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Muslim-Americans and the Antiwar Movement
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by Sumbal Mahmud
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To those of you protesting the war on Iraq, on behalf of the Muslim-Americans, I offer my sincere thanks and a humble explanation for our silence.
“Silence is the true friend that never betrays”—Confucius.
Indeed, many Muslim-Americans find that silence is our best friend in times like these. We Muslim-Americans are not afraid to protest the war on Iraq. We are afraid of having our intentions misjudged. There is no doubt that many will view a vocal Muslim protest to the war with suspicion. Most Muslim-Americans are immigrants, patriotic American immigrants, I might add. Immigrants who are helping to build this country that we all call home. However, many Muslims fear that being at the forefront of protests will lead them to be labeled as immigrants who do not deserve to be in this country.
This is surely not a case of paranoia amongst the Muslim-American community. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest Americans of our times, was accused of being unpatriotic for protesting and refusing to serve in the war in Vietnam. We ask ourselves, If Muhammad Ali was vilified in this way, what will happen to us? In fact, the public’s reaction to mass Muslim protests against the war may in fact divert from the great work other antiwar activists are doing.
Like all immigrant communities before us, we Muslim-Americans (most of whom are first- or second-generation immigrants) are trying to weave our way into the fabric of American society. Many still feel that we have to prove our Americanism, prove our loyalty to the U.S., and prove that we too abhor terrorism. We feel that to demonstrate against the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan may be perceived, wrongly, as an allegiance to “them”—the enemy. We do not want to increase the mistrust and misunderstanding many people have about our religion and our people.
We all know the mantra “You are either with us or against us.” Post-9/11 Muslim-Americans are struggling to be accepted as the “us” in that equation. We appreciate the work you are doing in protesting the war. It is because of you that we can afford to remain silent. If you look carefully, you will see that we are not merely sitting on the sidelines, we are nodding our heads, silently cheering and giving thanks.
Sumbal Mahmud is the communications director for the Islamic Center of Minnesota, where she serves as a member of the board of directors and has taught Islamic studies for the past twelve years. www.icmorg.com |
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Middle East Resources
Juan Cole’s Very Basic Suggested Reading List on the Middle East
Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan, hosts the website, Informed Comment, www.juancole.com
Dodge, Toby. Inventing Iraq: the failure of nation-building and a history denied.
Gelvin, James. The modern Middle East: a history.
Gerges, Fawaz. The far enemy: why Jihad went global.
Hourani, Albert. A history of the Arab peoples.
Keddie, Nikki. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of revolution.
Khalidi, Rashid. Palestinian identity: the construction of modern national consciousness.
Khalidi, Rashid. Resurrecting Empire: western footprints and America’s perilous path in the Middle East.
Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the World.
Kepel, Gilles. Jihad: the trail of political Islam.
Marr, Phebe. The modern history of Iraq. 2nd ed.
McAlister, Melani. Epic encounters: culture, media, and U.S. interests in the Middle East, 1945-2000.
Packer, George. The assassins’ gate: America in Iraq. 1st ed.
Quataert, Donald. The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922. 2nd ed.
Rosen, Nir. In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq.
Shlaim, Avi. The iron wall: Israel and the Arab world.
Smith, Charles. Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict. 5th ed.
Additional Resource:
Future of Iraq Portal
A linksite focusing on empowering the Iraqi people: www.justinalexander.net/iraq
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© 2006 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete June 2006 Index - click here
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