Can We Reciprocate Hughes' Effort?

People stay channeled in their thinking by listening only to others who have opinions and points of view that resonate with their own. By avoiding dissonance, the anxiety or confusion resulting from exposure to "strange" ideas, we end up recycling and regurgitating the same information over and over again.

 

This is why the launching of Karen Hughes' "Listening Tour" is a gesture that should not go unnoticed by Muslim Americans. Nor should it be left unreciprocated.

 

At least by name, a "Listening Tour" has the ring of Stephen Covey's 5th Habit, "Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood." Listening leads to understanding the other. It also builds the other's trust in you. According to Covey, one of the key benefits of empathic listening is that you can learn how others' perceptions differ from your own. This is how Muslim Americans can break out of the repetitive processes of thought and (in)action that lead us to the frustrating result of not feeling understood.

 

If you were a car salesman and nobody was buying your vehicles, even though they were of excellent quality and price, would you blame the customer?

 

Though Muslims may be skeptical of Hughes' and the Bush administration's intentions in the "Listening Tour," we can still ask what we have done along these very same lines. Trying to help others understand Islam and Muslims is not listening; it's broadcasting our own ideas and opinions. The current state of affairs is that both sides have been shouting past each other in an attempt to persuade the other to see it their way. For obvious reasons, this has not worked.

 

Muslim Americans must take on the role of seeking to understand their fellow Americans' concerns about the Muslim community. We don't do this because we're afraid of what we might hear. Nevertheless, we should approach the situation as empathic listeners, taking in everything that others have to say about us without defending, correcting, or arguing. Afterwards, we must be able to reflect back to them not only their ideas but also the feelings, whether fear, anger or frustration, associated with their thoughts. This is how we can grow to understand other viewpoints. It is also how we can let them know we care enough about them to understand.

 

Seeking to understand, and successfully expressing that understanding back to Non-Muslim Americans contributes to expanding the Muslim American Circle of Influence. We must be sincere, however, and not merely go through the motions of listening so that we can, in turn, get to a hidden agenda of "educating Americans about Islam" or "convincing them that their policy towards the Palestinians is unfair."

 

We want Americans to understand Islam, but first they should understand Muslims. That is not likely to happen until Muslims take positive steps towards understanding Americans and America. 

A Mujahid Against Jihad?

Pakistani-born Christian preacher Robinson Abid has been crusading against Islam in America for the past six years under the name "Mujahid el-Masih," or Warrior of Christ. The stage name he has chosen for himself is derived from the Arabic root "j-h-d," which gives us the word "jihad." "Mujahid," then, means one who makes jihad or, in today's media and political parlance, jihadist. 

 

Mujahid el-Masih's own agenda is to warn Christian Americans about the "silent jihad" in which Muslims plan to take over the country by the year 2020. Regardless of the unlikelihood of his claim, Mujahid el-Masih deserves to be asked about his choice of pseudonym. It seems that somebody giving himself the title of Jihadist has little credibility warning others against jihad, just as a man employing the moniker "Marx" shouldn't go around speaking out against Marxism. Imagine a self-proclaimed Democratic Party with an anti-democracy platform, or an anti-homosexuality movement calling itself the "Gay Way." It just wouldn't make sense.

 

And what does it mean to be a Jihadist for Christ, anyway? Is Mujahid el-Masih pro-jihad or anti-jihad? If he is relying on the often-quoted, but mis-translation of jihad as "holy war," then what is his objective? Is war evil when waged by Muslims, but just and good when waged by Christians? If that is so, then why didn't Christ lead a war against the Romans and Jews of his time, especially when he was offered support in doing so by his own disciples? WWJD?, or What Would Jesus Do?, is quite in vogue among Christian Americans youth today. How could we know what he would do? The only evidence available to work from is in The Bible, or What Did Jesus Do?, or in this case, what didn't he do? Answer: He certainly didn't wage jihad, so why would he ask you to do so? He was peaceful even when confronted with his own persecution, detainment and crucifixion. After all, Christ is known to his followers as the Prince of Peace. So, how credible is a jihadist in the name of the Prince of Peace?

