Mohammad Omar Farooq
Courtesy: Weekly
Holiday [March 29, 2002]
When the "war on terrorism" was
unleashed on 9/11 last year, the US govt. proclaimed that it is not a
"war on Islam and Muslims." Many Muslims in North America
sincerely welcomed the stance of the government as it was articulated by
President Bush. The Muslim community at large welcomed it as they agreed
that terrorism does not achieve any positive outcome in the long
run. Also, targetting civilians is never sanctioned by Islam.
Unfortunately, by now it is quite
clear that the "war on terrorism" has been a facade. On March
20th, federal agents of the US govt. raided several Muslim homes and
Muslim-owned businesses and institutions, searching
for information based on but speculation of the latter's alleged
support of terrorist groups. Over a dozen search warrants
were issued in the Northern Virginia region, and one in Georgia; all
for groups as well as individuals all of whom were Muslims.
In
one case, the agents broke into the house while a mother and her 19-year old
daughter -- both American citizens of Pakistani origin, were trying to
call 911 to alert the police about the attempt to break-in. Typically,
terrorists or any lawbreaker wouldn't call the local police when
being raided. Was there any resistance or non-compliance with the
raiding agents' instructions? No.
Before
even identifying themselves, the federal agents ordered the mother and the
daughter to raise their hands at gun point and they were handcuffed next.
When the women pleaded that as Muslims they were not adequately dressed with
their headscarves, they were totally ignored. Despite their plea to the
contrary, they were photographed without their headscarves.
When
Ayesha Unus, the mother, showed her driver's license to the agents,
they told her it was fake, before they investigated it and found it to be
legitimate. "We feel the system has humiliated us," Unus
said. "As American citizens, we feel we deserved better." Probably
she forgot that even in America, there are Americans and there ARE
Americans!
In
another case, Laura Jaghlit, also an American citizen and a school
teacher in Fairfax, Va., came home later in the day to
find it ransacked and her 62-year-old husband being interrogated by the
supervisors of the federal agents who had surrounded their house
earlier the same day. "What happened to us yesterday was the most
un-American thing I have ever seen in my life," mourned Jaghlit,
whose father had fought in World War II and whose brother died in the
Vietnam War.
Jaghlit shared
with the reporters that those agents bellowed that they
"might even find Osama bin Laden in the basement," as they
searched her house. The world knows that the the U.S. is deeply frustrated
and angered that Osama or his remains has not yet been found. But must that
frustration be vented on the Muslim community of North America in the
despicable form of a "fishing expedition" or a "witchhunt"?
Muslim leaders immediately held a press conference to categorically
denounce the raids as "serious civil rights infringements" and a
"fishing expedition", targeting Muslims and Arabs.
Admittedly, it is quite legitimate, natural
and vital for the US govt. to pursue a terrorist who endangers the
US and its innocent citizens. Expectedly, then, when the government
went after those Muslim institutions or organizations suspected of having
links to the terrorists, Muslims were cooperative and supportive.
Shamefully, next the government went after any organization that channeled
funds to any Palestinian cause - humanitarian or otherwise - not
distinguishing terrorism from legitimate resistance. Many Muslims
condemned such a sweeping government act, but many still hoped that
this was only an overreaction. The latest acts of the law enforcement
agencies in the US, unfortunately, serve to manifest that it is
really not "war on terrorism", or at least the "war on
terrorism" was hijacked by the extremist elements within the US
govt. and its policy makers.
The mainstream Muslim community in the US
has been as much a victim of terrorism on 9/11 as anyone else. As such,
they mourned and helped other victims by working together. They have been
determined to develop greater awareness about Islam and Muslims, about
the environment and conditions that serve as nurseries for terrorism,
or about the approaches to counter terrorism. Yes, they also have
reminded themselves as well as the nation that injustice, wrongdoing and
aggression are not one-sided. Aspects of US foreign policy, as well as some
historical factors, must be addressed if we truly seek to remedy the
problem. It will take ALL of us to eliminate the problem. It can not be
achieved with a "us vs. them" mindframe--to the extent
the broader people/communities are concerned.
Lamentably, though, the latest act of the US
govt. is directed against organizations that are even academic or
research-oriented, such as the International Institute of Islamic Thought,
an institution that is serving an essential function to reorient
the Muslims' thinking and culture toward moderation, democracy, and
pluralism. Louay
Safi, director of research at the International Institute of Islamic Thought
(IIIT), admitted that the raid shocked his organization. Apparently,
the federal agents entered the building in the morning and confined
the staff in a room for several hours, without showing them the search
warrant initially. Safi said, "My organization is a research
organization. ... We are committed to reforming Islamic thought… and
working… to integrate the Muslim community into the American system. We
are very much surprised and even shocked at agents… looking for terrorist
support [in our offices]."
"This
effort to fight terrorism is heading now in the wrong direction," Safi
added, decrying what he labeled as the government's "attempt
to alienate even the most moderate Muslim voices." While the
world is being inculcated the virtue of moderation and why
we all need it, the fact is that when it comes to the voices of moderation
among Muslims, whether in Muslim countries or here in the US, they are at
the receiving end of repudiation and renunciation. Consequently, it is
hardly a surprise that such irresponsible approach serves only to reinforce
extremism.
After
the Press Conference, Abdul-Wahab al-kebsi, executive director of the
Washington-based Islamic Institute, lamented to the media, "If such
raids and targeting of Muslims continues, the community will begin to feel
as though they are part of the problem when in fact they have always
cooperated and vowed to be a part of the solution." As a community of
immigrants that has grown in a democratic and pluralistic environment, it
can exert a substantial, positive impact on the Muslim world that is
currently in the grip of authoritarianism or parochialism. al-Kebsi
reminded, "The American Muslim community, as law abiding and patriotic
Americans are uniquely positioned to be able to help the government, but
such a blatant disregard for their civil rights has made them victims twice
over… once on September 11 and again now by our government."
Whether the American government feels it can
afford such callous approach, Muslims must continue their effort to define
themselves with the help from the Islamic principles of moderation, mutual
respect and justice. Such provocative raids must not seduce the conscientious
and conscious Muslims to resort to any extremist forces.
If the US govt. has any legitimate concern
about or evidence against ANY Muslim individual or organization, Muslims
must be ready to cooperate in line with Islamic principles. But whena house
is already surrounded and there are only two women - well-known and
respected - why must they be handcuffed and why must they be denied their
headscarves, especially when these people have on file no criminal or
otherwise questionable past deeds? Stories like these tend to reverberate
through the Muslim world. The extremists could cite these incidents to
recruit more people, saying: "We told you so!" Also, more
mainstream people would be alienated by such actions as would deny others
their human dignity. Muslims are tired of the Taliban-type extremism that
was bent on imposing hijab on their women.
Comparably, Muslims also abhor the
secular fundamentalism of countries, such as Turkey, that impose a ban on
women wearing hijab in public institutions. It should not take a rocket
scientist to figure out how similar public harassment of respected Muslims
and their organizations and a total disregard of their civil and
religious rights might play well into the hands of
"them"--those we claim that this war is against.
Yet, Muslims must not give in to
the affliction called Talibanism. Muslims must also not give up
their hope to chart a better and more positive future for themselves.
There are conscientious people everywhere, including in America, who share
common grounds in this context. The Muslim community in North America has a
visionary and forward-looking role to play in this regard and no such
provocation should detract them from fulfilling that noble role.