September 19, 2012

Today, the Washington Post published an op-ed by Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC’s President, and Jihad Turk, the Dean and President of the Bayan Claremont graduate school, in which the two prominent Muslim leaders talk about the need for the voice of American Muslims to be louder.

“Our e-mail boxes are replete with Muslim condemnations of the violent protests in reaction to the video, “Innocence of Muslims,” yet the perception remains that Muslims are silent to extremism.”

SEE: “U.S. Muslims Are Not Measured by the Exemplary Work of its Mainstream” (The Washington Post)

The two examine how the violent protests of a few are washing away all the actions of the many. Though no other religion is held to such standards, the Muslim identity, once again, is being hijacked by fanatic using hate and Islam to promote their own agenda.

The op-ed reads in part:

“Although the reality is that American Muslims are well integrated into society–both economically and socially, the al-Qaeda narrative is that America is at war with Islam. When anti-Muslim bigotry is unchecked by our political leaders and leads to hate crimes, then negative views of Muslim life in America emanate. Hence, the negative image of Islam in America is interdependent with the negative image of America in Muslim-majority countries. We cannot avoid anti-Muslim bigotry. Hate speech is constitutionally protected. But responsible speech by our political leadership, making it clear where America stands when any form of bigotry rears its ugly head, is imperative.”