OHIO, 28 November 2007 — Omar Alomari, an American Muslim of Jordanian origin, has the distinction of having a one of a kind job. His job makes some suspicious, some envious, but it sure makes him proud.

Alomari heads the Multicultural Affairs Office of the Homeland Security in Ohio. Ohio is the only state in the US to have such a department. The aftermath of Sept. 11 brought with it an urgent need to promote understanding, communication and cooperation between law enforcement and the Muslim/Arab community. Homeland Security hired Alomari as a bridge to cross over the cultural barrier — a liaison to lead outreach efforts.

Omar Alomari is a professor of Islam and Middle Eastern culture at the Ohio State University. He is a scholar, a speaker and a well-known and well-liked member of the Muslim Arab community. He was chosen to be the multicultural relations officer for that reason. “Homeland Security office consulted with me if it would be a good idea to have such an office and I told them it’s not only a good idea but a must idea,” he said in an interview.

What are some of the things that the Multicultural Affairs Office has done since its inception in November 2005?

A big achievement, according to Alomari, was in building relations with the Muslim/Arab community. Everyone is suspicious of the Homeland Security. “Building trust was a major challenge. We had to market ourselves. We talked to various organizations within the community, we talked about their issues. We convinced that this was for the benefit of the community.”

Ultimately the hard work paid off.

“We invited the Muslims to join the fight against terrorism. Their seclusion makes them the usual suspects. The Muslims are extremely helpful. They are American citizens. They are highly educated, registered voters. They have good jobs, good incomes. They are well integrated; they have been here for generations. They have the same interest for their security. We have town hall meetings and have invited the FBI to talk to the Muslim community.”

Alomari’s department achieved great success with law enforcement personnel. “We taught them Muslim traditions. Do not take a dog to a Muslim household. If you must talk to a woman, let a female police interrogate. Take off your shoes when you enter the house because Muslims like to keep their house clean as they pray in it. If they don’t make eye contact, it is because of humility and not because they are guilty.”

Alomari feels that the law enforcement has learned but media has not. His biggest challenge now comes from the media. “There is a lot of ignorance in the American society about Islam and Arabs. They know very little and unfortunately what they know is the wrong thing. 80 percent Americans get 100 percent of their information from television alone. TV is commercialized and sensationalized so the quality of information is compromised. After 9/11, there are more ideological shows that are demonizing and evaluating others based on opinions of speakers. They do not paint a pretty picture of Islam. We are trying to give them the accurate information.”

Alomari said that he felt greatly dismayed by the shift of the media. “After 9/11 there was a period of time when the media talked about fanatics and extremists and I said, yes, we should focus on those. But now the media has shifted and put the religion on trial. They are assaulting Islam. Now it’s not about some elements in Islam, but Islam itself. That is the most difficult thing to deal with. I have been building bridges for a long time. But now I am dealing with a lot of ignorance. Now it’s very tough. I feel like now I am a lawyer defending Islam instead of explaining it.”

But Alomari has hopes. He calls himself a “pisoptimist”. The political atmosphere in the US is changing. Now the recommendation and emphasis is on outreach in Iraq. The US has not been good in building relations and having dialogues with people. You have to reach out to people, not isolate them. We have to stop saying, ‘they hate us, and they hate us for our freedom.’ That’s not true. Nobody hates freedom, if they did; they would not line up to come to America. People are not hateful but angry. And anger is really an invitation to dialogue; hate is a cessation of dialogue. These people want to talk. The West really has a part to play. Middle East is in a shambles, we really need to provide dialogue and outreach.”