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.
