Fight Islamic extremism through integration

Fight Islamic extremism through integration

In Ikhwanophobia, We completely encourage moderate voices such as Pamela Taylor, and we also completely support the attempts of integration and engagement between Muslim citizens and western societies.
We believe that people like Robert Spencer are working on strengthening terrorism indirectly by their bigot speech against Islam and Muslims, So do organizations such as SIOA.

 

This week I got a report in my inbox about a group of young American Muslims who toured Washington D.C., meeting with local scholars such as On Faith panelist, John Esposito; Muslim congressmen Keith Ellison and Andre Carson; and high level officials such as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas Perez; Rashad Hussain, US Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Paul Montiero, who serves as the liaison to Arab Americans, faith-based and secular belief communities.

The response of these young American Muslims was clearly positive. Reflecting on the experience, one of the participants, Marjon Momand, said, “Congressman Ellison said something about the Capitol that resonated with me for the rest of the day. He said, “This is your home.’ While standing on the steps with two Muslim American congressmen, this statement seemed undeniably true.”

Another, Jalal Ansari, said, “I was standing in the Oval Office, in the West Wing of the White House and that’s when I realized that I was part of history. We talked to some of President Obama’s most important advisers, and shared stories about what we go through as a community. The opportunity to report to the President’s staff and give them a taste of our society is something I will always keep with me.”

Clearly these young people have gotten loud and clear the message that they are part and parcel of American society, welcome and expected to participate in our political processes. They not only can make a difference, they should. That the message came from a multiplicity of sources — the Muslim community and the Muslim organization that sponsored the youth conference, our government through its various representatives who met with the young people, and the parents of these young people who encouraged and facilitated their participation — only serves to reinforces it.

This is the best way to fight any alienation and tendencies toward extremism some young American Muslims might feel. Inclusive activities — whether they be something as grandiose as this week of meetings in Washington, or something simple like including Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr (which are coming up in the next few weeks) in school holiday displays — go a long way to making people comfortable in their society and a valued part of it.

Sadly, there are some who would like to deny Muslim participation in politics and society at large. Groups like SOIA work to create the very conditions that make young Muslims feel unwelcome, and which lead to radicalization. Those members of the Tea Party who carry rampantly anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim placards are creating the very thing they seek to root out.

It is clear that this country is never going to be (and never was) a uni-racial, uni-cultural place. Multicultural, multiracial, multireligious societies are more and more going to be the norm. We have to learn to live together, and to accept difference. Bravo to the young people who made the trip to Washington, MPAC who organized it, the various governmental representatives who made it possible, and the families to supported it. They point the way to the future, not the likes of SIOA.

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