 

Christians can't be jihadists any more than Muslims can be crusaders. The concepts are self-contradictory. Mujahid el-Masih is an oxymoron.

 

One defense Mujahid el-Masih may offer is that "jihad" doesn't mean "war," but rather "struggle," particularly in the sense of the our inner struggle to overcome the demons and vices leading individuals, families, and societies to our own ruin. This has also been the response of mainstream Muslims since the term jihad entered the English lexicon. To think of jihad solely in terms of violence towards non-Muslims is ignorant. Similarly, the word crusade in English does not limit itself to the bloodbaths perpetrated by European Christians some 1,000 years ago. To invoke such images is meant to provoke hatred towards the very people Mujahid el-Masih claims he is duty-bound to love. This is odd, indeed.

 

The only way Mujahid el-Masih can avoid being a walking, talking paradox, is to adopt the latter, introspective and non-violent definition of jihad as the avenue he is pursuing in his own ministry. In this case, he should be truthful in his use of the word jihad in reference to Muslims and Islam. Irrespective of the truthfulness of his claim that the "jihad" is referenced more than 35,000 times in the Qur'an, including the definition of "mujahid," he should make it clear that the meaning of the word is not restricted to the current violent interpretations utilized by non-Muslim media, politicians, and preachers.

 

For the full article, click here.

Muslim Americans Finding Their Own Voice

Sandi Dolbee, Religion and Ethics editor at the San Diego Union Tribune, nicely captures the unique and growing Muslim American ethos. Some excerpts are quoted and commented on below. Click here for the full article.

A generation of homegrown Muslims is coming of age.

These sons and daughters of immigrants, many with families still living in the Muslim world, are learning to speak out both as Americans and followers of Islam.

"Their parents were the first generation of American Muslims," says Affad Shaikh, as he watched people paint banners for last month's demonstration. "They are afraid to take a stand and afraid for their children, because they don't want to risk their futures, their careers.

As we've previously noted, Muslim Americans fall into two main categories: Children of Muslim immigrants and American converts to Islam. While there are some key differences between these two groups, they share the experience of trying to enter fully into the American mainstream in spite of the negative stereotypes typically associated with their immigrant Muslim predecessors.

Islam doesn't have to be at odds with the West, Hussam Ayloush, head of the council's Los Angeles office, tells the participants. "We as American Muslims can play that bridge role. We can fix the misunderstandings."

This is the purpose of this Muslim American blog. Leadership in the Muslim community will eventually pass from the largely immigrant population into the hands of Muslim Americans. One of the key differences must be the transition from a defensive-reactive position to a proactive and positive one.

Christopher Adam Bishop, another UCSD student who became a Muslim four years ago, shrugs when asked about the critics. If they're going to continue to be politically active, they have to get used to some flak, says Bishop, 22. "The results we leave to Allah."

And this is a risk Muslim Americans are willing to take. It is easier for us because we don't face the risk of being deported or fired from our jobs. As Americans who've grown up in America, we understand our rights better. We understand our various audiences better. We speak the language better. We think like other Americans. We're familiar with the techniques and strategies for more effective communication. We are fully adept with the technologies for communicating our positions better. Websites, newsgroups, emails, mobile phones, and blogs are at our disposal, as well as the more traditional newspaper, television, and radio. And we understand and appreciate the political forces and processes that affect Muslims at home and abroad.

Abid, who is studying structural engineering, puts it this way: "It's not about us feeling accepted. It's about them accepting us."

Despite the negative voices in politics and the media, Islam is becoming more widely accepted as part of the American fabric. "Mosques" are frequently mentioned in the same phrase as "churches and synagogues." But this is not a one-sided issue. Muslim Americans must also accept other Americans. The current defensive-reactive mindset in our mosques and organizations still paints America and Americans as the adversary. Is a Muslim American his own enemy? Of course not.

