American Muslims Condemn Terrorism

While the Muslim community does not need to collectively take responsibility for violence done by a few of its members, just as no community is responsible for the crimes of the few, it certainly would behoove American Muslim leadership to engage and educate the public that in fact Islam has no room for such atrocities that some may commit in its name.

Despite doing so however, many politicians, ill-informed activists, and self-appointed 'terrorism experts' still claim that they “have never heard a Muslim condemn terrorism.” That is probably most likely because they have never gotten to know a Muslim, or simply because they are not listening to those moderate Muslim voices.

To set the record straight however, I have written this blog post to cite a few of the many references of American Muslim leadership condemning terrorism.

It is important to note however that statistically speaking, only a minority of terrorist or violent attacks in the world are committed by those who claim affiliation with the Muslim faith and that people of other faiths are nonetheless not similarly expected to be accountable for the crimes committed by members of their faith.

Nonetheless, we have a whole section on condemning terrorism on our website where we include many blogs and media appearances where the community condemns violence:

Here is the link to an editorial I published in the Tampa Bay Times “Islam has no room for terrorism” 


Here is me in a Fox News video about the Muslim Community reporting an alleged terrorist to law enforcement and us condemning terrorism.

I am on Fox News here as well clearly condemning violence.

Another Fox News video where I am condemning violence on behalf of the community.

Below is a list of articles and resources debunking the myth that Muslims do not condemn terrorisim:
·         http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-eteraz/the-myth-of-muslim-condem_b_67904.html
·         http://www.cair.com/about-us/cair-anti-terrorism-campaigns.html
·         http://kurzman.unc.edu/islamic-statements-against-terrorism/
·         http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/opinion/obeidallah-muslims-hate-terrorism/index.html
·         http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-19/national/38669385_1_islamic-society-cair-boston-               marathon
·         http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/08/religion.uk
·         http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/05/not-in-the-name-of-islam-british-muslims-                         denounce-the-woolwich-attack/

Here are a few excellent academic resources that put the threat of terrorism in perspective:

·         Duke/UNC study that American Muslim terrorism is on the decline: http://www.cairflorida.org/resource/accounting_of_muslim_terrorists.html
·         “The Terrorism Delusion is another university study on fear being overblown: http://www.cairflorida.org/resource/the_terrorism_delusion.html
·         Professor Jaun Cole’s recent article “Terrorism and Other Religions” http://www.juancole.com/2013/04/terrorism-other-religions.html
·         Professor Robert Pape’s study that terrorists are not motivated by religion: http://www.apsanet.org/imgtest/apsraug03pape.pdf

It is interesting to note that there are greater chances of drowning in your bathtub than getting killed by a terrorist, and the amount of people killed by terrorism in the US is extremely small compared to those killed by other violent crime:

According to the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security:

• Fourteen Muslim-Americans were indicted for violent terrorist plots in 2012, down from 21 the year before, bringing the total since 9/11 to 209, or just under 20 per year.
• The number of plots also dropped from 18 in 2011 to 9 in 2012.
• Meanwhile, the United States suffered approximately 14,000 murders in 2012.
• Since 9/11, Muslim-American terrorism has claimed 33 lives in the United States, out of more than 180,000 murders committed in the United States during this period.
• Over the same period, more than 200 Americans have been killed in political violence by white supremacists and other groups on the far right, according to a recent study published by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy.
• Sixty-six Americans were killed in mass shootings by non-Muslims in 2012 alone, twice as many fatalities as from Muslim-American terrorism in all 11 years since 9/11.

We must stand united as Americans for security and liberty and condemn all those who wish to promote hatred, division, or violence.

Clearly, the myth that American Muslims do not condemn terrorism is clearly false.

Hassan Shibly: CAIR's Position on Terry Jones (the Qu'ran burning pastor who's moving to Tampa)

"Be tolerant and forgiving, command what is right and pay no attention to foolish people." ~Translation of the Holy Quran 7:199

"The servants of the Lord of Mercy are those who walk humbly on the earth, and who, when the foolish address them, reply, ‘Peace’" ~ Translation of the Holy Quran 25:63

God commands Muslims to turn away from those that insist on ignorance; He commands us to reply to words of hate and foolishness with words of peace.

