As this weekend’s arson at a Portland, Oregon mosque perfectly illustrates, 2010 has been one of the most difficult and fearful years on record for many American Muslims, surpassing even those dark days following the tragedy of 9-11. This was the year that it became acceptable in America to openly state your hatred of Muslims and, in some cases, act on it.
Put simply, some fail to grasp the motto created at our nation’s founding–e pluribus unum–”out of many, one” — and that our nation’s strength is derived from its diversity. As Americans, we are obliged to demand that our elected officials act to stem this rising tide of hate and defend our nation’s founding values.
This year, Americans witnessed a perfect convergence of events for such demagoguery: ignorance, fear-mongering, and an election cycle. In addition to the hate-crime in Portland, arson, intimidation and lawsuits in a Tennessee mosque’s construction, a threatened mass Qur’an burning in Florida, and an incoherent, unnecessary state law passed by Oklahomans all illustrate how irrational the fear of American Muslims has become. Anti-Muslim hatred is now a well-funded, politically useful and corrosive social malady in America.
In Tennessee, a Muslim community whose congregation has never exhibited any unlawful behavior was effectively told “go back where you came from…”, first by protesters shouting anti-Muslim slurs, then by thugs who set fire to construction equipment, and finally, by opponents who tried to stop the new mosque in court. They failed.
It should come as no surprise to some that members of this community report that the protests have abated since the November elections, though tensions remain. Unfortunately, the hostile tone set by those months has left many in what was once a quiet community resigned to always look over their shoulder and avoid the public eye. Is this how we create community in America?
In Florida, pure, unadulterated religious bigotry drove one self-anointed Christian pastor to threaten to burn multiple copies of the Qur’an, while encouraging Americans to mail him more copies for his bonfire. His defiant plan brought condemnations from U.S. officials, including General David Petraeus, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It also unified many Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith leaders in their opposition to the burning.
But the damage was done, and copycats began burning Qur’ans in places like Texas, Illinois and Michigan. The charred pages of each sacred book spoke clearly to American Muslims: “You are not welcome here.”
Tags: muslims in america, religious freedom usa, religious intolerance
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