Islam vs. the West – Scapegoat or reality check? (Perspective)

As yet another day of somber remembrance dawns in the US, a day of joyous celebration dawns in Pakistan. Today is September 11, 2010. A sad reminder of the lives lost in New York and the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr in Pakistan, celebrating the end of the month of fasting, known as Ramadan.  

Although entirely un-intentioned, it is an ironic twist in the continuing saga of Islam versus the West that what this day represents for these two countries has fallen on this particular date. But nine years later, this tussle between world religions and world politics, that has come to re-define global nationhood, has taken a bizarre turn.

It seems it is no longer just Pakistan, the “trusted ally” of the US that has issues of religious and cultural identity. The US itself has suddenly been thrust into the middle of an identity crisis. The construction of the Islamic Centre - now the Islamic Cultural Centre - at Ground Zero and the Quran-burning clergyman in Florida have suddenly awoken ordinary Americans to a harsh reality – should their country be an America with Islam or without?

When the twin towers mercilessly collapsed, it was too soon and too painful a time for Americans to make amends. Invading Afghanistan and subsequently Iraq, was a more succinct form of payback. But the blowback from both these invasions, catapulted ordinary Americans into a place they were loath to ever enter – international politics.

As loss of American life in the war-zones increased, (rather than any other life), positive perceptions about Islam presumably decreased dramatically, at least among the small-town, right-wing conservatives.

But the “protection” of the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq, who all just happened to be Muslims, was the new cause celeb of the US, as were the millions of naturalized American Muslims living quiet and peaceful suburban lives.

The fact that Americans have been worried about the infiltration of extremist terrorists onto their soil, is justified on the grounds of their 9/11 experience. But the fact that the physical manifestations of this terror has been faced by countries other than the United States, namely Pakistan and Afghanistan, belies that fear.

Barring the Times Square threat by Faisal Shahzad earlier this year, so-called Muslim extremists have led to an estimated and heavily disputed death toll of at least 200,000 Afghans and Iraqis, over the last five years in these countries. In Pakistan, over 2000 civilians have been killed by US Drone attacks alone. Another 11,000-12,000 civilian and military personnel have been killed throughout the country as a result of terrorist attacks.

It is ironic that all this violence has taken place away from US soil and has been suffered by Muslims, albeit on the pretext of US politics and “Western liberalism”. It is we who live in constant fear, but the threat of Quran-burning is to US forces in Afghanistan? How much more detached can politics and warfare be from reality?

There is apparently no accurate count of the number of Muslims in the United States, as the U.S. Census Bureau does not collect data on religious identification. In a nation identified so aggressively by its secularism, the fact that it is now part of a debate that threatens to separate religions rather than bind them, is more worrying for Muslims.

In this age of instant communications and breaking news, the Florida Quran-burning scandal would never have made it to the radar of Americans had it not been for the international media pouncing on it. Unfortunately, they gave Pastor Jones, exactly what he was looking for, the global attention towards one attention-seeking individual with a murky past. One wishes the media had treated the issue with caution and perhaps the Pastor would have retreated quietly into the shadows without doing any harm.

The Ground Zero controversy, is also one that has come at a time when the US is making a desperate bid to cover its tracks post Bush era. Obama’s noble gesture to make amends with the Muslims of the world, after having bombarded many into oblivion, is turning out to be more of a half-hearted attempt to save face, rather than take a stand on whether it is Islam that the US wants to tackle, or terrorism.

This confused state of mind is indicative of the real battle that Islam now has to face. Terrorism is now a precursor to the wider issue of whether the world has, any space left for secularism. For many Western nations, it is immigration policies and cultural immersion measures that will be more likely to dictate who gets to say what, where and to whom, rather than counter-terrorism strategies. Europe has already shown its state of mind with its hijab and minaret controversies. Now supposedly, it’s the US’s turn to jump on to the bandwagon.

As a Pakistani and as a Muslim, it seems a heartless tragedy as I witness the destruction of my country through terror attacks, floods, vile leadership and a complacent citizenry. It is hardly a joyous time for us in Pakistan this year, as we try to mourn our own losses and a withering sense of self-esteem. It is ironic that Americans do not see this. Instead, they are so ably playing into the hands of their own politics.