Where else can such beautiful advice apply, than to the likes and actions of people like Terry Jones, who soon plans to move to Tampa and is seeking headlines by threatening to burn thousands of copies of the Holy Quran. 

The reality is that the best response to people like Jones is simply to ignore him.  However, some in the media have insisted on giving him attention. Therefore, the purpose of this post is to clarify once and for all our position on people like Jones and share general advice on how to respond to such ignorance and hatred.

People like him are not worth our time, and are simply ignorant seekers of attention. 

They do not reflect the beautiful teachings of Jesus (Peace be Upon Him) who taught loving thy neighbor. Nor do they reflect American values which teach freedom of religion and respecting diversity.

They often view the world through a hypocritical double standard. They show simple mindedness by conveniently blaming an entire faith for the criminal acts of a few when the faith is alien to them. To them, if a Muslim does something bad, they blame Islam. Yet ironically, they do not blame their own faith for the inquisition, the witch-hunts, the enslavement of Africa, the killing of millions of Native Americans, the bombing of abortion clinics,the shootings of Sikhs, the burning down of mosques, the mass shootings by white supremacists, and so on. 

They demonize an entire faith and people because of the acts of a few, but ignore the fact that many more people have been killed by members of their own faith; that most terrorists have no association with any religion; that even then such terrorists are motivated by political grievances, not religion; and that the threat of terrorism from any particular community is extremely over-hyped.

I mention these points to make it clear, it is simple mindedness, ignorant, and hypocritical to blame an entire group of people for the acts of a few. There are good and bad people among us all and all faiths have been hijacked to advance political agendas and commit heinous crimes. 

The likes of Jones are no different than so-called Muslim extremists, who claim that Islam and America are incompatible. 

Their actions show nothing but insecurity about their own beliefs and are reminiscent of the book burning of the dark ages when thousands of books science, religion, and philosophy were burnt by a church that felt insecure by the thoughts and ideas contained in the books.

While they can burn books, they cannot extinguish the light that such books produce in the heart of humanity. In fact, the fires they burn only increases the light, as the more attention they bring to Islam, the more people study it on their own and see the beauty of the faith for themselves. So the more awareness and attention they bring Islam, the better.

The hatred and intolerance the likes of Jones promote only serves to bring together the moderates in the community, and the American people as a whole have rejected his hateful message. 

If anything, his actions are unproductive and just causes more pollution in our beautiful Florida environment. Can you imagine the carbon footprint the burning of 3,000 books will unnecessarily cause?

There is concern that their hateful speech actually sometimes incites violence against minorities. In the past year many Sikh and people perceived to be Muslim have been shot or killed by people who follow Jones' type of intolerance, several mosques have been burnt down, and in 2011 Anders Breivik, a Christian white supremacist killed dozens of children citing Islamophobes to justify his violence. 

Thus the best reaction to ignorant individuals preaching hatred to seek attention is simply to ignore them, and make them irrelevant. 

U.S. Muslims Squarely in the Mainstream

By Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf | Tampa Bay Times - Special | October 8, 2012 | [Original Article]

In all of the hullabaloo surrounding the vile video that slanders the Prophet Mohammed and Islam, the disgust of American Muslims has been expressed adamantly but reasonably.

American Muslims recognize the video for what it was — the ravings of a sick mind of an obscure person with no bearing on the thinking of the vast majority of Americans. That's a mature response for American Muslims — more than 7 million of them — considering the bashing they have taken from some conservatives in recent years.

In Tampa, just last month, conservatives angrily protested outside the Hillsborough County School Board because Hassan Shibly, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, had been invited to speak to a high school class studying world religions.

According to protesters, this Muslim was brainwashing these students with propaganda. They believe American Muslims are the vanguard of a religion bent on world domination. Countering these protests are interfaith alliance groups, such as the ones in Tampa that recognize that freedom of religion in the United States extends to all religions and is good for America.

