Scholar Describes Growing American Interest In Islam

By Aly Lakhaney and Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File Staff Writers

Haddad sees opportunities after 9/11

WASHINGTON - An irony of the terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon last year is that they created opportunities for Americans to learn more about Islam, helping to clear up misconceptions about a religion practiced by five million people in the United States, and 1,200 million worldwide, says Yvonne Haddad of Georgetown University.

When 19 self-proclaimed Muslim fanatics hijacked two commercial airliners slamming them into the two World Trade Center Towers in Manhattan and into the Pentagon building on September 11, killing 3,000 people from 80 nations, Americans were instantly appalled but also curious, Haddad told the Washington File in an interview at her Georgetown University office last January.

The Syrian born Christian and Professor of the History of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations said one result was that "there were more opportunities" to educate the American people about the teachings and practices of Islam that were not there prior to the attacks. Americans were naturally curious about Islam, she added, and "wanted to know who their neighbors were."

For their part, Muslims, despite their fears, were "astounded at the open [welcoming] reaction" that Americans displayed toward them following the attacks, Haddad added. Across the nation there were people who reacted negatively toward Muslims after September 11 but there were more Americans who were concerned with their Muslim neighbors well being and offered whatever support they could, she said.

For example, Haddad said that when she recently visited a mosque in Milwaukee she was told that while receiving a number of threatening communications following the attacks, the Islamic center got 90 phone calls "asking if they were alright, and if there was any way the community could help them."

That is why "I think this is the greatest country in the world," the scholar said.

Extolling the general atmosphere of freedom that allows American to observe different cultural practices and beliefs, Haddad mentioned the general lack of government interference in religion in the United States.

As matter of fact, she said, "it is easier to live in America and be a Muslim, to think as a Muslim, to write what you want, to publish what you want [than it is anywhere else in the world]. There is absolutely no question about that."

The Professor added, "Muslims have been here for five or six generations, they're not just right off the boat." She also said that Muslims "have fought in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Vietnam War" defending America, reiterating the point that Muslims are a part of this country.

In recent elections Muslims in the United States have also made a concerted effort to participate in the political process, said Haddad. Muslims are attempting to run candidates in elections, raise funds, and encourage voter registration and have made progress.

Haddad explained that when conflicts arise between Muslims and others in the United States it usually involves disagreement with U.S. government policies, "not American values or American people."

Haddad feels that it is important to distinguish between values and policies because "If we [the United States] were to open our borders today, all Muslims would love to come and live here because Muslims love America, they love American values."

The professor also expressed concern that the initial curiosity of the American people and the American media was slowly fading. To a large degree American interest in Islam was sparked, she said, after President Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington DC following the September attacks. She said the visit "was important because the President identified Muslims as part of America."

Following the attacks, the Administration also launched an initiative aimed at promoting cross-cultural understanding between Muslims and people's of other religious faiths in America. Called the "Friendship Through Education" initiative, its goal is to further such understanding through teacher and student exchanges, email correspondence, and other projects. The initiative is a consortium of non-governmental organizations and private groups committed to connecting children from different nations.

But now Haddad described a "shift" in attitude in which "the press is emphasizing the negative side" of Islam rather than continuing the open discussion.

To counter that, the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (CMCU), for which Haddad works, has been striving to achieve cross-cultural understanding since its inception in 1993. CMCU was founded on the belief that dialogue and the study of each other's traditions is a necessary step on the path to mutual understanding of Muslims and Christians, Easterners and Westerners.

The center is still the only academic institution in the United States dedicated to exploring the 14 centuries of cultural, historical and theological interactions of Christianity and Islam.

CMCU also co-publishes a tri-monthly journal with the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom called "Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations."

Haddad, who is the former president of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and the American Academy of Religion -Northeast Region, has taught in numerous universities in the United States and also in the Middle East, South Africa, and India. The scholar has published over 14 books including "Muslims on the Americanization Path."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)