[judge-mental]

the left newspaper washington post has this to say:

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

what do you think?

From schools to language to religion, American Muslims are becoming a people apart. Young, first-generation American Muslim women — whose parents were born in Egypt, Pakistan and other Islamic countries — are wearing head scarves even if their mothers had left them behind; increasing numbers of young Muslims are attending Islamic schools and lectures; Muslim student associations in high schools and at colleges are proliferating; and the role of the mosque has evolved from strictly a place of worship to a center for socializing and for learning Arabic and Urdu as well as the Koran.

The men and women I spoke to — all mosque-goers, most born in the United States to immigrants — include students, activists, imams and everyday working Muslims. Almost without exception, they recall feeling under siege after Sept. 11, with FBI agents raiding their mosques and homes, neighbors eyeing them suspiciously and television programs portraying Muslims as the new enemies of the West.

Such feelings led them, they say, to adopt Islamic symbols — the hijab , or head covering, for women and the kufi , or cap, for men — as a defense mechanism. Many, such as Rehan, whom I met at a madrassa (religious school) in California with her husband, Ramy, also felt compelled to deepen their faith.

“After I covered, I changed,” Rehan told me. “I felt I wanted to give people a good impression of Islam. I wanted people to know how happy I am to be Muslim.” But not everyone understood, she said, recalling an incident in a supermarket in 2003: “The man next to me in the vegetable section said, ‘You’d be much more beautiful without that thing on your head. It’s demeaning to women.’ ” But to her the head scarf symbolized piety, not oppression.

A group of young college-educated women at the Dix mosque in Dearborn, Mich., described the challenges many Muslims face as they carve out their identity in the United States. I spoke with them in the winter of 2004, after they had been to the mosque one Sunday for a halaqa (a study circle) focused on integrating faith and daily life. They were in their twenties: Hayat, a psychologist; Ismahan, a computer scientist; and Fatma, a third-grade teacher.

Hayat said veiling was easier for her than it had been for her sister, 10 years her senior, because Hayat had more Muslim peers when she reached high school and felt far less pressure to conform to American ways. When she went on to the University of Michigan, she was surrounded for the first time by young Muslims who dared to show pride in their religion in a non-Muslim setting.

Ismahan recalled similar experiences. In elementary school, she had tried to fit in. As an adult, though, “I know I don’t have to fit in,” she said. “I don’t think Muslims have to assimilate. We are not treated like Americans. At work, I get up from my desk and go to pray. I thought I would face opposition from my boss. Even before I realized he didn’t mind, I thought, ‘I have a right to be a Muslim, and I don’t have to assimilate.’ ”

dearborn, MI anyone?

[fbxdan]

When I was younger in lived in a really small town in southeast alaska we lived next to a muslim family. I was friends with the kid, whos mom was Lebonese and dad was American. They were really nice people and I'm still friends with him to this day. Now he is in military intelligence, which he joined specifically to fight the onslaught of radical islam. He's serving right now in Iraq. I wish their were more muslims like him in this country, but both me and him know that he is an exception of sorts.

There definetly is a huge underbed of muslim extremism in this country and I don't see how anyone can deny that.

[mp5man1]

I really don't give them any thought at all. I do the same for Baptist, Methodist, Catholics…..Basically I don’t care what religion someone follows as long as they don’t turn on America. I also see who has been responsible for most of the acts of terrorism in recent years so I understand if the Country was to be keeping a watchful eye on people and identifying possible home grown terrorist.

I have a student who is Muslim. She’s a sweet little girl who is not responsible for bombing anything. She has friends just like any kid and unless she told you she was a Muslim you would never know it. My thoughts on this little girl is I hope she grows up happy, and that she stops asking me for stickers so much…..I’m the school SRO

After 9-11 it is understandable why people may feel uncomfortable around Muslims. right or wrong it is understandable. If there were a country of Greek, Spanish, Irishman and they took out a couple of large buildings in America then I would be looked at for a while anyway.

[Jayhawkk]

^^x2 Good post.

[Basso]

The Muslim religion has become a symbol of terrorism, extremists created and perpatrated this symbolism and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I feel bad for folks who came to America to find a better life just to be harassed because of their religion, but it's going to continue. As for the punks who have embraced the Muslim religion since 9/11 (left wing college crowd) I've got no respect for them, they are the crowd that would have jumped on any religion that was controversial, in the 60's they smoked dope in the 70's they worshipped Satan and in the 80's they were New agers. It's only a fad to them and it clouds the true picture of the Muslim community and how the America is going to have to come to terms with the whole thing. It's very reminiscent of the Japanesse Americans during WWII but not nearly as bad. They just grabbed all of them then and today we have much better intel and technology, it's not perfect but it's better.
Well anyway my whole point is I have no problem with Muslims, my problem is with Terrorists, they just happen to be Muslims.

[OmarJackson]

here in my opinion is the real problem with muslims in america and abroad:

1. either they don't understand democracy or refuse to follow it institutions. for example, the british born muslims that wanted to blow up the air lines a couple weeks back said their actions were in response to the British parliament's backing of the US and Israel. A Democratically elected government voted to support Israel and the US. Muslims in the UK don't agree with this. Fine, dissent is what Democracy is all about. BUT changes in policy in a democratic state are not brought opun by blowing up the innocent citizens of that said democracy. It is brought on by non-violent grassroots activism and gathering up the vote.

Need further proof: Iraq. Elections were held, but held for naught. 70% of the Iraqi eligible population voted. a democratic parliment was established, but.... certain groups did not get the degree of representation they wanted, i.e. 100% shia' or %100 sunni, so they said, ah the hell with elections we will bring about change by blowing up the other side till they cede control of the government. That is why a democratic Iraq is a farce, I don't care if there is %100 turnout, those people will vote along tribal lines every time and the losers will resort to terror. (another issue altogether though)

2. Muslim's who aren't terrorists are making no sense in their defense of muslims resorting to terrorism. they claim that muslim persecution and profiling is turning more and more muslims into terrorists (in the US, UK, and other european states). think about this a second......

if people were accusing me of being a child molester and every time i walked into a school or toy store or park I was eyed very very closely, would my logical train of thought be..... "hmm, well since they already are suspecting me of being a child molester (even though i'm not), i might as well start molesting kids because after all they already think i do, so why not. yea that'll show em." so please, our security forces profiling and monitoring 'good' muslims isn't any justification for turning to terror.

[anabolicrhino]

God Bless them! The more american they become the less likely they will be to do something "totally radical"

Terrorism can be cured by consumerism!!!!

sell them all big screen TVs, I-pods and $3 dollar a gallon gasoline!!!

The sooner we turn them into fat lazy american infidels the sooner we can all rest!!!