In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
The news reports were generally positive. Most of the headlines about the recently released Pew Research Center poll about American Muslims spoke of how US Muslims are "mainstream" and "reject extremism." In fact, it seems as if the news reports reflected a sigh of relief on the part of Americans, who may have never really believed the contentions of American Muslims that they truly were middle class, moderate, and mainstream. Yet, this poll showed just that: American Muslims are well assimilated into American society, have a generally positive attitude toward their country, and overwhelmingly reject violence and extremism.
Of course, anti-Islam pundits and commentators seized on the findings about suicide bombings to "prove" that, as the Investors Business Daily proclaimed, "the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings". Yet these same people fail to point out that more Americans believed that intentional attacks against civilians are "often/sometimes" justified (24% vs 8%) and far less Americans believe that attacking civilians is "never justified" (46% vs 78%). But what else did you expect from the anti-Islam crowd?
Still, despite the twisting of the results of the poll to smear Islam, there are some glaring facts about the survey that cannot be ignored by American Muslims. We must, as Muslims, go after the Devil. First of all, only 40% of Muslims believed that groups of Arabs were responsible for 9/11. That means that 60% either did not know or did not believe that Arabs carried out the attacks of 9/11. This despite the fact that Osama bin Laden admitted that he was behind the September 11 attacks. Yes, there is a small minority of Americans who also believe that Arabs were not behind 9/11, but for Muslims to deny that al-Qaeda is behind 9/11 is absolutely astonishing.
In addition, 5% of Muslims had either a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of al-Qaeda, with this being higher among African-American Muslims (9%). This is also astonishing. This group, al-Qaeda, is a gang of neo-kharijites whose sole purpose is to foment chaos and instability around the world. Moreover, they have shown themselves to be brutally murderous, and they have no qualms against killing any innocent person who stands in the way of their Satanic plans.
According to the Washington Post, Princeton University professor Amaney Jamal, a senior advisor on the poll, said "the data seem to indictate that African American Muslims are sympathetic to the goals but not the means of al-Qaeda, because 85 precent said suicide bombing is rarely or never justified. She speculated that they may see al-Qaeda "as resistance to a status quo that is seen to treat them unfairly." Perhaps the same may be true of the 5% of Muslims overall. Still, I cannot separate the tactics of al-Qaeda from their alleged goals. What makes al-Qaeda al-Qaeda is the brutality of their ways.
And spreaking of al-Qaeda's brutal ways, the poll's findings on suicide bombings are concerning to say the least. As expected, the overwhelming majority of Muslims believed that suicide bombing against civilians "in defense of Islam" are rarely or never justified (83%). Still, 8% of Muslims believed that suicide bombings are often/sometimes justified. This is 8% too many. It also worries me that almost double - 15% - of Muslim youth believe the same. The fact that more Americans - 24% to be precise - believed that attacks against civilians are often/sometimes justified is completely irrelevant.
What does this all mean for Muslims in America? The findings of the Pew poll are very relevant to the debate about informants in the Muslim community. Some in law enforcementmay use the fact that 26% of Muslim youth believe suicide attacks are ever justified as an excuse to send in more informants in our communities, figuring that, as Investors Business Daily put it, "the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings." If American Muslims would rather police themselves than have the government spy on them, it behooves them to take a serious look into why 26% of their youth would think that killing yourself and others is ever justified.
Are these youth isolated? Do they feel abandoned by the larger society? By the Muslim coummunity itself? The poll did say that 10% of Muslims aged 18-29 were "not too happy" with their lives. Could this be a factor in their being suceptible to radicalization? Why is 10% of American Muslim youth unhappy with their lives? What can the Muslim community do to make their youth happier?
In addition, if American Muslims would rather police themselves against extremism and extremist thought, then the findings of the Pew poll should be a starting point for development of universal principles that should be accepted by all Muslims in the United States, regardless of age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Chief among these principles should be that attacks against civilians - be it in "defense of Islam" or otherwise - can never be justified. Any disagreement on this issue should be resolved with education and reacquaintance with the guiding principles of the Qur'an and Prophetic tradition on the primacy of the sanctity of life.