Suspicion of religions brought by immigrant groups is not new in America. It was an article of faith in American politics that Catholic immigrants would turn the United States over to rule by the pope. Anti-Catholicism was rife in political movements, sometimes turning violent. Not until John F. Kennedy was elected as the first Catholic president in 1960 were these biases finally laid to rest. Jews faced massive discrimination for generations — socially, economically and politically.

I believe two things are constant. Over time, new faith groups are accepted and become part of the American fabric. And over time, the American experience transforms an immigrant's faith into some new American version that can be exported back to their home countries.

This is a good thing for Islam. As an imam who immigrated to America more than 46 years ago, I have seen the change. In America, Muslims are creating a new form of Islam. Divisions between Shiite and Sunni that plague their home countries don't exist among American Muslims. Freedom of expression has seeped into American Muslim mainstream thought.

Given the chance, this Americanization of Muslims will have a profound, positive impact on their adopted country and their native countries. Instead of protesting American Muslims and casting suspicion on their faith, all Americans should unite behind interfaith groups that are building a stronger nation and promoting international peace.

CAIR-FL Supports Anti-Domestic Violence Declaration With Family Justice Center

By Elizabeth Miller| Tampa Bay Times | October 7, 2012 | [Original Article]

They were Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Methodist and more.

They were men and women coming together for one cause.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Family Justice Center of Hillsborough County gathered faith leaders this week to sign a proclamation and learn more about the role they can play in preventing domestic abuse.

"The intent is to recognize that domestic violence crosses all lines, including faith, economic, cultural … and to get faith leaders to take a stand on that," said Nikki Daniels, executive director of the Family Justice Center.

Michael Neely, pastor of New Millennium Community Church in Tampa, works with domestic violence victims through the interfaith chaplaincy program at the Family Justice Center, a one-stop service center for victims and their families.

"The majority (of victims) had the same struggle: 'Is God going to be angry with me if I leave?' " he said to more than 30 representatives of churches and organizations, including the Spring, LifePath Hospice and the Salvation Army.

Ministers, clergy and pastors took turns reading the proclamation that pledged "spiritual and religious leaders of Tampa Bay, proclaim with one voice, that domestic violence exists in our own Tampa Bay communities and is morally, spiritually and universally intolerable."

The proclamation was signed by representatives from 16 religious and community organizations, including Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Congregation Schaarai Zedek, Unity North Tampa, CAIR Florida (Council on American-Islamic Relations), Peace Progressive Primitive Baptist Church, Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa and First United Church of Tampa.

Diverse Tampa Community Stands United with CAIR & Hassan Shibly Against Hate at Hillsborough County School Board

Terry Kemple: Wasting Hillsborough County Resources For Political Gain

So much time and tax payer money and  resources are being wasted because Terry Kemple and his supporters are filibustering the school board meetings with outrageously false statements that America’s largest Muslim Civil Rights organization is a “Terrorist Organization” “Funds Terrorism” “Flew Planes into the Buildings” and Islam “calls for death of infidels after the call to prayer” and wants to “over throw our constitution.”

Many other clearly false statements have been said at the school board meeting. A transcript is in the works to highlight such statements.

These statements are easily checked for their veracity and it is clear they are completely false. How long will we Kemple and his group to continue to waste tax payer resource. Hence I am requesting everyone to do some investigative reporting and question Kemple about all the false accusations he and his supporters have made against CAIR and Islam, and then in light of the evidence below show how they are clearly false and then bring up the point, why is he wasting so much taxpayer resources to use school board meetings to throw false accusations. Why are many media outlets silent and not calling Kemple and his supporters out for wasting time to spread clearly false allegations against America’s largest Muslim civil rights organizations. (Although quite a few have done an excellent job!)

The tactics taken by Kemple’s group are very clear. They consist of either outright lies and false statements, innuendo, or guilt by association (twice removed).