Hassaine says he has many friends from various backgrounds, and he rejects suggestions that Islam, a monotheistic religion that came after Judaism and Christianity, is intolerant of the other faiths. "I'm not supposed to hate or not like people just because they don't have some beliefs," he says.

This is what it means to be an American. It is also what it means to be a Muslim. Hatred and mistrust within the Muslim community largely stem from transplanted attitudes originating "back home," wherever that may be. The ethnic and religious diversity of America are not the norm in most of the the world. European Christians are struggling with it to this day. Israel is confronted with ethnic and religious tensions within the Jewish community there. And so are Arabs, Pakistanis, and the rest of the Muslim world. However, in America, to the dismay of many Anglo-Americans, the principles of equality of our nation have been established regardless of race or religion. The same goes for Islam.

In spite of what our co-religionists or compatriots put into practice, it is towards the ideals of both Islam and America we must aspire. This is the new voice of Muslim Americans.

Circles of Control, Influence, and Concern

Dr. Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is not for reading just once. It's an excellent bedside book, desktop reference, and field manual for people and organizations trying to "do the right things, rather than simply doing things right." He and many other self-help gurus discuss the concepts of Circles of Control, Influence, and Concern. These circles can aid Muslim Americans, and other Muslims, in putting many issues in perspective.

Muslims, in general, spend inordinate amounts of time and energy fretting over issues that clearly fall into their collective Circle of Concern, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, the Patriot Act, and so on. At the same time, they complain about how little influence they have at home and around the world. Nobody seems to understand Muslims. Nobody seems to want to understand them. Nobody seems to care what they think, how they feel, or what their opinions are about anything. Finally, Muslims look at themselves and one another with disdain for the condition they are in. Declining religious values paired with increased use of drugs, alcohol, usury, corruption, and constant infighting at every level are sources of despair. Juxtaposed to this, is a surge in religious extremism leading to violence in the name of Islam.

Circle of Control: Clean up your act
The innermost circle, the Circle of Concern, relates to personal issues over which you have, or should try to attain, direct control. Attaining credible influence with others and resolving distant concerns will loom out of reach until one's "own house is in order." For example, if you have questionable business practices, or are perceived as dishonest, conniving, or rude, others will tend to trust you less, thereby reducing your personal influence. Similarly, if you are not a practicing Muslim or openly involve yourself in those things forbidden by Islam, such as drinking, co-habitating (living with your boyfriend/girlfriend like a married couple), or gambling, then you should expect to be less welcomed by the Muslim community. Being distrusted or shunned by others leads to frustration, but the source of that frustration is your own actions, which are directly under your control. If your can't control them, then should seek help, whether it is a ten-step program, support groups, counseling, or medical care. Simply seeking that help is under your control.

Whether you work or study, strive to be the best at what you do. The same goes for sports and hobbies. This will do wonders for your own confidence and self-esteem. Don't waste time in non-productive activities like watching TV excessively, surfing the web, chatting online, or playing video games. Eat well, exercise, take care of your health, and keep your finances in order. In short, take care of yourself and others, beginning with treating your own family well. Extend this to your neighbors, roommates, co-workers, classmates, teammates, and everybody you interact with in private and public. Be polite, genuine, and sincere. Don't bog down relationships with immoderate amounts of debate over religion and politics, even with those closest to you, and especially with those whom you don't know well. It's up to you and nobody else.

Attend to your religious duties. If you don't pray, start. If you don't know how, learn. Attend the Friday and Eid prayers. Pay charity in the proper way. Perform Hajj if you can afford it. If you can't, then start saving and planning for it. Most Muslims know what they are supposed to do, and all of us are incomplete in doing them, to one degree or another. What you can do is in your hands. It's within your Circle of Control. Don't blame others for your own shortcomings.

