| American Muslims Speak Up |
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| Living in Two Cultures |
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| "I consider myself lucky to have been exposed to both cultures. My children recall the close ties of our extended family in Istanbul -- we had no TV, we shared every emotion. In the United States individuality is respected, I enjoy my privacy and solitude, the freedom of the press, and political expression." |
| -Necva Ozgur, principal of the New Horizon School, Pasadena, California |
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| "I don't view myself through separate identities. The yardstick I measure by is my faith; everything else falls into place. My identity is an American Palestinian who is a Muslim." |
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-Dr. Laila al-Marayati, member U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom |
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| "Islam defines my character - how I conduct myself and deal with my daily activities at work and at home. Since I was born in Iraq, I follow the 'we culture' instead of the 'I culture' of the West. My family and friends are the most important element in my life; hospitality and caring about others comes first; the family's hierarchy is central to my decision making.... My first and foremost goal is to know who I am, be it a Muslim, Iraqi Arab, or American. When all my identities come together in harmony, they become a vehicle of motivation and power. When these identities collide - as during the Gulf War - they bring on agonizing conflict and pain." |
| -Ilham al-Sarraf, Psychologist |
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| "I feel not only proud to be an American - to carry an American passport and travel worldwide - I feel that I can be myself, a fully practicing Muslim, particularly in America. This means I wake up in the morning without fear and come home at the end of the day without fear." |
| -Imam Yahaya Hendi, chaplain at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. |
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| "Research shows that girls generally tend to stay away from sports, especially if they must compete with boys. We're making sure the girls learn athletic skills without feeling hindered by their conservative attire. We want them to feel part of the American mainstream and not like oddballs. A Muslim soccer mom in hijab sitting on the sidelines of her child's game should not be a rare occurrence, but the norm." |
| -Semeen Issa, educator |
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| "American values are, by and large, very consistent with Islamic values, with a focus on family, faith, hard work and an obligation to better self and society. Islam prohibits the use of alcohol and drugs, and outlaws sex outside of marriage." |
| -Shahed Amanullah, San Francisco engineer |
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| "I've become almost a fanatical supporter of the United States government. To me, the vision of the Founding Fathers is the vision that we have in Islam." |
| -Warith Deen Mohammed, imam of the 2.5 million-member American Muslim Society |
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| "The American flag symbolizes all of our Islamic values: freedom, civil liberties, and respect for human life." |
| -Shaker Elsayed, Secretary General of the Muslim Society |
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| "Anyone looking for old American values can find them in Islam. It stresses family unity, caring for your mother and father, as well as bringing up children in the faith." |
| -Amira Elazhary Sonbol, Georgetown University professor |
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| Participating in the U.S. Political System |
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| "When people say we'll never have elected Muslim-American officials, I say, 'Hey, those are the same things they said about a Catholic named Kennedy running for president'." |
| -Suhail Khan, congressional staffer |
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| "The U.S. Constitution describes the perfect Islamic state. It protects life, liberty and property." |
| -Muhammed Muqtader Khan, American politics teacher |
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| Interpreting Islamic Tradition |
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| "Mosques today are not only centers for spirituality, they are also bases for political and social mobilization, focal points for Muslim life in a way they may not have been in more traditional Islamic societies. Muslims believe that by involvement with the larger society, they can do service to America." |
| -Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations |
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| "Muslims all over the world are looking with high expectations toward the ummah community in the United States and Canada. Its dynamism, fresh approach, enlightened scholarship and sheer growth is their hope for an Islamic renaissance worldwide." |
| -Murad Wilfried Hofmann, retired German diplomat and Muslim jurist |
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| "Increasingly, they [Muslims] are going to be claiming a place in the public square. They still see themselves as an 'out' group rather than a 'core' group in American life right now, but that is going to change as they move into positions where they can assert their heritage.... It's a red-white-and-blue pattern in American history as each immigrant group has developed a congregational, organizational life different from their home countries. Their houses of worship are more than just houses of prayer, but centers for a whole range of fellowship and community programs just as the German Lutherans, the Irish and Italian Catholics and the Dutch Reform did in centuries before." |
| -David Roozen, Hartford Seminary |
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