It doesn’t take a genius to realize if CAIR really was a terrorist organization, as was said verbatim at the school board meeting, we would be prosecuted. And yet Kemple is able to waste so much time and money spreading clearly erroneous lies.

CAIR is transparent and we have nothing to hide which is why I am asking for investigation into this.

No evidence is needed to prove we are not a terrorist organization. We would be shut down and prosecuted if we were. However, below are some points that address the misinformation spread.

 I hope the media can do an investigative story or fact check on this. It is just outrageous Terry Kemple and his group continue to waste so much time and take up the school board meetings to spew unchallenged hateful false information, without being called out for it.

Thanks

Hassan

Clearing Misconceptions:

Internet Disinformation #6: The labeling of the organization as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial in Dallas, TX implies that CAIR was somehow involved with criminal activity and is facing indictment.

This issue was settled by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Department of Justice in CAIR’s favor.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the U.S. Department of Justice violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), and by implication the rights of more than 300 similarly-named Muslim organizations and individuals, such as CAIR, when it included them on the publicly-filed un-indicted co-conspirator list in 2007. The court also ruled that inclusion on the list was the result of "simply an untested allegation of the Government....”

In 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder indicated that Department of Justice officials determined after “looking at the facts and the law, a prosecution would not be appropriate.” This conclusion was reached after two reviews conducted under both the Bush and Obama administrations.

After Holder, the chief law enforcement officer in America, stated this fact, internet rumor held that a prosecution had been suppressed due to political interference.

This allegation has also been put to rest.

James Jacks, the U.S. Attorney who led the prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation issued a statement that was partially re-produced in the Dallas Morning News: “‘The decision to indict or not indict a case is based upon an analysis of the evidence and the law,’ [Jacks] wrote. ‘That’s what happened in this case.’”

The Dallas Morning News (U.S. attorney in Dallas says Obama’s White House didn’t meddle in case, April 29, 2011) went on to report the following:

“Nathan Garrett, a former FBI agent who was also a prosecutor in the Holy Land case until he left for private practice in 2007, said ‘politics played no role’ in determining who was prosecuted when he was there.

“‘Decisions were hashed out in often tough and pressure-filled situations and conditions, but always—in my experience—grounded in evidence and law,’ he said. ‘The process was what the American people would want and expect it to be.’”

Finally, there is no legal implication to being labeled an unindicted co-conspirator, since it does not require the Justice Department to prove anything in a court of law. Merely claiming someone is guilty without due process is both unconstitutional and offensive to the principles of our justice system

Internet Disinformation #1: CAIR is “the Wahhabi lobby,” a “front-group for Hamas,” a "fund-raising arm for Hezbollah," or “...part of a wider conspiracy overseen by the Muslim Brotherhood...”
CAIR was born out of a desire on the part of its founders to “concentrate on combating anti-Muslim discrimination nationwide.” The organization’s advocacy model—work closely with media and provide direct services to local Muslim communities—was developed when Nihad Awad and Ibrahim Hooper worked as community activists.

In a March 14, 2007 New York Times article, Michael Rolince, a retired F.B.I. official who directed counterterrorism in the Washington field office from 2002 to 2005, said, “Of all the groups, there is probably more suspicion about CAIR, but when you ask people for cold hard facts, you get blank stares.”

The article also reported, “Government officials in Washington said they were not aware of any criminal investigation of the group. More than one described the standards used by critics to link CAIR to terrorism as akin to McCarthyism, essentially guilt by association.”

CAIR is not is “the Wahhabi lobby,” a “front-group for Hamas,” a “fund-raising arm for Hezbollah,” “...part of a wider conspiracy overseen by the Muslim Brotherhood...” or any of the other false and misleading associations our detractors seek to smear us with. That we stand accused of being both a “fundraising arm of Hezbollah” and the “Wahhabi lobby” is a significant point in demonstrating that our detractors are hurling slander not fact. Hezbollah and the Salafi (Wahhabi) movement represent diametrically opposed ideologies.