What about the condition of our mosques, schools, and community centers? Are they well-constructed and maintained? Are they clean, inviting, and comfortable? If not, why not? Don't hold the leaders responsible; everybody who attends them is responsible for them. What can you do? Clean up, paint, fix, repair, and replace. How much can you afford to pay to help? Stop worrying about expanding if you can't take care of what you have. Begin there and stay focused there, rather than on grand ideas and projects that distract you and others from what is important now.

In addition to all the above, Muslim Americans experience frustrations within the Muslim community, which mostly pertain to a depreciated "authenticity" stemming from clumsy entrees in the mosque and relative ignorance about the religion. In particular, the inability to speak Arabic leaves Muslim Americans in a passive role when it comes to making personal religious and community decisions. After all, if you can't rattle off a few verses from the Qur'an along with relevant Hadiths, then your point is lost. If you can't decipher somebody else's Arabic on the spot, you also miss out on important ideas, and will feel left out of the loop, particularly during Friday sermons. All this leads to frustration, but you have control over this situation. Begin to study Arabic and make it a long-term commitment. Don't rely on others to teach you Arabic; make it your own responsibility. Buy a book, find a tutor, enroll in classes, even take Arabic online if you must. Here are a few more actions that will help you improve yourself as a Muslim and your standing within the Muslim community:

• Learn how to pray, fast, and pay charity properly and then do them. If you recently embraced Islam, you made the testimony of faith. Continue to strive to understand it and apply it, as there are many levels of meaning that take a lifetime of reflection.
• Read/learn/memorize as much of the Qur'an as you can, in Arabic and English, understand it, and apply it.
• Read/learn/memorize as many Hadiths as you can, in Arabic, understand them, and apply them.

These steps will take years, not months or weeks, so you should be prepared to undertake them as a long-term goal. Make them your own responsibility, but seek out help when you need it. Working towards these goals is up to you, even if you have to do it entirely on your own.

Circle of Influence: Cooperating with and doing for others
You are just one person. You cannot make others treat Muslims with respect. All you can do is earn respect from others by improving those things within your Circle of Control. You will feel better about yourself, and others will feel better about you. But it takes more than one person, which means your work is not done. You must continue on the path of self-improvement while reaching out to others. This is not to indoctrinate them into your belief system and ways of doing things. That is how you lose trust and respect. Reaching out to others must be to help them attain their goals, particularly where they overlap with your own goals.

The workplace and school are excellent places to start, since most people are working towards similar (though sometimes competing) objectives. Join with others in starting new initiatives, even if its as simple as a coffee fund to improve the quality of coffee and tea and defray the costs for you employer. At school, begin study groups or new clubs with other students, or join one or more. The purpose is to get involved with others with whom you can cooperate with in achieving the same goals.

Similarly, if there are professional or academic associations, unions, or other groups that deal with your areas of interest and expertise, then get involved. Take on responsibilities, no matter the level. Don't expect or try to be the leader. Don't talk, listen. Be there to help and carry out these responsibilities in the best possible way. Don't wait for credit or praise. If you do well, others will notice, whether you are recognized publicly or not. Most importantly, continue to check on your own sincerity, and never let these commitments get in the way of your own health, happiness, or family.

If you have passionate social issues outside of work and school, such as crime prevention, teaching English as a Second Language, community parks, the elderly, the environment, save the whales, or whatever, then volunteer. Don't be afraid if everybody doesn't have the same ideas or worldview as you. Nobody does. Stay focused on achieving common goals. Remain sincere in doing good for the cause and others, and keep your activities balanced within your personal and professional frameworks.

