In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful

Muslims/Islam have come a far way since the early years of the ‘War on Terror” started in 2001. Or as our dear brother Moazzam Begg calls it, “War of Terror”. If you are old enough, you can easily remember the absolute influx of hate filled attacks against, not just muslims, but anyone who resembled one. People were having a hard time understanding the difference between the turban of a Sikh, and that of the Taliban as ironically stupid as that sounds. Like the Taliban would be walking the streets of New York. America has quietly tried to cover these dark days up by allowing token Muslims to participate in various forms of media and or other inclusion type activities. Like a victim of abuse at the first sign of kindness from an abuser, we are eating it up.

It isn’t unusual to see a woman of hijab standing in protests standing up for what’s right, such as those against police brutality. But some are slowly getting sucked up in protests in favor of the LGBTQ community, and that’s a slippery slope. Islam has been the champion for human rights before the creation of the United States. It has been the champion of women’s rights, familial rights for over 1400 years. Instead of blending into the crowd, we need to be at the forefront. 

In my opinion, I believe these blurred lines started when the Republican Party was the face of the bombing of Afghanistan and Iraq. Former President Bush called the war a “crusade”. 

President Bush’s reference to a “crusade” against terrorism, which passed almost unnoticed by Americans, rang alarm bells in Europe. It raised fears that the terrorist attacks could spark a ‘clash of civilizations’ between Christians and Muslims, sowing fresh winds of hatred and mistrust. 1

And a crusade it was. Muslims were questioned on their “Americaness” or patriotism  to the United States where absolutely no room for criticism was spared. And just like white societal pressures effected blacks in the earlier years of the US, Muslims fell into the same trap. In a rather embarrassing way, masjids and Islamic centers dedicated khutbas, workshops, and talks to confirm their “Americaness”. But now since that has all quieted down, and the newer generation has not been effected by it, people aren’t shy to show their faith, but are they?

The Democratic Party has been at the forefront of inclusion actively championing for rights for everyone including immigrants, women reproductive rights, LGBTQ, and non discriminatory policies especially towards Muslims. Basically everyone the Republicans were after. I recall when I first heard that there was a presidential candidate named, Barak Hussein Obama, I rolled by eyes at the thought of him ever winning on his middle name alone. Hussein? As in Saddam Hussein? Nope. Wouldn’t happen, so I thought. The war was still on going and it was all too fresh. In early 2009, there were approximately 250 detainees in Guantánamo, a majority held without charge or trial. 2 Former president Obama was also running on a promise to close down the facility, a facility that could be compared to the Gulags of our times. However, in light of these seemingly negative points against him, he won the 2008 presidential election. Minorities alike were ecstatic. Things were going to change.

And they did, both good and bad (Guantánamo was never closed and is still open at the current time of this article). But this is where things started to get murky. While Obama was not the first president to hold a an Iftar dinner in the White House, it was amplified with his message of inclusivity. And this made Muslims elated with the prospect that a new leaf was going to turn after many years of being looked at as the terrorist villains. But we Muslims got a little too excited and got a little too ahead of ourselves.

Fast forward to today,  our youth have been molded into the type of Muslims the West felt would be appropriate by their standards. And this has especially effected our dear sisters. A quick scroll through the various platforms of social media, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and so forth, would have you sadly shaking your heads to witness the state of affairs of the muslim youth. And what are parents doing to be proactive in helping redirect them towards the path of Islam? Is it enough? 

I leave you with a tweet in reference to a controversial figure accepting Islam.

May Allah always keep us on His path. May we always honor and uphold the message of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. May Allah save our youth. If I said anything wrong, it is from myself, anything correct is from Allah azaa wa jaal.

References

1 Europe cringes at Bush ‘crusade’ against terrorists retrieved on 10/25/22 https://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0919/p12s2-woeu.html

2 GUANTÁNAMO 2002 – 2009 retrieved on 10/25/22 https://www.aclu.org/other/guantanamo-2002-2009

Comments, suggestions, questions? Let me know below!