Although the findings of the Pew poll are generally positive, some of the more concerning findings of the polls should serve as an opportunity to address potential problems that are festering in the community. Dismissing the findings of the poll would be terribly irresponsible, because American Muslims cannot afford to have their youth - the future of Islam in America - fall sway to the ideology of neo-kharijism. Not only is national security potentially at risk, but the very survival of Islam in this country may hang in the balance. God did promise He will protect His faith, but as His deputies on earth, we must not shirk our own responsibility.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
What IBD Really Thinks (About Muslims)
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Most of the news reports were positive about the latest Pew Research Center poll of American Muslims. The headline of the Washington Post article is typical: "Survey: U.S. Muslims Assimilated, Opposed to Extremism." Yet, those in the anti-Islam crowd were skeptical of the main findings of the poll, and immediately, they seized on the small amount of concerning findings of the poll as "evidence" for their contentions of "Islam's evil."
The editorial published the same day of the poll's release in Investor's Business Daily is illustrative (the editorial is in italics):
We can all breathe easier now. The first major poll of the U.S. Muslim community finds that "only" one in four young Muslim Americans would be suicide bombers. The liberal Pew Research Center, which surveyed 1,050 Muslims earlier this year, did its best to put a PC spin on the results.
It says its "overall" findings confirm that Muslims in America are "mostly mainstream" compared with their more radical co-religionists in Europe. But as is usually the case with such polls, the devil is in the details.
An alarming 26% — or roughly 100,000 — of younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings against non-Muslim "civilian targets" are cool. That's really not any more comforting than the 35% of young Muslim Brits who told Pew the same thing after some of them bombed the London subway, killing 52 civilians and wounding another 700 or so. You may recall how pundits here assured us our Muslim youth would never subscribe to such lunacy.
Note the sarcastic tone of the piece. Yet, their point about suicide bombings is valid. If about 100,000 Muslim youth think suicide bombings are even "sometimes" justified, something needs to be done. The question in the poll, however, was not the bombing of "non-Muslim civilians," but of civilians in general. Why did the editorial make that change?
Equally alarming: the poll found that 55% of Muslim Americans — regardless of age — don't support the U.S. war on terror. That mirrors the 59% of Pakistanis who feel the same way.
Muslim Americans are at odds with the vast majority of Americans in general, 67% of whom do support the war.
This is a distortion of the poll's findings. The question asked of Muslims was: "Do you believe the US led war on terrorism is a sincere effort to reduce international terrorism, or don't you believe that?" 55% of Muslims responded "no." In the editorial, however, it says that U.S. Muslims were asked "Do you support the war on terrorism?" These are completely different questions.
Perhaps the Muslims who responded to this question in the negative thought that the "war on terror" may be a ruse to further American geopolitical hegemony, or a way for America to control world oil reserves, etc. It does not mean, however, that most U.S. Muslims oppose the fight against international terrorism. In addition, the figure of 67% support is not accurate. According to an April 2007 Pew Research Center survey, only 45% of the public thinks the war in Iraq was the right decision.
Only 5% of U.S. Muslims expressed favorable views of al-Qaida, though a quarter did not express an opinion. That means 3 in 10 Muslims surveyed have favorable or unknown views about our Enemy No. 1. How can any American be undecided about the evil of al-Qaida?
This is also a valid point. I wonder how this could be myself. Yet, the editorial later seems to insinuate that the reality of U.S. Muslims is worse than what the poll suggests because:
Even Pew in its footnotes suspects that Muslim respondents held back for fear they could be tipping off the FBI about their sympathies.
"Some respondents expressed suspicions about the purpose of the study and eventually broke off the interview," forfeiting a $50 participation stipend, it said in its report.
Also, the survey may have been biased in favor of secular Muslims. More devout Muslims who are more likely to interpret the Quran literally were "harder to reach," Pew acknowledged, as they were busy praying toward Mecca at all hours of the day.