These experiences outside the mosque are crucial for your personal, professional, and social development. Remember the purpose here: You will continue to feel helpless if you focus on issues and problems exclusively on your Circle of Concern. By attending to your own Circles of Control and Influence you, in effect, gradually expand them into your Circle of Concern. For most of us, the condition of the Muslim community in America is still beyond our control and influence. We want to see things improve, but no matter how hard we try, they stay the same. There is a collective lack of experience that can be overcome if Muslims did much of the above. The most valuable experience is gained by working and volunteering inside organizations that also have experience and that are staffed by many other experienced individuals. This is how you learn to get things done. Such professional and volunteer experiences prepare you for much of what needs to be done. At the same time, you will build your own personal skills and influence with others.

Circle of Concern: Changing the world

Think for a moment about Prophet Muhammad and his credibility in the period just prior to receiving his first revelations at age 40. He was known as Muhammad "the Trustworthy." He already had tremendous influence with others based on his interactions with them over decades. On his word and reputation alone, many who knew him or knew of him became Muslims. And most who did not become Muslims initially, were not willing to harm him because they knew him to be fair, kind, and honest, even if they were unwilling to give up their own religions. In fact, many non-Muslims were ready to stand alongside Muhammad and his followers in the face of oppression by those who sought to eliminate them. The collective influence of his followers and the next generations also played a major role in changing the face of Arabia, the region, and a large portion of the world in less than 100 years. This is not because they carried the label "Muslim," but rather because of their behavior, accomplishments, and reputations.

Change is possible, but it begins within yourself. You can't let far away crises be obstacles to your personal success. No matter what, you can't use such things as an excuse to behave in ways that negate you. In fact, your personal and social success will empower you to transform situations in ways that you are otherwise helpless to do. It's that simple. If you want to be trusted, then you must behave in a way that earns the trust and respect of others. If you want to make a difference, then you must put yourself through the necessary paces to improve yourself and your relationships with others.

First, clean up your act. Excel in your responsibilities and interests. Try to be a nicer person to those you love, know, and meet every day. Get involved in your school, work, profession, and community. Extend that experience to your mosque, school, and Muslim community, but don't abandon the earlier relationships you worked so hard to develop. Work together with all these people to make the world a better place for everyone. This will empower you to alter those things that you have no control over today.

Why "Muslim American" and not "American Muslim"?

A name may not seem terribly significant, especially when referring to others. If you're a man, you may refer to women as "girls," "chicks," "broads," "gals," or "ladies." On the other hand, a woman is more likely to refer to herself as a "woman," rather than with some other label. This is because the other labels have meanings at many different levels. Is there a difference in meaning between "African American" and "American African?" There clearly is. Labels such as "American X" (fill in your favorite group "X," e.g. Jew, Asian, Gay, Italian, etc.) is that the second term often seems to assign the group an identity that implies other than American. Consider "American Hispanic," as opposed to "Hispanic American." The former signifies a Hispanic person who happens to have American citizenship, whereas the latter means an American of Hispanic origin. The former marginalizes, even if unintentionally; the latter is inclusive. So, there is also a difference in meaning between "American Muslim" and "Muslim American."

Muslims in America are, for the most part, an immigrant community coming largely from the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and the Middle East. This is changing rapidly, however, for two reasons. First, many Muslim immigrants have already raised a generation of children who were born in America. These children, many of whom are now adults, have been immersed in American culture and values their entire lives. They have been schooled in America, they participate in sports and cultural events, and they speak English fluently. They are, in every sense of the word, Americans. Most have no desire to reside in their parents' home countries, and those who visit them often feel alien to those cultures. They are also perceived as alien by those "back home," often due to weaker linguistic skills and inadequate familiarity with social customs. They are typically viewed as having less-than-pure ethnicity by the immigrant community in America and, as a result, they are often considered as lesser Muslims by the Muslim community as a whole.

