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.