Why do Americans fear Muslims?

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?

9/11 permanently altered the way Muslims and Islam are viewed by many Americans, and since that time, a wave of anti-Muslim feelings has definitely developed. At the same time, most Americans are not religious bigots, but unless we acknowledge and address the underlying concerns they have, the feelings will only get worse. We need to take a deeper look.

The current view of Muslims held by a significant number of Americans is the result of a combination of fear, resentment, and hatred. To diminish it, we first have to understand its causes. In many situations, antipathy toward an individual or group has its origins in fear. We fear what someone or something can do to harm us, to harm members of our family, or to negatively effect our way of life. This fear leads to resentment, which can easily lead to hatred. The current anti-Muslim feelings are a perfect example of this process. They may have begun with 9/11, but they are continually reinforced every time the news media tells of another religion inspired terrorist attack somewhere in the world. Although the majority of Muslims are not violent, the majority of such attacks today are carried out by Muslims.

Both the perception of Muslims as violent and the violence that does exist within Islam have to change, and Muslims themselves need to take the lead here. The problem within contemporary Islam is that the number of adherents who justify violence as the way to solve their problems or as a way to get converts is quite high in comparison to other religions. Many blame Israel or the U.S. invasion of Iraq for their violence, but Muslim attacks against and forced conversion of non-Muslims predates the twentieth century birth of Israel and of the Iraq wars. Because most Americans do not buy these excuses, a significant number have become afraid of Islam and of Muslims, fearing that they or their loved ones may become victims as well. A major contributor to this fear is the belief that our current government neither understands nor shares the fear and therefore is doing nothing substantive to alleviate it. The fear turns to resentment and in some cases to hatred. Fortunately, much of it remains in the form of speech, rarely elevating to the level of physical violence. Ironically, the most recent attack of a Muslim in New York was by a drunk man who worked as a volunteer for an organization that supports the building of a mosque at Ground Zero.

Yet, while our media is focused on the problems Muslims face here, they seem to downplay the anti-semitism that is far more sinister and prevalent in the U.S. According to 2008 hate crime statistics compiled by the FBI, two-thirds of all religion motivated hate crimes were against Jews, while about 1 in 15 were against Muslims. This means that Jews are nearly ten times as likely as Muslims to be victims of hate crimes in the U.S. Why, then, does our media not spend more time focusing on anti-Semitism? Is it because Jews as a whole do not lash out violently when they are spoken out against? We need to all stand together against hate crimes and not ignore any of them, not just those against Muslims. Ironically, many Muslim clerics are integral in spreading anti-semitism while loudly condemning any criticism of Islam.

Again, the solution has to start at home. Anti-violent and anti-fundamentalist Muslims have to stand up against the terrorism that is being carried in the name of their religion. Some do, but far too many remain quiet. I understand their hesitance, as I have Muslim friends who fear for themselves or their families if they speak out. What does this say about the state of Islam today? I know of no other religion in which its members are afraid for their lives to criticize elements of their own tradition. They best way to diminish anti-Muslim feelings by Americans and others in the world is for Muslim leaders to take strong actions to diminish Muslim violence, to loudly and regularly denounce clerics and others who advocate violence, to stand up against people and groups like Iran's Ahmadinejad or Hamas when they call for the destruction of Israel, and to work with others to stop all forms of violence, not just that directed against Muslims. I have a several wonderful Muslims friends who are tireless is doing this, but they exist in a minority, while most others keep silent and do nothing to stop the hatred. We all need to heed the well known saying, typically attributed to Eldridge Cleaver, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

As a Hindu, I regularly speak up against aspects of orthodox Hinduism that I see as wrong, and I never have to worry about my safety. Today, most Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Jews are free to do the same. It is only in Islam where members fear for their lives if they criticize their religion or what is occurring in its name. Because the majority of Muslims in America are peace loving, decent human beings, surely Obama can find and support American Muslims who are willing to be consistent and unequivocal in speaking up against the violence and who can successfully promote a Muslim movement for peace here that is inclusive. Muslims and non-Muslims alike would welcome such a move, and many would happily participate. Americans would much prefer to live in peace with their Muslim and other non-Christian neighbors than to fear them. However, they need to know that the majority of Muslims are not violent and are willing to speak up and stand up against that violence. They also need to know our government is more concerned about the safety of Americans than what is currently felt. Until they are convinced of this, they will continue to live in fear of Islam and of Muslims, and some will react in ways even more foolish, ill conceived, and potentially dangerous than the plan to burn a copy of the Qur'an by a short-sighted Florida minister.

By Ramdas Lamb  |  September 9, 2010; 4:40 AM ET Save & Share:                 
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