Second, there is a sizeable population of Americans who have converted to Islam. Like the first group, they are Americans and they are Muslims. Many who have converted to Islam often experience the attitude that they too are lesser Muslims within the community, mostly because of their inability to speak any of the major languages like Arabic, Pashtun, Urdu, or Turkish and their total lack of familiarity with immigrant cultures. And, while it is interesting and enriching to sample different foods and customs from around the world, it is equally frustrating to be treated as children who must be taught every minute detail of "proper" eating, drinking, sitting, speaking, dressing, grooming, and worship according to someone else's cultural norms. Along those same lines, it is difficult to be told what to think about global politics, American culture, and American people. After all, our families are American people, and it is extremely unpleasant to digest daily doses of inaccurate stereotypes about them. One case in point is a speech given in a midwestern mosque in which the visiting "scholar" from "back home" informed the audience that 70% of American women are prostitutes. This is fairly exemplary of ignorant attitudes towards America and Americans, in general.

Just as perplexing is the constant bombardment of images and statements by so-called experts on Muslims, whether they are speaking of those residing inside or outside of America. The fact is that Muslim don't hate Jews and Christians. Muslims don't despise America for its freedom and ideals. Muslims don't want to return to a 7th century society. This is particularly true for Muslims living in America, no matter where they were born. It is especially true for Muslim Americans who, after all, only know life in America. Such ignorant attitudes that represent "common knowledge" about the Islamic faith and Muslim people serves to alienate the very people Americans claim they wish to bring over to the "good side." It also serves to foster an "us" versus "them" mentality that further divides people, rather than unite them for the common good. More than anyone, Muslim Americans sit between two sides of a spitting contest, belonging to both and embraced by neither.

Muslim Americans find themselves doubly marginalized by the Muslim community and the American public. Neither are "real" Muslims, nor are they "real" Americans. Labeling them as "American Muslims," meaning Muslims that just happen to have American citizenship is one way this marginalization is perpetuated. This is why the term "Muslim American" helps to build a more definitive identity that reduces alienation and includes them in mainstream America. This is a group of people who are culturally American and religiously Muslim, which presents no conflict since America is a pluralistic society comprised of peoples, religions, and ideologies from all over the world. The term "Muslim American," then, promotes an identity that affirms both religion and nationality in a way that empowers the exercise of religious and national rights and responsibilities with clarity, purpose, and conviction.

Who's Lost Touch with Reality?

There will always be competing versions of reality. In his recent article, American Liberals Have Lost Touch with Reality, “self-syndicated columnist” Steve Darnell illustrates a version of reality that is easy to lose touch with. Even though he subscribes to an apparently widely-popular version in America, it is one that is still disconnected from most of the rest of the world. Darnell’s viewpoints on the realities of war in Iraq and on the broader War on Terrorism are fairly representative of many Americans’ attitudes, though certainly not everybody’s. And when it comes to his opinion on the treatment of Muslim prisoners, he deviates as wildly from core American values as sympathizers for Muslim terrorists do from the teachings of Islam.

Darnell quotes Gen. George S. Patton, who said, “Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.” Perhaps he should take a moment to inspect his own cynicism, which exposes a deep lack of understanding of justice and American values. It begins with the use of the term “liberal” to refer to anybody that does not see reality the way he does. This wholesale brushing off of competing points of view demonstrates his inability to process others’ arguments, leaving him only with worn out slogans, labels, and quotes to sustain his views.

Darnell’s main axe to grind with liberals is their objection to recent comments made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who expressed his pleasure with killing on the battlefield. A fuller rendering of Mattis’ quote, however, shows the nature of what was objected to by many, including Mattis’ own commander, Marine Corps Gen. Mike Hagee, who counseled Mattis for his comments. This is because it was not Mattis’ enjoyment of his work that others found so upsetting; it was his characterization of those he killed as “guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Incidentally, Mattis also apologized and conceded that he should have chosen his words more carefully.

