23 October 2009
Muslim Prayer Day Illustrates Dynamics of Free Speech in U.S.
Capitol Hill prayer service draws worshippers and some protesters
Washington — On the scale of public events at the U.S. Capitol, it was unremarkable: several thousand Americans from throughout the country participating in an outdoor day of prayer.
But in another sense, the Muslim prayer service September 25 served as a microcosm of how the principles of free speech and the right of protest function daily in American society, and most visibly in the nation’s capital.
“ISLAM ON CAPITOL HILL”
The daylong prayer service — officially called “Islam on Capitol Hill” — was initiated by Hassen Abdullah, a lawyer and president of the Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Abdullah, who converted to Islam in college, said he was inspired by the words of President Obama.
“For the first time in my lifetime, I heard someone of his stature speaking about Islam and Muslims … being welcoming and acknowledging we are integral citizens in the society,” he told the New Jersey Star Ledger newspaper.
Abdullah and other organizers, including Imam Abdul Malik of New York, began planning the Muslim day of prayer shortly after President Obama’s Cairo address to the Muslim world in June. (See “Obama Calls for a New Beginning with Muslims Around the World.”)
A month later, after organizers completed a simple one-page form requesting permission to hold the service, the U.S. Capitol Police gave Islam on Capitol Hill its permit.
PRAYERS AND PROTEST
The prayer service might have drawn only modest attention from the press except that it attracted opposition from a small group of demonstrators.
Some demonstrators criticized the lack of religious freedom in Muslim-majority countries. Others were motivated more by opposition to the policies of the Obama administration than by the event itself. No national religious or political figures joined or publicly supported the protest.
Inevitably, the Internet and the blogosphere served up information and opinion that was fast but sometimes inaccurate or distorted.
An independent Web site, FactCheck.com, provided corrections to much of this misinformation — such as that the government had declared an official “Muslim Day,” or that Christians and other non-Muslims do not have their own day of prayer.
In fact, Islam on Capitol Hill was an unofficial event without any government sponsorship. In terms of government sanctioning, a National Day of Prayer first was designated in 1952. In 1988, the first Thursday in May was set as a National Day of Prayer for all faiths.
Islam on Capitol Hill ran smoothly, with speeches and readings from the Quran as well as prayers. “A service that was part religion and part pep rally,” the Washington Post newspaper reported.
The Fox News television network described the worshippers as “voicing their religious fervor and solidarity with American values while ignoring protesters.”
“This is not a protest,” declared Malik. “It is a day of prayer, of devotion, hoping that we can work ... for the betterment of the world community.”
When the protesters, although few in number, became too loud, Abdullah admonished them.
“We would never come to a prayer meeting that you have to make a disturbance,” he said. “Please show us some respect. Just as your Sunday is sacred, our Friday is sacred.”
There were no further incidents, and the Washington Post reported that the noise from protesters faded during the last part of the two-hour service.
Muslim prayer services take place routinely in the Capitol building. The Congressional Muslim Staffers Association conducts regular Friday services that are often attended by visiting officials and diplomats.
Association members could not attend Islam on Capitol Hill because many of them were participating in a service for the Congressional Black Caucus — comprising African-American members of Congress — in another part of Washington.
About 3,000 attended the day of prayer, a somewhat lower number than the organizers had hoped would attend. Lower turnout was attributed in part to the fact that the event was held without the participation of national Muslim organizations. Some popular commentators and bloggers, such as Zahed Amanullah of the Web site altmuslim and Aziz Poonawalla of the blog City of Brass, were critical of its timing, coming so close to the end of Ramadan and Eid celebrations.
SPEECH AND DEMONSTRATIONS
In holding a public event on Capitol Hill, Muslim Americans were participating in a tradition of public speech by U.S. citizens that is as old as the nation itself. In fact, it would be impossible to identify any significant religious, ethnic, political, social or cultural group in the United States that has not conducted rallies, demonstrations, prayer services, picket lines, or protests in Washington.
In 2008, for example, the Capitol Police issued 145 permits for demonstrations and marches on U.S. Capitol grounds. This year, they exceeded that number by October, according to a spokesman.
Among the 2009 demonstrations were March and October protests against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a march and demonstration against the Obama administration’s health care program in September.
Smaller demonstrations held throughout Washington during the year reflected a wide range of issues: a rally for Palestinian rights in Gaza (January), demands for swift action on global warming (March), a rally for democracy in Iran (June), a protest against the military overthrow of the Honduran president (July), and a demonstration for human rights timed to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (September).
Virtually all these public demonstrations were held without serious confrontations or arrests.
SPEECH AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Islam on Capitol Hill raises the question of the government’s role concerning free speech and public dissent — often referred to as “First Amendment rights” of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment does not protect only polite speech, it protects all speech, especially speech and writing dealing with public issues and figures. (Laws dealing with libel and slander apply most often to private citizens.)
In short, Americans can publicly disagree with each other, or can call their political leaders and public figures just about anything they want — short of specific threats of violence — without fear of legal consequences.
The question of civility in public debate — as raised by Hassen Abdullah during the prayer service — is an important but different issue, and one which is hotly debated.
Did a small number of protesters say and write misguided or inaccurate things about Islam on Capitol Hill? They probably did.
But many more Americans supported the right to a public Muslim day of prayer. In doing so, they shrugged off the demonstrators — knowing that the right to pray and protest was being protected for all Americans.