CAIR’s origin story is simple. In the February-March 2000 edition of “The Link,” a newsletter published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, Nihad Awad wrote the following, “The core challenge [to American Muslims], that of stereotyping and defamation, was having a devastating effect on our children and paralyzing adults from taking their due roles in civic affairs.” Based on a desire to address this issue on a national level, Awad, “contacted my friend Ibrahim Hooper, a professional journalist and communications genius, and tried to persuade him to move to Washington and join the project.”

With this premise in mind, CAIR was founded in 1994.

http://www.cair.com/AboutUs/MisinformationandConspiracyTheoriesAboutCAIR.aspx

Students & Media Disgusted by Caton's Attack Against Muslim Speaker

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
No brainwashing exercise

By TBO.COM | Tbo.com 
Published: January 27, 2012

In regards to "Board chided about Islam" (Metro, Jan. 25): I am a student in Dr. Kelly Miliziano's AP World History class at Steinbrenner High School. I attended Hassan Shibly's presentation on Islam and found it perfectly appropriate, as it tied into our study of the post-classical era. I don't feel like I was being converted and certainly don't feel I was being "brainwashed."

I'm not sure if this so-called Florida Family Association is serious or just really stupid. It turns out this fundamentalist organization has a messy history of anti-Islamic messages. David Caton, founder and president of the FFA, goes as far to say, "Folks, we are watching Islamization of America in action."

Here's the problem: Caton can't get it through his thick skull that Shibly doesn't have the intention of converting or brainwashing us. Now, apparently, Caton wants to send some of his followers to spew a counterargument to Islam. Ridiculous. There's a fine line between preaching and teaching. If ignorance is bliss, then Caton must be the happiest man in the world.

Daniel Krasnove

In Hillsborough, a voice of reason in defense of learning world's religions

By Sue Carlton, Times Columnist
In Print: Friday, January 27, 2012 [ Full Article]

School board meetings tend to be dull if necessary affairs, filled with proclamations, test score talk and the latest lineup of principals. (Stifle yawn here.)

But at a meeting of the Hillsborough County School Board this week came a Serious Moment of Truth out of an elected official who spoke up for education and showing kids what's out there in the world. You could even say she rose up righteous.

As is tradition around here, the controversy du jour was ignited by fear and misinformation and the flames fanned by our own in-house cast of moral crusaders. You know, the ones who have a direct line Upstairs. Just ask them...[ Continue Reading Full Article]

Listen to Hassan Shibly's News Talk Florida's Radio Interview

Public 'Liberty' Rally Invites Anti-Muslim Speaker

Michael Van Sickler | Tampa Bay Times | In Print: January 15, 2012 | [Full Article]

 

It's an event with a name that sounds inclusive enough: "Liberty & Justice for All: A Rally for America's Future." 

Scheduled for Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at North Straub Park at 400 Bayshore Drive NE, it's organized by neurosurgeon David McKalip, a tea party activist who plans to run for City Council next year.

McKalip is spending $5,000 to hold the event, which he said is independent from the tea party and is not meant to serve as a platform for his council run.

While McKalip has infused the rally with a healthy dose of religion, specifically the Christian variety, he said everyone is invited...

...Hassan Shibly, [CAIR Tampa's] executive director, doesn't think the event is meant to unify. He points to Richard Swier, a religious leader who was invited to speak....

...Swier wrote "we are not fighting a war on terror or Al Qaeda. Rather we are fighting a protracted war against shariah Islam."

Shibly called Swier's views libelous and defamatory and said they had no place at a so-called unity rally.

"If they want to hold a rally, they have every right to do that," Shibly said. "But it's very irresponsible to invite speakers who are promoting bigotry and religious hatred...."

... But Shibly said it's hard to believe the event welcomes everyone if a speaker like Swier is featured.

"We're not going to protest it," Shibly said. "It's more of an issue of responsibility. They are alienating and making enemies of a substantial part of the Florida community. It's un-American. Our goal right now is to work together as Americans, and I don't think it's productive if you have speakers who don't believe in the freedom of religion and tolerance."