Nevertheless, Darnell goes on to build a straw-“person” argument that he then easily blows over with a load of hot air. This argument goes something like this: Liberals are out of touch because they took issue with Mattis’ depiction of Iraqi and Afghani enemy combatants described above. At issue is the underlying presumption that every Muslim enemy combatant must subscribe to the oppression of women, which automatically excuses any brutality perpetrated upon them by American soldiers. By definition, Americans are right. By definition, soldiers kill. By definition, anybody opposing America is wrong and deserves to be killed. By definition, anybody who disagrees with the above is out of touch with reality. Liberals disagree; ergo liberals are out of touch with reality. Can you smell the hay?

A second claim made by Darnell is that Muslim prisoners, whether held in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, or elsewhere are “murderers and thugs.” He concludes that he does “not care how inhumanely we treat” them. What he fails to address is the fact that many of these prisoners have been released over the past two years, without charge. So, we can conclude that anybody who has been released must not be a murderer or a thug. He also fails to mention that almost every released prisoner bears physical, emotional, and psychological scars from being tortured by American soldiers. While, taking precautions while sorting out dangerous criminals is one thing, caging everybody like “rabid dogs” for years on end without charge is something else. It is un-American. It belies the principle of being innocent until proven guilty. It not only violates American law, it also violates international law. The United Nations has said so. The U.S. Supreme Court has arrived at this opinion also. They all must be cynical, out-of-touch liberals, too.

Darnell’s glorious knockout blow against his liberal straw-person is to equate liberal objections to killing and abusing potential terrorists with objections to putting women’s underwear on detainees’ heads. While he finds it amusing to recruit Victoria’s Secret and Frederick’s of Hollywood in the war on terror, he belittles the underlying crisis of disgraceful American practices in the execution of this war. American military and economic might do not make America right, especially when America does not practice what America preaches.

It is just a little out of touch with reality to believe it is right to promote freedom to a population by unlawfully invading and occupying their country. It is slightly out of touch with reality to try to teach the meaning of liberty by murdering or imprisoning civilians because they might be dangerous. One must certainly be out of touch with reality to justify torture as a lesson in democracy. And if all of this is acceptable in Mr. Darnell’s version of reality, then many of us choose to remain outside of it altogether.

Does Islam Belong in America?

Commentator for WorldNetDaily, Craige McMillan, portrays the foreign cultural practices of Muslims living or coming from outside the United States as being against American values, which he erroneously holds synonymous with Islam and Christianity, respectively. In his article Why Islam Does Not Belong in America, he makes a few statements that deserve addressing, for his edification as well as that of his readers.

McMillan errs in his introduction, saying: "The culture of the Western world grew out of Christian values." On the contrary, Western culture stems largely from pagan Greek, Roman, Germanic, and Norse cultures, which manifest themselves in common religious practices like December 25th, Easter, Christmas trees, and Easter eggs, not to mention most Western languages and Democracy itself.

He goes on with: "Today, there is another culture vying for America’s attention." He is referring to Islamic Culture, which is as meaningless a phrase as Christian Culture, which is markedly different in every single country where it is practiced, including within the West. After all, hasn’t a large part of the history of Western Civilization, particularly from Constantine through World War II, been about the Christian West warring with itself, pulling large parts of the world into the argument? Furthermore, the Church has not usually been a great peacemaker in the process. So, which Christian values and which Western Culture are we speaking of?

We should never confuse religion with culture, especially when speaking about the cultures of the adherents of major world religions. This is because local cultural norms influence religious practices. Christianity is followed worldwide, yet a Christian American would not recognize every practice inside a church in Mexico, Norway, Korea, or South Africa. Nor do we equate stereotypical or abhorrent Italian, Dutch, or Ukrainian social behavior with Christianity. Similarly, Judaism is practiced very differently in Israel than in Ethiopia, Europe, or America. Israeli culture does not define Judaism, nor does every Jewish person in the world behave like an Israeli.

