21 June 2006
Young Muslims Work To Improve Muslim-Western Understanding
July forum in Copenhagen to gather Muslim youth leaders from 14 countries
New York -- On the first anniversary of terrorist bombings in the London subway system, two U.S. organizations dedicated to bridging the divide between Muslims and the West will bring together 100 young Muslim leaders from 14 nations to discuss what they can do to improve Muslim-West relations.
The American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and the Cordoba Initiative will convene the "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow" forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 7 to July 9 for young Muslims from Australia, Canada, Belgium, Bosnia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The forum hopes to build a constructive movement of young Muslims to reject and marginalize extremism and foster positive Muslim identities in the West.
ASMA Executive Director Daisy Khan started her organization after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to help young Muslims discuss being American and Muslim. But after terrorist attacks in Spain and London and the tensions caused by cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark, she realized that the conversation must be expanded because all Western Muslims were facing similar challenges.
Discussing the forum at a press conference June 15, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the Cordoba Initiative, said that Muslim youth "are deeply frustrated by what's going on in the name of Islam."
"They feel they are paying a price for actions done by a very, very negligible minority, but which capture the attention of the media," Rauf said. "Terrorism done in the name of Islam has hurt Muslims as much, if not more, than it has hurt Westerners."
But West-Islamic relations "can be rapidly improved" and it is the youth who will make the difference in bridging the divide, he said.
Sayyeda Mirza of the East West Institute is looking forward to the conference because, she said, she wants to talk with other young Muslims about the key issues and challenges they face as members of Western society.
Of an immigrant family but born and raised in the United States, Mirza said that she feels "fully integrated in my identity as an American, as a Muslim, as a woman, as someone who votes, who is active and engaged in society."
"I don't think of the dual loyalty issue that a lot of people bring up. I'm comfortable in my own skin," she said. But she still encounters a "you're the other" mentality.
Mirza said she wants to reclaim her place in American society and not be seen as "the person connected with that terrorist," but accepted as one whose beliefs and practices are "totally in line with Western values."
Omar Amanat, who also will be attending the conference, said that prior to 9/11 he was seen first as a student or entrepreneur or philanthropist, not as a Muslim.
But after the terrorist attacks, "a sense you're Muslim, therefore your primary identification is Muslim" prevailed, he said. "There is a certain sense within the community -- rightly or wrongly -- that the media has just gotten our story wrong, marginalizes us, pigeonholed us."
Amanat and Mirza are members of a new generation of Muslims who were born in the United States but tempered by 9/11. They are, he said, part of "the ever evolving story of the immigrant in the Western world and how we get woven into the fabric of the society."
Other faiths had difficulties, Khan said. "We know that the Catholics had a hard time in this country until [John F. Kennedy] became president. They weren't immediately accepted. The Jews had to be invited to the party as well. It took them a great struggle. They had to create great institutions, had to literally force a Judeo-Christian ethic to be accepted as full citizens. We know the Japanese went through a very difficult time."
"We are going through a difficult time right now, but we will emerge," she said. "We feel that we will pass the test because we have a very healthy Muslim community."
There are almost 8 million Muslims in America and 25 million in the West, Khan said. But it is a diverse community, particularly in New York where almost 1 million Muslims come from every country in the Muslim world.
It is easier for Muslims to be accepted in the United States, Canada and Australia, because those countries have "a clear sense of being immigrant nations," Rauf added.
As a faith community, American Muslims "feel generally comfortable in America … in the sense that America protects religions and allows Muslims to be themselves, to practice their faith in the way they want," Khan said.
"The areas that Muslims feel challenged by right now are the areas of civil liberties and citizenship and their rights as a citizen. They are viewed with suspicion getting on a plane or are being profiled," she said.
Khan said that Muslims must reach out to Americans to let them know that "we are part of the West; we are here as equal citizens, responsible citizens and they need to work with us in order to create change."
For more information on Muslim life in America, see Population and Diversity.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
