Muslim Leadership: Wanted: Bold Muslim voices

Last updated on: November 13, 2006 at 3:00 am by Guest Contributor

Muslim Leadership: Wanted: Bold Muslim voices 2006-11-13T03:00:00-04:00 Guest Contributor

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Just about anyone would agree that 2006 has been a tough year for the Muslims in terms of how we’re viewed by the outside world: the coordinated campaign of extremist anti-Muslim thinkers in the US, Europe, and some parts of Asia inched its way into the mainstream, and bigoted tirades against the religion of Islam and its people crept from WorldNet Daily, Front Page Magazine, Jihad Watch, and other extreme right publications and websites to mainstream news outlets like the Toronto Star, New York Times, Harpers, and Times of London. This, of course, leaves a mark on the public, whose opinion on Islam has consistently slid since the days following 9-11 – the message of the Islamophobes, that Muslims are so different from everyone else as to be virtually irreconcilable with the non-Muslim majorities in their host countries, increasingly resonates with a public that feels itself rallying against what it is constantly told is a defense of its own civilization. Powerful stuff, to be sure.

Certainly the most widely published, but definitely not the most offensive, media event that stoked these divisive fires was the speech by Pope Benedict IV in which he quoted the old (and one would have hoped dead) words of Manuel Paleologos – we all know what he said, so there’s little point in repeating it. In fact, the most important part of that speech, and of Emperor Paleologos’ conversations with the unnamed Persian scholar from which Pope Benedict borrowed, isn’t what was said or recorded, but rather what wasn’t, namely the response. What was it?

From the Persian scholar, we don’t know because Paleologos didn’t tell us, preferring instead to preserve just his own argument as soliloquy. Dramatic. But surely the Persian scholar had something to say. It would be hard to imagine a Muslim scholar simply accepting lies and distortions about the Prophet (saw) without argument. So what was it?

What Manuel Paleologos did, and what Pope Benedict implicitly did as well, is what extremist Islamophobes do – and need to do – to keep alive their anti-Muslim agenda, which is to ignore the Muslim voice, pretend it doesn’t exist, give it no credence, marginalise it. All they then need to do is point to the extremists in the Muslim world and call them our representatives – Anjem Choudry from the banned British group al-Muhajiroun, for example, calling for the Pope’s execution becomes the “Standard Muslim Response” of outrage, which creates a grisly lampoon of Islam as a religion of violence rather than one of peace, an ideology that can stand no criticism because it is so reactionary rather than a religion that can withstand any criticism because it is so dynamic, beautiful, and sublime. Not a few online pundits noted the irony of the response: “Islam is violent? We’ll kill you for saying that!”

Of course, it’s ridiculous to think these were the only Muslim responses. The UK Muslim communities, various though they may be, gave voice to a host of opinions, from Soumaya Ghannoushi, Rajnaara Akhtar, Osama Saeed, Salma Yaqoob, Inayat Bunglawala, and more, some of which attached to wider bodies like the Muslim Council of Britain, some of which more independent. In North America, responses were more subdued and less independent as a whole, although there were some notable exceptions. The episode, however, brought to light a remarkable gap in Western social landscapes: There are precious few widely accepted positive voices of Islam that speak with independence, eloquence, and force about the positivity of Islam, especially compared to the relatively common widely accepted negative voices that defame our communities, our leaders, and our religion.

So let’s fill that gap.

First, let’s think about what we need. We don’t need more Muslim organizations – there are plenty of these, and adding more doesn’t seem to have helped in the past. I’d argue the same for task forces or committees or special teams, largely because they tend to inhibit the kind of dynamic spontaneity that would really ignite a spark behind positive movement. Better than these would be the promotion within our own communities of independent voices, finding gifted writers and speakers with strong opinions and encouraging them to express themselves, supporting their efforts, perhaps helping them with the mechanics of their craft, but rarely, if ever, interfering with their messages. We need voices from Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas, voices that show the massive diversity within the wider Islamic community, the enormous variety of opinions and voices, and yet demonstrate an unyielding devotion to the brilliant principles of Islam as given to us by Allah (swt) and His Prophet, an unyielding love for Islam, an undying faith in its Straight Path.

How to get those voices heard is another challenge. Writing letters to the editor helps, for sure, as does participating in demonstrations and other acts of activism, but we’ve seen a massive shift, particularly in later years, in the prominence of Internet publishing, which is where our efforts might most efficiently be spent. The world of independent blogs has given rise to a great many modern-day pundits, some good, some bad, and their chosen medium has widely become the fastest growing form of new media available to us. Indeed, well-organized blogs like Charles Johnson’s Little Green Footballs, Michelle Malkin’s blog, and a host of others have amplified otherwise obscure opinions that express a great deal of animosity towards our communities. Inspiring talents within our own communities to provide reasoned and nuanced alternatives to such Islamophobic voices will be a massive first step.

The proposition is simple:

Identify the voices. Find people who have strong opinions and talents with which to express them. Give them encouragement to shape and craft those opinions into sharp, poignant communications. Support them.

Get them heard. Make resources and funds available to them to launch their own blogs and sites, or encourage them to join online forums. Push them to overcome any anxiety about making themselves heard – there are a great many pressures on Muslims today, especially amongst the youth, but help give them the strength to overcome.

Help them continue. It’s hard to start. It’s harder to keep it up, but it’s not impossible, and it’s necessary. Charles Johnson’s been doing what he does since 9-11, and he doesn’t have the strength of Islam to carry him, just the weakness of hate.

Drive awareness. We need to drive awareness of the voices we want to present to the world, both within our own communities and without, but we also need to keep ourselves informed about what others say about Islam – in Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, or anywhere. Whether or not we choose to respond, we still need the courage to know. That’s our faith, after all, and we owe it to Islam to make that effort.

Allah (swt) knows best. May He give us patience to handle all our troubles.

Michael Symons serves as a technical officer for Child Aid International, an emerging Vancouver-based NGO that helps Iraqi orphans. He maintains a blog at abdiel.ca, where he focuses on positive Muslim experiences, particularly in North America. You can reach Michael at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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