In this vein, Islam practiced by Muslim Americans tends to highlight American cultural values rather than those of Pakistan, Nigeria, Iraq, or China. This is particularly true of Americans who convert to Islam. That is not to say every country follows a different religion with totally different beliefs and practices from every other country; they just practice their religion within the context of their local culture. And, yes, in some instances, local culture over there is at variance with American culture.

McMillan momentarily focuses on the tragic killing of a Coptic Christian family in Newark, initially thought to be in retaliation for inflammatory comments by the father against Islam on the Internet, but yet to be deemed a hate crime by local authorities, much less a "ritual Islamic murder." McMillan blames the media for not making the obvious connection to fit his worldview. However, if McMillan were interested in America and Western Culture, he would have more respect for due process, innocence until proof of guilt, and other hallmarks of the American justice system. Whoever the killers are, and McMillan could very well be right, they should be arrested, indicted, prosecuted, defended, and sentenced according to the American legal system, not the opinion of the Christian right he pretends to represent. After all, America is a nation of laws, right? Who is the real threat to American culture?

From here, Craige McMillan tragically spirals into a puzzling tirade—in the following order—on beheadings in Iraq, modern university education, torture of prisoners, affirmative action, feminism, partial birth abortion, honor killings, homosexuals, leftists, mosque construction, jihadists, uneducated media, Chairman Mao, and the Vietnam War. It seems he is struggling with many demons and has difficulty distinguishing one from the other in a stream of consciousness. He loses all credibility when he throws in the kitchen sink.

Ironically, McMillan concludes that our "collective shame" lies in believing "reporters and editors too self-absorbed to ask meaningful questions, or even to report the facts." Yet, he crusades with an answer to a question nobody has asked, provides no facts in support, and demonstrates his own lack of education on the culture and religion he seeks to preserve, all the while warning us not to trust "ideologues." We should take his word for it, instead.

So, the question remains: Does Islam belong in America? Let’s start with the basics. The Muslim faith constitutes belief in: 1) One God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe; 2) His Angels, whom He created in perfect obedience to His commands; 3) His Books, including the Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and the Qur’aan; 4) His Messengers, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, John, Jesus, and Muhammad; 5) Judgment Day, consisting of Resurrection, God’s Judgment, and Reward, whether Paradise or Hell; and 6) Destiny, meaning God’s ability to know and influence our fate as a test, reward, or punishment.

Few Americans of any religious persuasion disagree with the basic articles of faith outlined above. The differences between most religions lie in the details, as do those between sects or denominations within any religion. On the whole, however, Jews, Christians, and Muslims absolutely agree on the first and most important article of faith above: The belief in One God. What is interesting is that, like Christians, Muslims believe in Jesus’ Virgin Birth, his role as Messiah, his Gospel, his miracles, his Second Coming, and more. But, what does McMillan say about any group other than Muslims regarding their belonging in America, particularly those that do not adhere to the above beliefs regarding Jesus or God? Something tells me he is not so courageously outspoken on the issue. How could this be? It is quite possible McMillan’s opposition to Islam in America has more to do with his perceived foreignness of Muslims than with their religious beliefs.

America, its laws, politics, public education, and other institutions were designed to remain separate from religion, in general, and away from any specific religion, in particular. In America, Christians, atheists, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Seventh Day Adventists, Wiccans, Rastafarians, Mormons, Scientologists, and followers of every other belief system belong. Individuals from every race, ethnicity, culture, social class, economic class, political persuasion, and walk of life belong in America. That’s what America has been about, from its inception to the present. America is about inclusiveness. America is about belonging. What do not belong in America are ignorance, hatred, racism, bigotry, fanaticism, violence, and prejudice.

So, if some individuals from outside America engage in "un-American" practices, we should not hold their religion or American counterparts to blame. Otherwise, in the interest of fairness, we must hold everyone in America responsible for the misdeeds of their co-religionists abroad and declare them and their religions incompatible with American culture. I’m sure Mr. McMillan agrees this would hardly be desirable or fair.