Of course, no critique of Muslims has to be without an insult of the ritual practices of Islam. And then, the piece de resistance of the piece:
Even without a true reflection of the fundamentalist element of Muslim America, the poll revealed the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings.
Wow! The country is "embedded" with a "ticking time bomb" of Muslim youth. What a sensationalist (and completely false) generalization! You know, it is very interesting. "IBD" in medicine stands for "Inflammatory Bowel Disease" rather than "Investors Business Daily." And that is exactly what this editorial is: inflammatory.
Most of the news reports were positive about the latest Pew Research Center poll of American Muslims. The headline of the Washington Post article is typical: "Survey: U.S. Muslims Assimilated, Opposed to Extremism." Yet, those in the anti-Islam crowd were skeptical of the main findings of the poll, and immediately, they seized on the small amount of concerning findings of the poll as "evidence" for their contentions of "Islam's evil."
The editorial published the same day of the poll's release in Investor's Business Daily is illustrative (the editorial is in italics):
We can all breathe easier now. The first major poll of the U.S. Muslim community finds that "only" one in four young Muslim Americans would be suicide bombers. The liberal Pew Research Center, which surveyed 1,050 Muslims earlier this year, did its best to put a PC spin on the results.
It says its "overall" findings confirm that Muslims in America are "mostly mainstream" compared with their more radical co-religionists in Europe. But as is usually the case with such polls, the devil is in the details.
An alarming 26% — or roughly 100,000 — of younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings against non-Muslim "civilian targets" are cool. That's really not any more comforting than the 35% of young Muslim Brits who told Pew the same thing after some of them bombed the London subway, killing 52 civilians and wounding another 700 or so. You may recall how pundits here assured us our Muslim youth would never subscribe to such lunacy.
Note the sarcastic tone of the piece. Yet, their point about suicide bombings is valid. If about 100,000 Muslim youth think suicide bombings are even "sometimes" justified, something needs to be done. The question in the poll, however, was not the bombing of "non-Muslim civilians," but of civilians in general. Why did the editorial make that change?
Equally alarming: the poll found that 55% of Muslim Americans — regardless of age — don't support the U.S. war on terror. That mirrors the 59% of Pakistanis who feel the same way.
Muslim Americans are at odds with the vast majority of Americans in general, 67% of whom do support the war.
This is a distortion of the poll's findings. The question asked of Muslims was: "Do you believe the US led war on terrorism is a sincere effort to reduce international terrorism, or don't you believe that?" 55% of Muslims responded "no." In the editorial, however, it says that U.S. Muslims were asked "Do you support the war on terrorism?" These are completely different questions.
Perhaps the Muslims who responded to this question in the negative thought that the "war on terror" may be a ruse to further American geopolitical hegemony, or a way for America to control world oil reserves, etc. It does not mean, however, that most U.S. Muslims oppose the fight against international terrorism. In addition, the figure of 67% support is not accurate. According to an April 2007 Pew Research Center survey, only 45% of the public thinks the war in Iraq was the right decision.
Only 5% of U.S. Muslims expressed favorable views of al-Qaida, though a quarter did not express an opinion. That means 3 in 10 Muslims surveyed have favorable or unknown views about our Enemy No. 1. How can any American be undecided about the evil of al-Qaida?
This is also a valid point. I wonder how this could be myself. Yet, the editorial later seems to insinuate that the reality of U.S. Muslims is worse than what the poll suggests because:
Even Pew in its footnotes suspects that Muslim respondents held back for fear they could be tipping off the FBI about their sympathies.
"Some respondents expressed suspicions about the purpose of the study and eventually broke off the interview," forfeiting a $50 participation stipend, it said in its report.
Also, the survey may have been biased in favor of secular Muslims. More devout Muslims who are more likely to interpret the Quran literally were "harder to reach," Pew acknowledged, as they were busy praying toward Mecca at all hours of the day.
