November 05, 2001
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 – THE Muslim Story and A strategy for Coping – Part One
Section: WRITINGS | 198 reads
COPING STRATEGIES
In a sense, it is already too late for the Muslims – those living in America, Europe and elsewhere. The damage already done to the reputation and security of Muslims is real, staggering and irreversible in the short run.
As a result, today is a day for Muslims to explore ways and strategies for coping with the reality of the damage that has already been done to their good name and to their sense of security and well-being in the world.
Now is the time for them to find out how best to deal with the fresh wave of anti-Islam and anti-Muslim prejudice that is sweeping North America and the West.
It is time for Muslims to come up with ways to effectively deal with their own very special private pain and predicament, within the overall framework of the national and international calamity of which they have become an inseparable part.
So, what can the Muslims of America and Europe do to cope with their triple, quadruple, multiple grief, loss and tragedy?
How can they deal with the prejudice that is engulfing them from so many different sides?
The ideas offered here, however, go beyond the question of merely coping and survival and remind the Muslims of their true roots and mission in life. They call for enlightened social activism and high-minded moral courage of the highest calibre on the part of the Muslims.
Strange as it may sound, the advice offered here calls for nothing less than profound and courageous leadership on the part of the grief-stricken, harassed, hunted and fearful Muslim community in reaching out to the equally grief-stricken, confused, anxious and fearful non-Muslim communities in America and Europe.
It reminds the Muslims that Allah created them for a moral and spiritual leadership role in the world. The Muslims must, therefore, turn their present shock, pain and grief into an opportunity to reach out to the non-Muslim community in North America and Europe.
The Muslims must reach out to their non-Muslim neighbours throughout North America and Europe with the message of Islam. They must reach out with the Qur’an, the hadith (saying of Prophet Muhammad) and the story of the life of Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. And with genuine love, concern and caring for their non-Muslim compatriots, fellow-citizens and neighbours.
Muslims must know that there is a lot of good in America, and in Canada, and in every European society – and an awful lot of people with goodwill, compassion, courage and fairness.
Now is the time for Muslims to reach out to the side of America and Canada and Europe that is good, decent, kind, generous, caring, fair, enlightened and open-minded.
President Bush has shown extraordinary leadership and political courage in reaching out to the Muslims and denouncing and discouraging anti-Muslim prejudice – and in coming up with the idea of throwing his support behind the notion of a Palestinian state.
Many other national and local leaders have joined him in asking Americans to treat their Muslim neighbours with respect.
Droves of decent, fair-minded and kind Christians and Jews in many communities have taken the extra step of reaching out to the Muslims to assure them of their support.
A MILESTONE IN AMERICAN JOURNALISM
Religion Newswriters Association (RNA), in its convention of September 21-23, 2001, adopted a resolution to stop using the expression “Islamic terrorists” in news coverage of events related to the recent bombings.
This is a milestone in American journalism. And it is a significant triumph for truth. America – and the world – will be a better place for it.
If this becomes standard journalistic practice, as I expect it would, Muslim and non-Muslim children in America will no longer have to grow up associating Islam in their minds and psyches with terrorism.
That means, hopefully, we will no longer be filling our streets, offices and institutions with as many damaged individuals and confused souls with mangled psyches – both non-Muslim and Muslim – as we used to do up to now.
Damaged non-Muslims that harbour hate, loathing and fear of Muslims in their bosoms, because they have come to blindly associate Islam with terrorism.
Damaged Muslims that are burdened by guilt, self-hate, sense of inferiority, fractured self-concepts and punctured personalities, because they grew up on a steady media diet associating Islam with terrorism, and because they were painted, at every opportunity, by the broad brush of guilt by association.
America and Europe – and the world – will be healthier, happier, safer places as a result of this. And America and Europe – and the world – will be freer. For, America and Europe, then, will have the benefit of truth, and truth shall set America and Europe – and the world – free.
This will be a new wave and level of freedom for America and Europe – based on truth and justice and true human equality under God – whose time has come, should that be the will of Allah. And then this new umbrella of freedom, truth and justice, this time around, will also include the Muslims.
The RNA struck a blow for truth and freedom – and for American journalism – when it pointedly noted that terrorism was not a function of simple religious fanaticism, lunacy or hate, but that it had its roots in a complex web of causes that ranged from personal to political and from economic and sociological to religious.
These are all unmistakable silver linings that twinkle at the edges of this dark and terrible cloud that has descended upon America and Europe including American and European Muslims – and the rest of the world.
END OF PART ONE
© 2001 Syed Husain Pasha
Dr. Pasha is an educator and scholar of exceptional
talent, training and experience. He can be reached at DrSyedPasha [at]
AOL [dot] com or www.IslamicSolutions.com
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