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.