The Badger Herald

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Muslims must unify to garner United States’ attention

Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.

Also by Gerald Cox:

I'll take a female president, just not her (December 3, 2007)
Religion aside, faith perseveres (November 26, 2007)
Want Big Ten sports? Get a dish (November 19, 2007)
Civil rights movement needs 'Black-In' (November 12, 2007)

by Gerald Cox

Monday, February 5, 2007

Unfortunately, violence is becoming synonymous with a new and expanding Middle East. The geographic space that is the Middle East has grown considerably over the past few decades to the point that one can simply replace "Middle East" with "Muslim countries." From reading major media outlets, it seems as though in the Middle East and wherever Islam is predominant, peace seems impossible and violence and death are commonplace. In Afghanistan, Taliban leaders, tribal warlords and NATO troops fight viciously over towns and villages while suicide bombers threaten foreign troops and nearby civilians. In Pakistan, a government is forced to bomb its own towns and villages in order to maintain a precarious order. In Sudan, a government provides tacit support to quasi-genocide. Shia Hezbollah and Sunni pro-government supporters stand at the brink of another Lebanese civil war while Syria and Iran maneuver for leverage against their regional rival of Israel. In Palestine, Fatah and Hamas wage a civil war fought in the streets of Gaza while Israel breathes a sigh of relief — content only as much as those who are satisfied that it's "them" and not "us" can be. In Iraq, Shia and Sunni seem to be an American withdrawal away from all-out civil war, and scores die daily in senseless sectarian violence.

We are bombarded with a myriad of images depicting many of Islam's adherents in violent and hateful acts. The images of Sept. 11 are still fresh in our minds, and Americans are all too aware that our war on terror is overwhelmingly a war on Islamic extremism. Islam, however, is no longer a buzzword that sends Americans into a frenzy of worry and ignorant confusion. Americans have made strides — meager at least, significant at best — to understand and even embrace what was once an enigmatic and mis-portrayed religion. Recently, Keith Ellison of Minnesota became America's first Muslim congressman, and Zalmay Khalilzad will become our nation's first Muslim ambassador to United Nations and the first Muslim to serve on a U.S. president's cabinet.

Americans are no longer interested in whatever agenda it was Osama bin Laden and his ilk seemed bent on pressing upon the United States but instead are more interested in learning about the religion he claims to represent. A lot of us even know the difference between Shia and Sunni. America is no longer convinced its interests lie diametrically opposed to Islam's. Instead, we have found a variety of Muslim voices and listened, somewhat belligerently at first, but with an increasing understanding and objectivity. There is an undercurrent of change that we are increasingly beginning to embrace.

There truly is no better way to get Americans to acknowledge your qualms and complaints than by violently forcing us to acknowledge that you and your problems exist. Well, congratulations Islamic extremism, you got our attention. Since the 9/11 attacks, interest in Islam, its prophet and the Quran have increased. In Great Britain, Penguin, a publisher of an English translation of the Quran, saw a 15-fold increase in sales of its English translation of the Quran in the months following 9/11.

Increased interest in Islam following the 9/11 attacks has been widespread. Islam has seen an increase in conversion, and the study of the language of the Quran, Arabic, has heightened. On our own campus, classes teaching Arabic and Urdu are becoming more and more difficult to get into, and classes offering the literature and history of Muslim cultures are always filled.

So what surprises me about so-called radical Islam is not so much that radical Islam simply cannot put up with the bacchanalian West. Rather it is that Islamic extremism so often cannot find enough common ground among its own adherents to respond decisively to the West's burgeoning willingness to change.

After 9/11, Americans began to listen more intently. We sought an explanation for the hatred. Yet, we were disappointed when we were provided not a chorus but a cacophony. It seems that sectarianism is deep seated within many disgruntled adherents of Islam. Sunni and Shia barely seem capable of communicating effectively with one another, much less communicating a solution to the clash of cultures that seems to plague our relations with Islam.

We are watching, listening and learning, yet a majority of what we see seems to be anger, hatred and sectarian violence. Blame it on CNN if you want, but American interest and patience are beginning to wane. Whatever it was that Islamic extremists seemed to want, they're going to have a tough time getting it. Until Muslims, extremist or not, begin to speak with a unified voice, Americans are going to have a tough time listening. Chalk it up to our short attention spans, but with a culture that seems possessed with anger at itself as well as others, Americans may begin to stop listening altogether.

Gerald Cox (gcox@badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in economics and Middle Eastern studies.

Feedback

Show all comments

Hide anonymous comments

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 3:33am):

hey editors, it's "unite" not "unify"

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 7:17am):

"wherever Islam is predominant, peace seems impossible and violence and death are commonplace"

That says it all. Combined with the "Submit or Die" orientaion of Islam, this doesn't bode well for freedom and peace if the appeasement plan of the Democrats is followed.

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 7:32am):

Gerald, my friend, why would you possibly think Muslims could ever speak with a unified voice? That's like asking Christians, Catholics and Protestants, Lutherans and Baptists, Unitarians and First Assembly, to speak with a unified voice. We can't do it, neither can they.

Part of religion is corporate, to be celebrated with a congregation, but a lot of religion is a personal conversation with the One you worship. I suspect that the individuals within a worshiping body are only content with their organization and only agree on most of what they hear.

So, Gerald, instead of lumping all Muslims together, who undoubtedly have differing individual opinions on their corporate religion, why don't we focus on affecting the common culture of the region? Culture and religion are often related, but can be separated: see, Christmas.

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 11:27am):

Is it really a unification of Muslims that is needed, or is it simply a need for the moderate voices to speak out against the extremists? A need for them to stop the hijacking of their religion?

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 12:55pm):

Dude, shorter paragraphs.

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 2:43pm):

11:27, this talk of "moderate voices" is ridiculous. The "moderate voices" of America are those we choose to denigrate and call "liberals." The religious population in this country is told that sitting on the fence doesn't get you into heaven. You can't be of heaven and of the world at the same time, they say.

So, at the same time we elect a president who kowtows to the religious base, we're telling the Muslim world to lighten up a little.

So, is this a "religious arms race" or "the fight for moderation"?

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 6:55pm):

"Until Muslims, extremist or not, begin to speak with a unified voice, Americans are going to have a tough time listening."

The American people voted the Republicans out of office, and Bush is still going ahead with the surge. I'm pretty sure you're asking Muslims to do something we can't do either.

Anonymous (February 5, 2007 @ 9:10pm):

"...we're telling the Muslim world to lighten up a little."

Just a little less with the beheading, burning people alive, suicide bombing, stabbing film makers you don't agree with, death fatwas on authors, you know - the little stuff that puts some people off.

Anonymous (February 6, 2007 @ 12:48am):

Muslims can never be united with their backward looking religion and religious practices. Osama bin laden has received fatwas as well as Osama initiated fatwa.The intrepretations of Islam are in hundreds that never will be they united than United staes of America.

Further there is no scientific innovative minds in Muslims because of their religious dogma and they will be thrown out of history in the near future. Christian US and west are advanced,as well as Buddhist japan and China.India are marching forward and Muslims will be left far behind alongwith their most merciful Allah and Allah's disciples are to face the wrath of Infidels' Armies in the near future.

Add a comment

We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.