Of course, no critique of Muslims has to be without an insult of the ritual practices of Islam. And then, the piece de resistance of the piece:
Even without a true reflection of the fundamentalist element of Muslim America, the poll revealed the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings.
Wow! The country is "embedded" with a "ticking time bomb" of Muslim youth. What a sensationalist (and completely false) generalization! You know, it is very interesting. "IBD" in medicine stands for "Inflammatory Bowel Disease" rather than "Investors Business Daily." And that is exactly what this editorial is: inflammatory.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
An Important Caveat...
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
This week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a poll of American Muslims. It only said what American Muslims have been saying all along, that American Muslims are "middle class and mostly mainstream." The Center conducted more than 55,000 interviews to get a national sample of more than 1,000 Muslims living in the United States. The poll found that Muslims in America are "largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world."
Yet, of course, some of the findings of the poll were seized upon by those who hate Islam to insinuate that U.S. Muslims are a "fifth column" who are closet extremists - wolves in sheep's' clothing.
For example, the poll found that - which was truly surprising to me - that 8% of U.S. Muslims believe "suicide bombing against civilian targets" are often/sometimes" justified. More than three times as many young Muslims - between the ages of 18 and 29 - believe that suicide bombing of civilians are "ever justified."
Therefore, as the editorial in the Investors Business Daily said, "the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings." Others have said similar things, as Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com has noted in excellent detail. Further "showing" that American Muslims are a "fifth column," is the finding of the poll that 47% of Muslims see themselves as "Muslim first," rather than "American first." This means, somehow, that American Muslims are not patriotic.
Yet, there are facts that these pundits and commentators either do not know or fail to acknowledge. As excellently pointed out by Shahed Amanullah at altmuslim, "But something is missing from this poll that any scientist would understand - a 'control.' That is, one needs to ask non-Muslim Americans the same questions about terrorism to see where the answers deviate." He is absolutely correct.
Is this phenomenon particular to Muslim Americans? Or, do non-Muslim Americans have similar views? Fortunately, such a "control" does exist.
The University of Maryland's Program on International Public Attitudes conducted a survey in December 2006 that polled public opinion in both Iran and the United States. In that poll, when asked if "bombing and other types of attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are justified, 24% of Americans said that these attacks are "often/sometimes" justified. That is three times the number of American Muslims (8%). That number, 24%, was more than double of the number of Iranians who believed the same (11%). You can see the results of this specific question here.
In fact, the number of Americans who said that attacks intentionally aimed at civilians were "never justified" was far less than the number of American Muslims who said the same (46% vs 78%). Yet, no one seemed to mention this very important caveat.
Similarly, the Pew study pointed out that, in a May 2006 Pew Global Attitudes Project national survey, 42% of Americans saw themselves as "Christian first" as opposed to "American first," almost the same number of Muslim Americans (47%). Yet, again, no one mentioned this very important caveat. Why is that?
Now, I am not trying to belittle the findings that 8% of U.S. Muslims believe suicide bombings are often/sometimes justified. In my mind, that is 8% too many. Still, to point to this finding to "prove" that Muslims are violent by nature is exceedingly disingenuous. The point of the matter is this: American Muslims are middle class, moderate, and mainstream. They are good neighbors and are as American as everyone else.
This week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a poll of American Muslims. It only said what American Muslims have been saying all along, that American Muslims are "middle class and mostly mainstream." The Center conducted more than 55,000 interviews to get a national sample of more than 1,000 Muslims living in the United States. The poll found that Muslims in America are "largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world."
Yet, of course, some of the findings of the poll were seized upon by those who hate Islam to insinuate that U.S. Muslims are a "fifth column" who are closet extremists - wolves in sheep's' clothing.
For example, the poll found that - which was truly surprising to me - that 8% of U.S. Muslims believe "suicide bombing against civilian targets" are often/sometimes" justified. More than three times as many young Muslims - between the ages of 18 and 29 - believe that suicide bombing of civilians are "ever justified."
