The importance of correcting and changing Islam’s distorted image in the West is not to be denied. We must not be deterred by the enormousness of the job; nor should we underestimate the dangers of the anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim campaigns since Sept. 11. The open intellectual and ideological climate in which there once was an opportunity for Muslims in the West, and specifically in America, to make their presence known has changed forever.
We must not allow the enemies of Islam — religious extremists, "intellectuals" or politicians — to use Sept.11 to plant in Western minds a distorted image of Islam and Muslims. Reports say that the "anti-Islam" wave in the US has produced more than 20 books this year on the "the Islamic threat". Among the most dangerous are: "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us" by Steven Emerson and "Militant Islam Reaches America" by Daniel Pipes. Both authors are known for their enmity to Islam and are in the forefront of distorting our image in America.
Meanwhile extremist American church officials’ attacks on Islam have been particularly upsetting. The leaders of several groups have issued statements declaring that Islam is an "evil religion" and inciting the so-called "free world" not to be tolerant of the followers of the "terrorist" religion! Several opinion polls published recently show that 37 percent of Americans have a negative impression of Islam compared with only 28 percent who have a positive impression.
This is, of course, only one side of the coin; there exists another and more positive one that we should also be aware of. One is the decision by the University of North Carolina to require its incoming students to read a book entitled "Approaching the Koran" by a professor of religion at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. The decision aroused the fury of conservative religious organizations and led them to file a lawsuit to prevent the book being taught. Their argument was that the university’s action was unconstitutional in that it forced students to study a pro-Islamic book. The case was dismissed and the court upheld the university’s decision to teach the book.
The second example leads us to the excellent work being done by another American organization which has campaigned to increase knowledge of Islam in the US. Some 80,000 volunteers belong to this organization, The National Council for International Visitors. It began its campaign with a segment from a documentary entitled: "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet". One of the documentary’s producers says that the film tries to put a human touch on Islam by portraying the way in which American Muslims fulfil their religious duties. He adds: "The images of Muslims in the media are of angry people, shouting and screaming in the streets. This is that most Americans see when looking at people who are supposedly Muslim". The aim of this film is to present an image of American Muslims who follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in their daily lives.
What is required of us is to encourage such efforts and to support and cooperate with their leaders. This would be far more beneficial than wasting our time and energy on following a campaign that may only harm us. There are indications that many in the West are desirous of learning about Islam — in fact, the demand for Islamic knowledge is increasing and attendance at courses on Islam and the Arab world is on the increase in American universities. Recent opinion polls in Britain as well as Europe indicate a similar interest in Islam; these polls are encouraging and we must exploit and utilize them to our advantage.
The real problem is that we don’t seize opportunities that are presented to us. An American journalist complained a few years ago that Arabs and Muslims wasted their time complaining about the American media distorting their image instead of replying to the complaints in a careful, reasoned, and objective manner. He is correct. For what the West is doing in distorting our image is not important. What is important is what we do about the distortion.
Certainly, we must act quickly and earnestly, though in accordance with a clear vision of what our aims are, what we wish to replace and the way to do it. And so we have our topic for next week.
