*EPF315 01/30/2002
New York Muslims Educate Their Neighbors About Their Faith
(American Museum of Natural History Stages Events about Islam) (740)

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer

New York -- In the aftermath of September 11, widespread interest in Islam among Americans has created new opportunities for the American Muslim community to present itself and its views to mainstream American society.

In New York City, whose population diversity makes it a veritable microcosm of the world, the American Museum of Natural History hosted a series of film screenings and panel discussions during January to educate its audience about Islam and to allow them to pose questions directly to representatives of the New York Muslim community.

Louis Abdellatif Cristillo, a professor at Columbia University in New York who researches the city's Muslim population, said the media had lately been reaching out to Muslim civic leaders, visiting mosques, and in general providing opportunities for American Muslims to "speak their minds."

"I think that in the mainstream public this is quite an education. As the American mainstream increases its knowledge of Islam, pernicious misconceptions may die off because they are being broken down. So the crisis can go a long way to a useful understanding and acceptance of Muslims," said Cristillo, who chaired a January 26 panel discussion entitled "Voices of Muslims in the City of Diversity."

Cristillo pointed out that books with topics related to Islam had climbed to the top ten list of bestsellers on Amazon.com.

"We've been inundated with questions, and organizations wanting us to sit on panels to learn more about Islam. I must admit we've been totally overwhelmed because we were not ready," commented Emira Habiby Browne, Executive Director of the Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn.

Response to media and popular interest is not the only motivation for American Muslims in New York to become more proactive. The community has had to face an upsurge in discrimination and violent hate crimes after September 11. For many, a fear of being perceived by their neighbors as un-patriotic or un-American has led them to keep a low profile.

On the other hand, some community leaders have recognized the critical need, especially after September 11, for Muslims to reach out to the wider community. Aisha al-Adawiya, founder and director of Women in Islam, has organized forums where Muslim and non-Muslim New Yorkers interact and discuss issues relating to civil liberties and freedoms that most Americans hold as being fundamental principles of the nation.

"The level of dialogue has been stimulating. The coalitions that developed and resulted have been very powerful so that Muslims are more willing to be recognized as Muslims. Because of the backlash many Muslims were intimidated ... but people came to support Muslims as their fellow Americans and to begin again the conversation about what it means to be an American," said al-Adawiya.

Browne said that while the community was subjected to acts of ethnic hatred following September 11, many non-Muslims stepped forward in an effort to protect their Muslim neighbors.

"We've also had an outpouring of people who really care about us and we at the center have had hundreds of people wanting to volunteer at the time right after 9-11 when we wanted escorts to take children to school because they were afraid to go to school, or women to go to the stores. We had at least a hundred people asking to help," said Browne.

According to al-Adawiya, the Muslim community of New York is represented in every borough and has a tremendous impact upon the city and its metropolitan area.

"I would venture to say that anyone would be very hard pressed to go out in New York City today and try to conduct any aspect of business without encountering a Muslim in the process, whether you recognize them or not," said al-Adawiya. "And that is something unique to New York."

The popular desire to learn more about Islam and Muslims following September 11 will certainly lead to more media visibility for the American Muslim community in the effort by the general public to learn more about what is now the fastest growing religion in the United States.

"New Yorkers in particular, are poised to answer this question in a way that others are not able to because of the diversity in this city and because of interaction that we have had over the years," said al-Adawiya.

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

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