Therefore, as the editorial in the Investors Business Daily said, "the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings." Others have said similar things, as Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com has noted in excellent detail. Further "showing" that American Muslims are a "fifth column," is the finding of the poll that 47% of Muslims see themselves as "Muslim first," rather than "American first." This means, somehow, that American Muslims are not patriotic.
Yet, there are facts that these pundits and commentators either do not know or fail to acknowledge. As excellently pointed out by Shahed Amanullah at altmuslim, "But something is missing from this poll that any scientist would understand - a 'control.' That is, one needs to ask non-Muslim Americans the same questions about terrorism to see where the answers deviate." He is absolutely correct.
Is this phenomenon particular to Muslim Americans? Or, do non-Muslim Americans have similar views? Fortunately, such a "control" does exist.
The University of Maryland's Program on International Public Attitudes conducted a survey in December 2006 that polled public opinion in both Iran and the United States. In that poll, when asked if "bombing and other types of attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are justified, 24% of Americans said that these attacks are "often/sometimes" justified. That is three times the number of American Muslims (8%). That number, 24%, was more than double of the number of Iranians who believed the same (11%). You can see the results of this specific question here.
In fact, the number of Americans who said that attacks intentionally aimed at civilians were "never justified" was far less than the number of American Muslims who said the same (46% vs 78%). Yet, no one seemed to mention this very important caveat.
Similarly, the Pew study pointed out that, in a May 2006 Pew Global Attitudes Project national survey, 42% of Americans saw themselves as "Christian first" as opposed to "American first," almost the same number of Muslim Americans (47%). Yet, again, no one mentioned this very important caveat. Why is that?
Now, I am not trying to belittle the findings that 8% of U.S. Muslims believe suicide bombings are often/sometimes justified. In my mind, that is 8% too many. Still, to point to this finding to "prove" that Muslims are violent by nature is exceedingly disingenuous. The point of the matter is this: American Muslims are middle class, moderate, and mainstream. They are good neighbors and are as American as everyone else.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Thank The Precious Lord
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Thank the Lord God, the Precious Beloved. Thank the Lord God that these men were caught. According to law enforcement authorities, 6 men from New Jersey have been arrested on charges that they plotted to attack Fort Dix and kill soldiers "in the name of Allah."
According to the FBI, a store clerk at a local Circuit City alerted authorities when he found a "disturbing" video of 10 men shooting assault rifles and shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is the Greatest." The FBI then infiltrated the group with two informants who gathered evidence against them. The investigation had been going on for 15 months before the arrests were made.
Five of the men were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel, and the sixth was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigrants in obtaining weapons.
I am very happy these men were caught. Of course, they must be afforded the right of due process, and they are innocent until proven guilty. But, if what is alleged against them is true, this is a major victory in the war against those terrorist enemies who wish to do us harm. If what is alleged against these six men is true, they should be punished severely for what they planned to do.
As a Muslim, it angers me to learn what these men were plotting to do. According to the FBI, one of the men was recorded as saying, "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone...attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
Yes, when someone attacks you, you defend yourself, and this is one of the many facets of jihad. But, attacking innocent people at Fort Dix does not come even close - not by a long shot - to fitting the definition of jihad. It is murder, nothing less.
If someone is upset with the actions of this country, he or she has the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. This right is enshrined in our Constitution. But that act of petition must be peaceful. Taking up arms and attacking a military installation in the United States - the very nation that extended her arms in peace and friendship - is not only immoral, but also horribly ungrateful; not to mention un-Islamic.
These people frustrate me so much. They think that attacking innocent people is somehow "defending Islam." They could not be more wrong. Attacking innocent people is not "defending Islam"; it is defiling Islam and everything for which it stands. Yes, these people can reach into the sacred texts of the faith and find justification for their actions. But, that logic is flawed; it is the logic of the criminal, which is a priori flawed and twisted.
