Muslim Americans Observe The Ninth Anniversary of 9/11
As the anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders — who did not take a stand in the contentious political debate fueled by some extremist Christians opposing the right to build a mosque and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan several blocks from Ground Zero — condemned “anti-Muslim frenzy” in the United States.
Muslim leaders are hoping efforts planned for this weekend will channel those emotions toward something that is good both for our faith and our country, said Edina Lekovic, director of policy at Muslim Public Affairs Council, which has coordinated more than 3,500 services in the past year as part of President Obama’s National Day of Service and Remembrance initiative. The push, Lebovic says, is especially important “given the climate in the country.”
This year, 9/11 coincides with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah and the Eid-al-Fitr celebration marking the end of Ramadan. Muslim leaders have cautioned believers to forego the three-day celebrations so others might not perceive the Eid activities to celebrate the end of 30 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset as disrespectful of the simultaneous 9/11 services. Instead, they are encouraging Muslims to be extra vigilant in protecting their mosque and the worshipers who gather there. Earlier this month, the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released an online toolkit designed to help Muslim communities organize proactive local educational and outreach initiatives tied to the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Last week, a public service announcement initiative aimed at select television stations in New York and Florida was launched by the Council of American-Islamic Relations(CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. The PSA campaign, entitled “My Faith My Voice,” features American Muslims in nationally-televised ads renouncing terrorism. The grassroots media campaign promotes the message that Sept. 11 “happend to all of us.” CAIR hopes to both honor those who lost their lives and to calm the anti-Islamic climate that has swept this country over the decision to build the proposed Park51 center near Ground Zero. Opponents say the project should be moved from lower Manhattan where Islamic extremists destroyed the World Trade Center and killed nearly 2,800 people in 2001. Supporters, among them the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York governor David Paterson, and President Barack Obama, say religious freedom should be protected. More rallies are planned this Saturday in New York by groups for and against the lower Manhattan mosque after the commemoration services.
The rise of Islamophobia that this country has witnessed at rallies opposing the construction of the lower Manhattan mosque have once again galvanized Muslim leaders to distribute the message of the Quran as a positive response to the “Burn A Koran Day” planned Saturday by the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. The planned event has received worldwide media attention, touching off demonstrations by Indonesian Muslims outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta and prompted protests in Kabul by several hundred Afghan students from religious schools. The plans have drawn formal condemnation from Al-Azhar University in Egypt, whose Supreme Council accused the church of stirring up hate and discrimination and called on other American churches to speak out against it.
The White House and Christian groups like the National Association of Evangelicals oppose the action. “The threatened burning of copies of the Holy Qu’ran this Saturday is a particularly egregious offense that demands the strongest possible condemnation by all who value civility in public life and seek to honor the sacred memory of those who lost their lives on September 11,” said U.S. religious leaders who held a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. The religious leaders, including Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld of the Association of Conservative Rabbis, were convened by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to address the “growing tide of fear and intolerance.” The summit of religious leaders also included Washington Roman Catholic Archbishop emeritus Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Dr. Michael Kinnamon of the National Council of Churches.
Meanwhile, the White House and State Department both issued stern statements against heightened tensions caused by the Gainesville, Florida pastor. “We think that these are provocative acts, they are disrespectful, they are intolerant, they are divisive,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. Crowley added: “We would like to see more Americans stand up and say this is inconsistent with our American values.”
The actions of the Quran-burning pastor could endanger the lives of American troops abroad and the overall effort to stabilize the Afghan situation, the head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus told The Wall Street Journal. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems, not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community,” Petraeus added. Florida pastor Terry Jones, who leads a small group of 50 worshipers, said they would forge ahead with plans for the Quran-burning, even though the city of Gainesville has refused him a permit for the protest.
American Muslims say they are more scared today than they were in 9/11/01. In a post-9/11 world, American Muslim communities have struggled to define themselves. A 2009 Gallup poll entitled Religious Perceptions in America found “there has been no improvement in reporting about Islam in US TV news.” Violence coverage has shaped the image of Islam, becoming significantly more negative since the fall of 2008. The poll found 53% of Americans view Islam unfavorably. The conclusions of the extensive study found Americans expressed the most prejudice toward Muslims than the other faith groups. In an effort to reduce anti-Muslim prejudice the study suggested coalition building with other minority groups and faith institutions, increased visibility of community service. Educating the public was one of the priorities outlined by Muslims at the 2009 Annual ISNA Convention.
In recent press interviews Muslims have expressed concern. They worry about whether they will ever belong. They worry about the images linking the proposed mosque and terrorism. ISNA’s president Dr. Ingrid Mattson urged American Muslims not to use “loud voices of some Christian extremists” in the U.S., which have led to attacks on American Muslims and vandalism at several mosques across the nation. With just under two months before Election Day, “anti-Muslim” frenzy has become a political football, forcing Muslim leaders to reaffirm Islam’s respect for life and human dignity and activating volunteers to participate in community service projects during Ramadan and to provide food, clothing, toys and school supplies to the needy. Muslim leaders are urging for calm yet bracing for the worse. “We don’t want to create a hysteria,” among Muslims, added Victor Begg of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM). The group is concerned that people who appear to be Muslim are being attacked. “This is not just a problem for Muslim people.”
This weekend, CIOM volunteers will join Michigan’s interfaith organizations for Acts of Kindness (A-OK) Detroit to spend the anniversary of 9/11 in service to the city of Detroit and its neighbors. “People of different faiths, ethnic backgrounds, and races will work together to bring recovery and renewal to Detroit while learning they have much in common.” Volunteers will take part in community service projects around the city. Other events will also include an “Interfaith Day of Prayer” on Saturday, September 10th at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit and a “September 11th Interfaith Prayer and Candlelight Vigil” at the Islamic Center of America.
On Sept. 11 in Chicago, Zeenat Rahman plans to visit a local nursing home where she will spend time with residents and help serve a meal. “This is when people are going to look at our community,” said the 34-year-old Rahman, a policy director for the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes pluralism. “Service is really core to our faith.”
Also on Saturday, a Washington-based group, Unity Productions Foundation, that specializes in films about Islam and Muslim Americans, will hold an interfaith talk at the Washington Jewish Community Center. Monem Salam will be speaking on the subject of a Unity Productions film titled, “On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly.” Unity recently launched groundzerodialogue.org, where visitors can view films and use them for community discussion about Islam in the U.S.
The 38-year old Bellingham, Wash. resident usually spends the Eid with his wife and three young children. Salam, a portfolio manager who was 4 years old when his family left Pakistan for the U.S. said: “It’s unfortunate. It’s the time that we live in.”
Sabah Fakhoury
Arab Detroit