The threat of a “violent” Islam is still very much on the eastern shores. Debating on issues of public space and civil liberties on the basis of religion, may just attract the type of attention, the US has stayed so well away from till now. More than that is the fact that laying the foundation of any debate on religion, is bound to culminate in disaster. Who better to know this than us in Pakistan?

-HUMNEWS contributor Themrise Khan is a freelance social development consultant based in Karachi.

Comments

[Michael Hart]

I really enjoyed this article. It widens the perspective on the issue where many people in the West, including myself, can be somewhat myopic.

The primary question that has fueled the debate is "Should a mosque be built on ground zero or is it inappropriate and disrespectful to the surviving families of the victims of 9/11?”
I actually think the question is not the right question, for reasons I will expand upon later. Yet, for the purpose of dealing with the popular dilemma I will express the following:

My first thought about this “issue” was that there is absolutely no reason why a mosque should not be built on the site. After all, it was not Islam that attacked the World Trade Center but instead it was a group of individuals. Furthermore, if you have experienced Islam, as I have, by travelling to places like Pakistan and the UAE then you would know that Islam is not the culprit here. So, why not build one? The very presence of a Mosque at the site would clearly illustrate that Islam had nothing to do with the actions on 9/11. The devastation was caused by individuals. In addition, there were many Muslim victims in the 9/11 tragedy. I think it to be hilarious that the common conception is that all the people who died were all of Christian or Jewish faith which is not true. So, a memorial that includes a place for those of Islamic faith seems like a no brainer and the right thing to do. The same would be true for a place of Christian worship, Jewish worship and perhaps a Druidic stone circle just to make sure we include everyone. According to the question posed that is. The problem is that it is the wrong question.

To further aggravate and escalate the wrong question enters Terry Jones. This guy wants to burn the Quran to protest the building of a Mosque at ground zero. This further cements the debate on the wrong question. Like sheep drawn to the slaughter the East and West engage in trying to answer the dumbest question of all time. Should a Mosque be built at ground zero? This further escalates a dangerous debate and a dialogue that brings people apart and not together.

So, what is the real question? This will take a bit of a history in order to define it.
All religious sentiment when taken to the extreme has caused the death of many people. This is well documented throughout time from the Mayan civilization where hearts were torn out of live victims to appease the Gods, to the Christian Crusades where millions were tortured and put to death based on extremist beliefs, to Islamic fundamentalists who crashed planes into buildings in the name of Allah.
The real question? “Based on our historical experience and intelligence as humans in this world, what should the 9/11 site represent so that it stands to avoid any events like this to occur ever again?”
The answer…”A place for individuals, and not groups, to reflect on their values and ideals and to pray to their God, if they wish, without exclusion of others.

Until we stop thinking of people as groups and start thinking of people as individuals we are doomed to experience tragedy again and again. When I leave my house each day I leave with a respect for humanity and the sanctity of human life. I leave intending to hurt no person, to kill no person, nor to chastise anyone. I leave with the individual idea that life is precious and respect is my responsibility.
So, not for the popular ideals in the West but for a different reason I oppose a Mosque at Ground Zero, just as I would oppose a Church, a Synagogue, or a Druidic Stone Circle.

This place should be sacred and free of every faith but your own as you practice it. Not all Muslims decide to engage in suicide missions nor do all Catholic Priests molest children. In this writers opinion this is the next lesson for humanity and an extremely important one.

My hope is that the 9/11 site will encourage individual goodness and avoid the labeling or grouping of people. After all, the labeling of belief has throughout history, and until today, spawned ignorance and the death of innocent people.

My hope is that the East will ignore the ignorant rants and threats of a Terry Jones as an individual just as I will put the blame of the events of 911 on the individuals who did it and not Islam.

[Michael Hart]

Addendum: I was corrected by a couple of people due to my reference to the "The Islamic Cultural Center" as a "Mosque". I stand corrected as it relates to my naming of the venue. Never the less the "Islamic Cultural Center" includes plans for a Mosque inside the center.