"Doesn't the suffering of Muslims around the world also frustrate you?" I may be asked. Indeed it does. But, that frustration I feel does not give me the right to harm an innocent person, no matter who he is, no matter where she is. Not by a long shot. In addition, the pain I feel at the suffering of a fellow Muslim does not mean that I should not care about the suffering of non-Muslims.
On the contrary, it teaches me to have compassion for all people, Muslim or not. The suffering of a Christian in Detroit should be no less important to me than the suffering of a Muslim in Darfur. I must strive to alleviate the suffering of both. And in no way, shape, or form is attacking Fort Dix a legitimate means to alleviate the suffering of anyone, Muslim or not. It would only create more suffering, and this is against everything for which Islam stands.
There is another thing about this case. The plot was foiled with good-old-fashioned police work: surveillance, informants, recordings, etc. No bombing of the towns in which these alleged terrorists lived; no secret prisons run by the CIA; no Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; no invading other countries. The plot was disrupted by good-old-fashioned police work.
It further proves the point that the "war on terror" is primarily a law-enforcement, rather than military, endeavor. Would that our President take heed.
Thank the Lord God, the Precious Beloved. Thank the Lord God that these men were caught. According to law enforcement authorities, 6 men from New Jersey have been arrested on charges that they plotted to attack Fort Dix and kill soldiers "in the name of Allah."
According to the FBI, a store clerk at a local Circuit City alerted authorities when he found a "disturbing" video of 10 men shooting assault rifles and shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is the Greatest." The FBI then infiltrated the group with two informants who gathered evidence against them. The investigation had been going on for 15 months before the arrests were made.
Five of the men were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel, and the sixth was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigrants in obtaining weapons.
I am very happy these men were caught. Of course, they must be afforded the right of due process, and they are innocent until proven guilty. But, if what is alleged against them is true, this is a major victory in the war against those terrorist enemies who wish to do us harm. If what is alleged against these six men is true, they should be punished severely for what they planned to do.
As a Muslim, it angers me to learn what these men were plotting to do. According to the FBI, one of the men was recorded as saying, "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone...attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
Yes, when someone attacks you, you defend yourself, and this is one of the many facets of jihad. But, attacking innocent people at Fort Dix does not come even close - not by a long shot - to fitting the definition of jihad. It is murder, nothing less.
If someone is upset with the actions of this country, he or she has the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. This right is enshrined in our Constitution. But that act of petition must be peaceful. Taking up arms and attacking a military installation in the United States - the very nation that extended her arms in peace and friendship - is not only immoral, but also horribly ungrateful; not to mention un-Islamic.
These people frustrate me so much. They think that attacking innocent people is somehow "defending Islam." They could not be more wrong. Attacking innocent people is not "defending Islam"; it is defiling Islam and everything for which it stands. Yes, these people can reach into the sacred texts of the faith and find justification for their actions. But, that logic is flawed; it is the logic of the criminal, which is a priori flawed and twisted.
"Doesn't the suffering of Muslims around the world also frustrate you?" I may be asked. Indeed it does. But, that frustration I feel does not give me the right to harm an innocent person, no matter who he is, no matter where she is. Not by a long shot. In addition, the pain I feel at the suffering of a fellow Muslim does not mean that I should not care about the suffering of non-Muslims.
On the contrary, it teaches me to have compassion for all people, Muslim or not. The suffering of a Christian in Detroit should be no less important to me than the suffering of a Muslim in Darfur. I must strive to alleviate the suffering of both. And in no way, shape, or form is attacking Fort Dix a legitimate means to alleviate the suffering of anyone, Muslim or not. It would only create more suffering, and this is against everything for which Islam stands.
There is another thing about this case. The plot was foiled with good-old-fashioned police work: surveillance, informants, recordings, etc. No bombing of the towns in which these alleged terrorists lived; no secret prisons run by the CIA; no Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; no invading other countries. The plot was disrupted by good-old-fashioned police work.
It further proves the point that the "war on terror" is primarily a law-enforcement, rather than military, endeavor. Would that our President take heed.
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