To Build or Not To Build: American Muslims, the Rise of Bigotry and Religious Intolerance

Huffington Post- I recall a Muslim friend of mine once asking me what I thought of the United States? I responded that the US is the kind of country which after living there for only a few years, you could grow to love it in such a way that you could sacrifice your life for it. Today, the Quran burning phenomena and anti-Mosque movement has made a mockery of that image. How can we expect this episode and the intolerance around it to not translate into a growing sentiment of “Islamophobia” and violations of American Muslims’ First Amendment rights? How can it not result in discrimination and radicalism at home? It’s disturbing that, beyond the surface of public debates, Pastor Jones and those who are opposed to the building of a mosque near Ground Zero both see Islam and Muslims behind the 9/11 tragedy or somehow responsible for it. Read more

Obama’s Speech In Turkey’s Parliament

Obama’s speech in Turkey’s Parliament sent a very positive to the Islamic World and the Middle Eastern countries. It will take time for the President to show that the change in rhetoric lead to change in action. Still, many in the Middle East do not believe that changes in the U.S. rhetoric towards the world is based on a change in its leadership discourse. Obama’s positive messages will be taken more seriously when his words and policies embrace each other. I believe though, his speech is in that direction…

101 Religion for Dummies: Learning to Live With Radical Islam

It’s fair to say that Farid Zakaria, is an Eastern version of Thomas Friedman. He writes about complicated issues eloquently and also gives a big picture about the issues we might face on a daily bases. His recent article in the latest issue of NewsWeek Weekly. While “Islamic Fascism” was one of the most used lines in the U.S. presidential campaign last year, he introduces a new perspective of how this issue should be framed; to understand it as a whole and avoid stereotyping and generalization. (Read the full story here..):

“The veil is not the same as the suicide belt. We can better pursue our values if we recognize the local and cultural context, and appreciate that people want to find their own balance between freedom and order, liberty and license. In the end, time is on our side. Bin Ladenism has already lost ground in almost every Muslim country. Radical Islam will follow the same path. Wherever it is tried—in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in parts of Nigeria and Pakistan—people weary of its charms very quickly. The truth is that all Islamists, violent or not, lack answers to the problems of the modern world. They do not have a world view that can satisfy the aspirations of modern men and women. We do. That’s the most powerful weapon of all.”