American Muslim Leader Sees Reduction of Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes

Q. How has the Muslim community responded to the terror attacks on September 11. Let's start with Muslim American groups such as yours.

A. The first thing is that we were shocked. We, the leaders of the four national organizations, which constitute the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC), were here in the city because we were scheduled to meet with President Bush on Tuesday, September 11 on some other business. This was the first time President Bush was planning to meet with the leaders of the Muslim national organizations.

The presence of the leadership here was an opportunity to immediately release the first statement concerning the attack. Our statement categorically condemned it as an act of terrorism and war and a crime against humanity.

A second statement from the American Muslim Council urged our Muslim American community members to participate in blood donation drives to show our community cares for the victims and the wounded. The best way at that moment was to start the blood drive. Also, the four organizations sent a letter to President Bush telling him that we expect him to take steps to eradicate terrorism and that we will be supporting him.

The second day all of us in the leadership came to the Red Cross where we held a news conference and launched the blood donation drive. After that, we called on our community to start sending relief supplies for the needy.

These are the first actions we have taken.

Q. Now on the grassroots level, tell me how the various Muslim American communities around the country have responded to the attacks.

A. The national and local mosques and organizations all followed the lead of the national organizations in condemning the attacks. We also suggested to the people to make Friday as a day of prayers.

Q. You actually called for Friday to be a National Day of Mourning along with the rest of the country?

A. Yes, we called for a National Day of Mourning when our clerics devoted their sermons to the victims and the wounded and we said prayers to heal. We also prayed for America, for the healing of our society, for all Americans to stand together and show our unity and to show the attackers and terrorists that their horrible act will not divide our society or our country.

Q. In the National Cathedral gathering on the Friday following the attacks, at least one Muslim leader participated in the ceremony.

A. Yes, he was Dr. Muzemmel Siddiqui, the president of the Islamic Society of North America, who was one of the speakers at the National Cathedral. Actually, and as a symbolic gesture, the organizers let him be the first one to speak.

Q. There was some other national ceremony in New York in September 24 in which a Muslim leader participated.

A. It was a day of prayer in which Muslims also participated. By the way, interfaith services have been taking place all over the country. In all of our communities and urban centers, Islamic centers and Muslim mosques, all of them participated in the interfaith alliances and prayer meetings and vigils.

Q. All these interfaith meetings, what did they really signify to you as Muslim organizations?

A. It has shown that this nation has come together. All communities of faith have shown great leadership not only on the grassroots level but also on the national level. People from all faiths have stood by us when we really needed them. The Catholic bishops organization came with a statement supporting us. The Center for Reformed Judaism also brought us a statement telling the community at large, "do not tamper with your fellow American Muslim citizens or fellow Arab American citizens because they are the number one victims of this event."

Q. What other things in your opinion have helped in your campaign to avoid being singled out for any attacks or harassment?

A. The other issue that was very important was that the Congress came out strongly to protect the community, to protect America and Arab Americans in a beautiful way. They put concurrent resolutions out (urging not to single out their fellow Arab and American Muslims or blame them for the terror acts), and we commend representative David Bonior of Michigan and representative Tom Davis from Virginia who introduced the resolution in the House. We commended also the bipartisan leadership in the Senate for also accepting the concurrent resolution.

Q. There were similar calls by other U.S. government leaders, particularly President Bush.

A. Yes, what made our situation better in general was that our president and secretary of state, the Attorney General, the FBI director, all of them came out in defense of the American Muslim community and said these terrorist attacks have nothing to do with our community, our faith or our ethnicity.

Q. How was the response among the community to those very strong statements from the president, Attorney General that came at such a tense time in America's history?

A. They were taken to heart. I think the visit the president made to the Islamic center in Washington D.C. and his recitation of verses from the Koran and his praise of Muslim women with their scarves, his praise for the Muslim mothers and fathers and the contributions of the American Muslim community to American society as a whole was wonderful. It was accepted whole-heartedly. It showed that our president is really a compassionate conservative, in the real sense.

Q. What is the feeling among the community about the effect that the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have had on the lives of Muslim Americans. Some people have said that these acts actually do not help the kinds of causes that Muslim Americans and Arab Americans have been championing for the past 20, 30, 40 years -- civil liberties and so forth. These attacks really hurt American Muslim causes and Arab American causes, is that what you are getting?

A. I think you're right, but let me reiterate to you two things. First, what we have been doing, we have seen the fruits of it. I think the administration, the Congress, the interfaith community have been wonderful. Even the American media have gotten better in their coverage of the Muslim community. Their reporting of the attacks and Muslim and Arab Americans has been better. Their sensitivity has been better. We commend all of them.

There have been a lot of incidents of harassment, of vandalism of mosques and even shootings and killing. If it weren't for the statements of the president, the administration, the Congress and the interfaith community, the situation would have been much worse. They really brought a lot of comfort to our community. They showed great leadership. I commend even Mayor Giuliani of New York, who has showed himself to be a great American hero, a great American leader. He demonstrated leadership by calling on his fellow New Yorkers not to single out any ethnic groups.

Q. How would you interpret this outpouring of support that the community has gotten at this difficult time?

A. I think that what helped was that we called a spade a spade. We immediately called what happened an act of terror pure and simple, without giving it any other definition related to Muslims or Arabs. We as American Muslims or Arab Americans completely disassociated ourselves from the attacks and condemned them in the strongest terms.

Q. You said the American media this time around showed more sensitivity and more objectivity in their reporting of Islam and Muslims. Is that the case really?

A. It was and I commend ABC for taking the lead among the networks. ABC news anchor Peter Jennings and ABC Nightline's Ted Koppel really showed leadership in the media. The rest followed. CNN, MSNBC and others are now broadcasting town meetings with Muslims participating in them. Even last night, on MSNBC, I think, broadcast a town meeting in New York. There was a prayer meeting in New York yesterday that was broadcast live on many stations, reported by many of the national outlets.

Q. What would you attribute these kinds of different, maybe changed, behaviors by the media and other things regarding Muslims and Arabs in this country? Is it organization? Or is it that Arabs and Muslims are increasingly trying to project an image of themselves more as Americans?

A. I think that the last few days have shown that the American Muslim community has really grown and their role in society has grown and they have been recognized. As we always tell our community, we are Muslims for a better America. We want our society to be better. We want our values to be shared with the rest of our society. I think our efforts from local PTA meetings to the more organized work we do on Pennsylvania Avenue, have paid off.

Q. Do you think the level of harassment and attacks on Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in this country has been reduced in the last week or so compared to the first week after the attacks?

A. Oh, yes, it has. It has been reduced a lot, there is a lot of push by the administration to help the community. The security forces, the police and the FBI are discussing and investigating many of the hate crimes reported against our community in the past couple of weeks.

Q. Do you think law enforcement agencies have been responsive enough to your concerns?

A. There has been a lot of responsiveness, but also there has been some kind of hesitation. There has been unfortunately some reluctance from the community to report some of these harassment cases because of some acts of insensitivity by some law enforcement agents.

Q. Are you calling on your communities to be more cooperative, more forthcoming with the legitimate activities of these law enforcement bodies?

A. Absolutely, and we also called on our community members who speak Arabic, Farsi and other languages to go and help the FBI in their investigation of these terror attacks. Law enforcement agencies are offering our community jobs, and we feel that we need to help. After all, this is our society and this is our country. The safety of every American is our most important priority.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)