 2010 11:17 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Excellent post. I don't think America has done enough, and in fact, some news organizations are making things worse. They portray Muslims as "the other". When they are not: most American Muslims are American born, I would guess. They are certainly American citizens, and deserve the same rights as other American's do.
All that being said, the reason General Petraeus said that burning the Koran would endanger US troops is...because it's true. And that is wrong. When PZ Myers desecrated the cracker, Catholics from around the globe did not kill people or destroy property.
This is because our modern, liberal democracies "took the teeth" out of the Christian churches long ago, when we separated them from our governments. There really are no more "Christian Governments" left in our world, where the church absolutely dictates government policies. I imagine Islam will not end its radicalism until something similar is instituted for it. That is not going to be easy in light of Sharia Law.
Posted by: Data_Jack | September 8, 2010 11:32 PM
Report Offensive Comment
How is healing possible when Jihadis continuoysly inflict wounds on non-Islamic populations around the world. I really am not sure burning few copies of Koran will snuff the hatred from Islamists. Just check out what is happening in this border district in India facing Islamic Bangladesh, classic demographic warfare by Muslims once they reach the "threshold" of Intolerance! Lesson for America!
NO RESPITE DESPITE ARMY PRESENCE
http://hindusamhati.org/
NO RESPITE DESPITE ARMY PRESENCE. TODAY MORNING AGAIN MUSLIMS ARE ATTACKING DIFFERENT HINDU VILLAGES AROUND KARTICKPUR AWAY FROM THE MAIN ROAD.
HINDU WOMEN ARE FLEEING FROM BISWANATHPUR TOWARDS KARTICKPUR AS A LARGE MUSLIM MOB IS PROCEEDING FROM DOGACHHIA SIDE. POLICE IS TOTALLY HELPLESS. SEVERAL RAF PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN SEVERELY BEATEN UP BY THE MUSLIMS. EVEN ARMY IS UNABLE TO STOP THE MUSLIM MOB.
"KHEJURDANGA KARMAKAR PARA" VILLAGE JUST NOW BURNT. IT IS 2 KM. INSIDE FROM THE MAIN ROAD. ARMY IS NOT GOING THERE.
WOMEN ARE SCARED. ARMY IS NOT GOING INSIDE AS THEIR NUMBER IS TOO SMALL, ONLY ABOUT 200
SITUATION EXTREMELY WORSE. HINDUS ARE WAITING FOR MASSACRE. ALL SIDES ARE BLOCKED BY THE MUSLIMS. NO ROUTE TO ESCAPE.
Posted by: futuralogic | September 8, 2010 7:33 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Religious criticism vs. racism
The controversy over the “Ground Zero Mosque” has not gone away and now some crazy fundamentalist Christians are planning on burning the Qur’an. It seems that people are attacking Islam for the wrong reasons.
Because religions tend to indoctrinate people at near birth some people are under the mistaken opinion that religions are natural characteristics which cannot change. The fact is that religions are beliefs and a belief is just a deeply held idea. Ideas can be criticized. When people base actions on ideas, those actions can be criticized.
You can read the rest of my response to this topic:
http://exm.nr/a5TMr9
I will be responding to every issue posted in the 'On Faith' section. If you would like to be notified when my new response is up, please subscribe.
Posted by: dangeroustalk | September 8, 2010 3:13 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
Part 2
Mr Mehta next deals with the performance of the muslims and he states thusly:
"Have Muslims done enough to heal this nation? As a whole, no".
This answer to this question is almost by definition is NO, nothing new there.
Then he goes on to say "There's no doubt in my mind that Muslims in America are good citizens who have been unfairly maligned in the past decade. They obviously don't support terrorism; they want to worship in peace". As this was stated as the state of his mind, I have to applaud his candor, but I do not subscribe to his mindshare.
Then he goes on "The problem is that, when someone legitimately criticizes Islam's treatment of women, or points out some of the horrific things the Qur'an says, or draws an image of Muhammad, they cower back and say next to nothing in defense of free speech". Not only that often the critics are denigrated as racists, bigots or Islamophobes, by them. Not only do they demand that they be treated as equals - which I have no quarrel with, but they demand that their holy book and every tittle of islamic thought be treated with great deal of respect too.