9-11: Five Years Later  

John L. Esposito*

When I grew up in Brooklyn, Islam and Muslims were invisible to me. When the department chair in graduate school suggested I take a course in Islam in the late 1960s, I thought “Why should I do that; how would I ever get a job?”

Today, Islam and Middle East often dominate the headlines. American Muslims are an integral part of the American mosaic: Islam is now the third largest and fastest growing religion in America.

At the turn of the century, given the explosion of information on Islam and its growing presence in the American public square (Islamic centers, Muslim social and educational organizations, and the greater numbers of Muslims in our schools and universities, and professions), I was writing a new book, The Future of Islam: Muslims in the 21 st Century. But, all of this changed on September 11, 2001 with the devastating national tragedy that took the lives of so many innocent Americans, including American Muslims. Instead, I wrote Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam as well as What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam in order to respond to a series of never-ending questions: “Why do they hate us?,” “ What are the causes of Muslim extremism and terrorism?,” “Is Islam a violent religion?”

In the aftermath of September 11, President George Walker Bush emphasized that America was waging a war against global terrorism, not against Islam. However, the continued acts of a terrorist minority, coupled with statements by preachers of hate (Muslim and Christian) as well as anti-Muslim talk show hosts and political commentators have obscured our understanding of the second largest of the world’s religions and of the mainstream Muslim majority. The result is reflected in a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll which found  substantial minorities of Americans admitting to negative feelings or prejudice against Muslims and favor heightened security measures with Muslims to help prevent terrorism. 44% say Muslims are too extreme in their religious beliefs. Nearly one quarter of Americans, 22%, say they would not want a Muslim as a neighbor; fewer than half believe U.S. Muslims are loyal to the United States.

Today, while many Americans see a war against global terrorism, many in the Muslim world see a war against Islam and Muslims. How do Muslims from Morocco to Indonesia view America? Is there a blind hatred of our way of life? A recent Gallup World Poll indicates the opposite. Muslims in 10 countries polled (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia) said that what they most admired about America, after technology and scientific advancement, was its value system, hard work, liberty, freedom of choice, rule of law, fair political systems and gender equality. Overwhelming majorities in every Muslim country polled support freedom of speech and majorities in virtually every country also felt women should have the same legal rights as men.

What do Muslims believe would improve relations with the West? Respondents’ most frequent replies were "demonstrate more understanding and respect for Islam"; help with "economic development/jobs"; and "stop interfering in our affairs." Most did not believe that the US was serious about promoting real self-determination and democracy in the region. The conclusion? Anti-western feelings result from our policies and actions, not from our way of life, culture or religion.

Five years after 9/11, both growing anti-Americanism in the Muslim world and Islamophobia, discrimination against or hostility towards Islam or Muslims in our multireligious and multicultural West, are growing threats. Muslims and non-Muslims alike have all been victims of global terrorism. Both must be part of the solution rather the problem. Both must hold political leaders accountable for failed policies and combat their preachers and theologies of hate: militant religious and political leaders, ideologues, and media commentators who engage in mutual demonization. If America is to play a role in building a new Middle East, a new debate in America must take place to recapture those principles and values that made America great and which many Muslims have admired.

*John L. Esposito is University Professor of Religion & International Affairs, Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University and author of Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam and co-author with Dalia Mogahed of Can You Hear Me Now? Listening to the Voices of One Billion Muslims (forthcoming).

Losing the War of Ideas

Paul Sullivan*

The “war on terror” reads like a “war on Islam” in the Muslim world. Why do Muslims have this perception? Perhaps because the U.S. is attacking Muslim countries and the U.S. media routinely link the term “terrorism” with the word “Islam.” Muslims worldwide can easily see this phenomenon on American news programs beamed into their countries via satellite TV.

When violent acts are perpetrated by non–Islamic groups, their religions are not mentioned. Has any political leader affixed the term “fascist” to any other religion lately? Surf the worldwide web for the terms “Islam” and “fascism” or “fascist,” and you will be regaled with millions of hits, many less than kind to this great religion. Then there are the fallback recruitment tools for the extremists: Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. The repeated, nearly real–time footage of Muslims being rounded up, questioned, and sent off to prison to be held indefinitely and tortured make the situation even worse. The fact that most American Muslims are well educated, well–off, patriotic, and committed to their country and families seems to be lost in the derogatory drama of the moment.

Which religious book is sometimes attacked whenever the media wants to discuss terrorist acts? The Koran. When our religious and political leaders make public statements on Islam, those statements are often not complimentary.

Our use of terminology is profoundly counterproductive. How often do Muslims hear the talking heads of the small screen refer to jihadists as threats? To be sure, those distorters of Islam who execute wanton and indiscriminate attacks on innocent people are a serious threat. But are they jihadists? By calling these persons jihadists—essentially, one who gives forth effort in the way of God—one not only gives religious cover for those who support or might support them, one also insults Islam and Muslims. Nothing in Islam’s laws of war allows indiscriminate murder. To say that the Koran supports such activities is a grave insult to Muslims. The correct terms for these transgressors in Islamic terminology might be erhabeen (terrorists), mufsidoon (evil ones), and the like. One of these persons is not a mujihad, but a qatil ’l amd, a murderer—plain and simple. Before one states something about a complex part of the world, one should at least get one’s terms of reference correct. Calling them jihadists  is like calling Che Guevara and Carlos the Jackal “freedom fighters.”

There are some good people in the State Department and elsewhere putting great efforts into countering such perceptions in the Muslim world, but they work with tiny budgets and within a political environment that is not exactly conducive to open thought on issues related to Islam. I admire the diplomats and others who work against gigantic odds to help stave off the clash of civilizations. However, every time they make headway, something seems to work against them. There are Marines, soldiers, and others who have a great deal of sensitivity to certain situations, and really try to do the right thing, but it seems they are often trying to swim against a great tide of misunderstanding, suspicion, and profoundly ingrained ignorance.

It is time for America to wake up and start seeing clearly what is out there. It is time to wake up before the really big alarm clock strikes. It is not too late. We need to get smarter on this, and we need to be aware of the real issues and the real enemies. They are not Islam and the Muslims. They are those who claim to represent this great faith and its adherents, but clearly, by their actions, represent just the opposite.

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