Normally this blog focuses on Muslim American school children and how their lives have been affected in a post 9/11 America. However, upon reading the article “American Muslims Eight Years After 9/11” by Abdus Sattar Ghazali, I feel that the information he presents needs to be addressed. Before reading this article I knew that Muslims were being treated unfairly throughout America, but I did not know that it was to the extent that this article claims.
For example, “American Muslims and civil libertarians are particularly concerned about Justice Department guidelines implemented in the last days of the Bush administration that allow race and ethnicity to be factors in opening an investigation. Other civil rights concerns include FBI agent provocateurs sent into American mosques, citizenship delays, politicized terror trials, and misuse by the Department of Justice of the “unindicted co-conspirator” label.” It is just hard to understand how these things can go on when I was under the assumption that our constitution was in place to protect against things such as this. I understand that at a time of war the government needs to be on a higher alert to protect the country, but there should be a balance between national security and civil rights and liberties.
In August of 2009 “the Obama administration disclosed that it will carry on Bush administration policies that allowed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to seize and search international travelers’ laptop computers, cellular phones, cameras and other electronic devices, even in the absence of suspicion of criminal activity.”
“In February 2009, Republican Senator Jon Kyl hosted screening of an anti-Islam film, Fitna, at the Capitol building and invited anti-Islam far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who made the film, as his guest. Tellingly, Wilders was denied entry to London earlier that month because British autorities believed that showing his controversial film posed a threat to public order. Islamophobe Wilders, who built his political career on fear mongering, compares Islam’s holy book, the Quran, to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and calls for it to be banned.” In the Capitol building? I just can’t believe that this movie would be shown in the Capitol building and Britain won’t even let this guy in their country….
What might be even worse is that these ideas are being passed down to our children. “On 24 August, Faith Sapp, a 10-year-old daughter of Wayne Sapp, pastor of the controversial church, the Dove World Outreach Centre, in Gainesville Florida, was sent home for wearing a t-shirt with the words “Islam is of the Devil” printed on it. The next day three more students were sent home for wearing anti-Islam t-shirts.” Now at 10-years –old it is pretty unlikely that these children have come up with these religious views on their own and it is scary to think that children are growing up in homes that have such hatred for another group of people. Also, if there were Muslim school children at her school, imagine how they must have felt seeing those shirts.
The article also presented these stats:
- 48% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam
- 29% say they see mainstream Islam as advocating violence against non-Muslims
These numbers are from the 2009 poll by The Washington Post / ABC News
I know that everything presented in the article might not be true, or I hope at least some of it isn’t true, because if it is there is a serious problem. The fact that Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam is not surprising; every time we see anything regarding the religion it usually involves war, death, explosions, etc. The truth is that what happened on September 11th was a horrible tragedy, but it is not right that we hold that tragedy against every Muslim living in the United States. I know there also has to be a heightened level of security in America as a result of the terrorist attacks, but I think that there can be a better balance between civil rights and liberties and the war on terror.
I also found these videos very interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6UHPilMa_c (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx8RuqiXGaw (Part2)
“American Muslims Eight Years After 9/11”
Christine's Blog 