Why Islam? in the Bay Area
Most Americans recognize San Francisco as one of the most progressive, free-thinking cities in the country. Some choose to lampoon this fact with seemingly innoccuous yet purposefully derogatory phrases like “San Francisco Values.” No matter on which side of the fence you reside, we can all agree that you will see and experience things in ”Baghdad by the Bay” that you won’t anywhere else.
For example, earlier this year I was boarding the Muni (SF’s local transist system) and in place of a typical bus-side advertisement for McDonald’s or the current movie blockbuster, I had a simply advertised question staring at me: Why Islam? Later in the day, another Muni drove by bearing an ad that read “Islam: Submission to God”. In addition to these messages, each of these traveling billboards included a phone number (1-877-WhyIslam) and a web site (WhyIslam.org).
Even in an open-minded (sometimes to the point of apathy), yet opinionated (sometimes to the point of arrogance) city like San Francisco, this ad campaign somehow caught me offguard. Perhaps I’m used to seeing only commercial messages pasted onto Muni vehicles and kiosks or maybe I have grown all too familiar with typical Western media portrayals of Islam, which is to say…that it is the religion of terrorists. And although I’m semi-worldly enough to recognize the fallacy in this widely-held view (believe it or not, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslim), seeing Islam publicized in a positive light was unusually shocking.
The Why Islam? campaign is a product of the local chapter of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). According to their web site, “The goal of ICNA shall be to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT) through the struggle of Iqamat-ud-Deen (establishment of the Islamic system of life) as spelled out in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).” Since the extent of my knowledge of Islam is largely limited to the Five Pillars (or Six Pillars, depending on your perspective) and a bit of reading/watching that involves the subject (e.g., Ghost Wars, PBS Frontline, Traitor, etc.), I found the ICNA’s overarching goal entirely too general to derive any detailed meaning.
So, after taking a closer look at the Why Islam? web site, here are my main take-aways:
- Jihad has several interpretations. Since the ICNA placed a question regarding the definition of jihad as their first FAQ, they must consider this term one of the biggest roadblocks to wide acceptance of Islam in the United States. According to their answer, jihad should be interpreted as “struggle” (not “holy war”), or more completely: “At the individual level, jihad primarily refers to the inner struggle of being a person of virtue and submission to God in all aspects of life.” However, at the collective level, jihad can take a variety of forms, including intellectual, economic, and physical jihad. In recent history, physical jihad has been the most widely publicized with 9/11, Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq dominating the first decade of the 21st century.
- The Qur’an does not consider Christians and Jews infidels. According to the site, an infidel is someone who does not believe in God, a definition that is incompatible with the beliefs of Christians and Jews. However, the related term “kafir” can be used to describe those who periodically reject their prophets.
- WhyIslam.org is well organized and has the potential to open up dialogue. The intention of the ICNA appears to be clearing up the West’s misconception of Islam, which on its own is a noble goal and the WhyIslam? web site can be a valuable tool in this effort. However, the confusion over interpretations of the Qur’an and the perception that certain distinctions (like the two points discussed above) are just a game of semantics may marginalize the overall message, which is unfortunate when you consider how many millions of people have negative feelings towards the world’s second largest religion. At a minimum, I hope the ICNA is successful in at least opening up a dialogue that leads to a mutually beneficial understanding.
The ICNA explains that the Qur’an allows for physical jihad only as a last resort to defend freedom, but no agression towards civilians is ever permitted. This position towards civilians is one of the most significant differences between jihad and terrorism. According to ICNA, the others include: (a) Jihad can only be launched by an established authority while terrorism is committed by individuals or groups without legitimacy to speak for the majority, (b) Jihad is declared openly, whereas terrorism is committed secretly, and (c) Jihad is bound by strict rules of engagement while terrorism is not bound by any rules.
While these last three differences may accurately frame physical jihad as a morally defensible act, the reality is not so clear when the government of a recognized country (i.e., the Taliban in Afghanistan) sanctions bin Laden’s declaration of ”jihad” against the United States. Coupled with Al Qaeda’s actual attacks on American civilians, the line between jihad and terrorism can be significantly blurred.
A specific Qur’an passage is offered on the site that states “they [Christians and Jews] have disbelieved” that Allah is the Messiah. Now, I’m not a religious scholar or a linguist, but I think with “infidels” and “kafir” we’re talking Granny Smith and Fuji here, not apples and oranges as they are making it sound. Either way, the ICNA sees this as an important distinction.
The site also has a likely controversial take on women and Islam, but I highly recommend checking out the site for yourself and bringing your thoughts back here. For further research on a variety religions, you can check out Adherents and our other spirituality resources.
- Matt
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To be honest with you it kind of scared me. For many reasons. First of all some of the relatively easy going messages in the Why Islam website were troubling on their own merits. But other than that, I don’t think that the problem is so much with the misconceptions as to the true nature of Islam (not that I’m a huge fan), but really the interpretations it is given by the preachers in mosques all over the world and the actions of the followers. I mean a written and proclaimed intention is very nice but it’s the execution of an idea that speaks louder than words. So if this movement wants to defuse people’s misconceptions it should firstly address (more strongly) our experiences in recent history of the result of extremist preaching. Why is this happening? Why is it the Muslims? What is the opinion of ICNA of this? Obviously not an easy task, but the issues covered in the Why Islam website were handled, in my opinion, in a simplistic and naive fashion. Who exactly is simplistic and naive is a whole other question.
The reason I’m concerned is that all throughout Europe Islam is spreading without too much disturbance, and while I’m sure (or hope) for the most part that these are legitimate organizations there is also evidence of homegrown terrorists, terrorist cells, and of course extremist preachers. Has this already been a problem? Yes. London and Madrid for example and 9/11 perpetrators as well.
A democracy must provide freedom of expression to all its citizens, but at the same time it is not free to not defend itself. Why Islam seems like an interesting idea in itself, but it doesn’t hit the nail on the head for me – and I wasn’t expecting it to either. My fear is that we in the USA and in San Francisco in particular are becoming too complacent perhaps for the sake of being PC. Will that come from behind and surprise us some day?
Thanks for the comment, CC.
You’re definitely touching on the issues that have many of those in the west scared, angry, or both. I agree that the Why Islam? site leaves something to be desired and to be honest, I didn’t really feel like I learned a lot. If anything, I had even more questions, including: (1) Who/what is the central figure that guides the beliefs of the majority of Muslims?, (2) Do the followers of fundamental Islam represent the majority or do they just speak the loudest?, (3) Does widespread Islam make room for other religions and nonbelievers? These are only a few questions that must be answered for any true reconciliation or comfort to be reached.
- Matt
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