American Muslims strives to repair image of Islam

American Muslims strives to repair image of Islam

In conjunction with the recently observed second commemoration of
Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. Department of State, via the
U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, invited many journalists, including The
Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana to visit Washington D.C. and New
York City. They had the chance to talk to senior U.S. government
officials, scholars, Islamic leaders and community leaders on how
the American public perceives Islam and Muslims.

Inda and Didi Gunawan, a young Indonesian married couple,
decided to go home to Indonesia last June after studying and
working in the U.S. for more than eight years.

Inda studied television journalism and broadcasting, while
Didi got a master's degree in business administration from a
prestigious university in New York. After graduating, they worked
in established companies and had a very comfortable life with a
good marriage and successful professional careers in the United
States. Then came Sept. 11, 2001.

"After the (Sept. 11) tragedy, the Bali bombing and worst of
all, the war against Iraq, we Muslims felt uncomfortable living
and working in the U.S. due to the American 'discriminatory'
policies and harassment from our neighbors and co-workers," Didi
complained.

Soon after Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds of Muslims from Indonesia
and other Islamic countries and even American-born Muslims have
reported similar experiences.

President George W. Bush insisted that the attacks had nothing
to do with true Islam. He made the remark at the Washington
Islamic Center in late 2001. He also said recently that the
ongoing war against Iraq was not a war against Islam.

Muhammad Shamsi Ali, assistant Imam (religious leader) at the
New York Islamic Center, admitted that the post-9/11 era had thus
far been a difficult period for Muslim communities in the U.S.
Ali said that it was the climax of negative portrayals of Islam
in the U.S. Much of the American media, a chorus of academic and
corporate experts and even some government officials seemed to
take the view that Islam is synonymous with terrorism and
violence.

"Today, the jihad is a hot topic. The concept of jihad has
been misunderstood by many, especially since 9/11. It is pretty
hard to get everyone to understand its real meaning," he said.

The word jihad literally means "struggle. "There are three
types of jihad: personal, verbal and physical. It is a struggle
to cleanse one's spirit of sin; it is also a struggle against
injustice.

Ali added that war was not "holy" in Islam. When Muslims wage
physical jihad, they must have a solid reason for doing so, and
they must abide by a very strict code of conduct in war. The
Sept. 11 attacks were the antithesis of everything that true
jihad is all about. The Bali bombing and other terrorist acts are
also not a proper jihad.

"How could Amrozi and Imam Samudra (Bali bombers) feel so
happy and buoyant when receiving death sentences for claiming the
lives of 202 victims in Kuta, Bali? As a Muslim and as an
Indonesian, there is no proper word for them but villains. I
cannot find any Koranic verse which justifies their actions,"
explained Ali.

However, Ali said it was the U.S. government's right to impose
any policies to ensure the security of the nation and its
citizens.

"We have close cooperation with the government, including the
intelligence agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI)," he said.

At present, the number of Muslim citizens in the U.S. was
estimated to be between 5 million and 7 million out of the more
than 300 million U.S. population. According to one report, there
are now approximately 13,500 Muslims on active duty in the U.S.
armed services.

The growth of the Muslim community in the U.S. is generally
believed to have started in the early 20th century when waves of
immigrants from various parts of the world, most notably
Palestine, Lebanon and what is now Pakistan, came in search of a
better life. These people were mostly illiterate and unskilled,
but they found work in the auto factories of Detroit as did
peasants from Punjab who settled in such places as Sacramento and
found other jobs.

Then, beginning in the 1950s, the picture changed drastically.
An influx of Muslim professionals, many of them scientists, who
considered the conditions in their homelands inhospitable,
settled in the U.S. after completing their studies.

This was the period which saw the formation of the early
Muslim communities and mosques in such places as Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and other areas. Visiting scholars and
missionary groups from the Middle East and the Subcontinent also
began to arrive and Islam slowly began to gain local acceptance,
particularly among African-American groups with prominent figures
such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabaar.

Today, mosques, Islamic centers and schools are found in many
major cities. Despite its 100 years of existence, many Americans
have little awareness about Islam and its followers. Efforts to
increase public awareness of Islam have been made through the
publications of various books, including those written by the
late Edward W. Said, Karen Armstrong and many others.

Non-government organizations such as the New York-based Asia
Society frequently hold seminars and discussions on Islam-related
issues. Universities, colleges and other institutions across the
nation also have organized seminars on similar topics.

In May this year, The Asia Society, for instance, invited Greg
Fealy, a visiting lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's School
for Advanced International Studies, to hold a discussion entitled
Understanding Political Islam in Southeast Asia.

In terms of the media, Abi Wright, Asia Program Coordinator of
the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, admitted that
the American and Western media often had biased news coverage.

"But, you cannot influence the editors of these publications
unless they get clear pictures on the subject," she said. Wright
suggested that the Muslim leaders and their communities stand up
and prove themselves to the media that Islam is not a matter of
terrorism and violence.