The Wake

A man named Pete King is running for re-election as the representative of New York’s third district. He’s a really swell guy. Despite being a Republican, he has sustained a long and friendly relationship with the local Islamic center and has regularly garnered support among minority voters during his fourteen-year tenure. In the last election, he won with 63% of the vote. He attributes his success to courage and “outspoken integrity,” and that’s a quote from Newsday. Did you know that this same man recently said that 85% of masjids (mosques) in America are run by extremists who are planning a campaign of radical Islam?

The problems with King’s statement are numerous. First of all, it’s just bad sportsmanship. King has accepted numerous donations form the local Islamic center and has accepted their vocal support in past campaigns. He even attended the wedding of one of its leaders’ sons, as well as contributed to a book on Islam. But even more disturbing is the fact that his statement is not only based on pure conjecture without any facts to back it up, it is a statement that is impossible to prove with facts.

The most frightening thing about his remarks, though, is what is implied about Muslim’s rights. King never takes the time to define what he considers an “extremist,” but he does point to the “fact” that local leaders believe 9/11 was perpetrated by the CIA and Zionists. He also claims the first part in their “campaign” is to give political support to his opponent.

My response is simple: So what? Last time I checked, it wasn’t illegal for Muslims to hold dissenting political views. King’s remarks are a prime example of cowardice, disloyalty and fear-mongering, but they point to a darker belief held by our regal friend: that Muslims don’t have the right to hold certain beliefs or take political action. If King really felt that these beliefs were universally dangerous or illegal, why isn’t he going after the makers of Loose Change, which is a documentary questioning the government’s involvement in 9/11? Why isn’t he going after the groups that hold seminars on this same topic, or the thousands of people who support them? Oh, right, because they’re not Muslim. The guys who hand out flyers for socialist rallies are cute and cuddly, but give them a beard and a Qur’an and they’re extremists.

Sadly, this view isn’t relegated to hard-liners like King. It’s everywhere, even in liberal, friendly and pragmatic Minnesota, where we like to pretend that we’re above discrimination.

The root cause of this view is something I like to call it a “representative minority.” It’s the idea that if the majority of the population doesn’t come into regular, intimate contact with people from a certain minority group, then the media and mainstream society will let one person, action or organization become representative of that minority group. With the seemingly endless war on terror in full effect and the media constantly portraying Muslims as fiery-eyed insurgents attempting to topple America, it’s no surprise that after 9/11, Muslims have been represented in the media by the three Bs: buildings, bombs and beards.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You have a beard, Ali. Yes, and I’m proud of it. Facial hair aside, the effects of this abuse can be seen all around us. For example, many Muslims and immigrants have lived in fear of the government, staying quiet to avoid deportation. In fact, it’s taken the Muslim community as a whole, the vast majority of them being American citizens, five years to organize into a cohesive, effective political unit. Insha Allah, (translation: God willing,) Keith Ellison will be our first success story.

But despite our progress, the political climate is still unfriendly to Muslims. We are constantly asked to denounce terrorism. In essence, we are asked to apologize for the crimes of people like us, because people still believe strongly in the idea of the representative minority. I, for one, think it is a ridiculous idea. I would never ask white America to apologize for every crime committed by a Caucasian anywhere in the world, nor would I ask Americans to apologize for the crimes of their neighbors. If I was going to start doing that, I’d begin by asking Sufjan Stevens fans to apologize for those stupid, keening Asthmatic Kitty comps. Yuck.

What truly makes this ridiculous, though, is we are all Americans. Regardless of our religious or political affiliations, we all go through the same things. We all live, work, pay taxes and obey the same laws. We all want to be happy, provide for the ones we love and improve our communities. Is it such a painful stretch for us to try to understand our neighbors, even if they don’t look like us? Considering that we live in America, “the cultural melting pot”, in 2006, I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

And that’s why I’m taking a stand. As a Muslim-American I have all the same rights as everyone else, and I’m going to exercise them. It’s high time we stopped apologizing and started acting. If I believe that I can make this country better or bring something positive to the table, I’m not going to let anyone stop me. Not even Pete King.