This is your place to publicly comment on the topics and issues addressed in Speaking of Faith programs. React in a personal way, and put into words what this program meant to you.
Submit Your Reflection about "Hearing Muslim Voices Since 9/11."
Hope for the Future (December 7, 2006)
I want to begin by thanking you for Speaking of Faith. I have been involved in ecumenical and interfaith movements for 15 years, but your program has given me a depth of understanding about certain topics that has been enriching and life-changing. In 1997, I co-founded a small organization in Pennsylvania called the Academy of Sacred Music. Our mission is "to promote sharing, scholarship, and skill development in the field of sacred music through ongoing formation of musicians from all religious traditions..." From 1999 to 2001, I served as Director of Music Ministries at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. From there I went on to found a professional choir, Seraphim, that exists to perform sacred music from all religious traditions in an effort to promote understanding and appreciation among people from all faith traditions and cultures.
Seraphim was welcomed into St. Peter's Church as our host "residence," one block north of the World Trade Center. We planned to begin our first season by offering a few concerts during the lunch hour to office workers in lower Manhattan. On 9/11, landing gear from one of the airplanes crashed into the roof of St. Peter's. Our latent intentions were put on hold until November 2nd (the Roman Catholic Feast of All Souls) when we were called upon to sing for a memorial mass, which was the first public worship service at St. Peter's following 9/11/01.
As we sang Faure's haunting Requiem, I stood in front of the altar on the spot where the body of Michael Judge was laid after being tagged as the first identified victim on 9/11 in New York. As the music director of Seraphim, I feel that something very special is required of us who are left behind. The lack of mutual understanding and hatred that led to the destruction of 9/11/01 begs of us a serious attempt at remembering that builds community, understanding, and hope for the future. And, for these very intentions, I thank you for Speaking of Faith.
Robert Long
East Stroudsburg, PA (WNYC, 93.9 FM)
Learning About Islam (December 7, 2006)
There are so many things that I found interesting about this topic. Prior to hearing this conversation, I did not know much about the Muslim religion and I still do not know a lot about it, but I do know a lot more know than prior to listening to this dialogue. I have been wanting to know a little more about the Islamic community since 9/11, just to clarify what has been publicized and what we have been shown/taught on television and radio since 9/11. "Why was it that there was such ignorance about Islam before this event?" I know for myself, I have not taken the opportunity to experience Islam and its beliefs and practices. I am sure I have known some Muslims at one time or another, but I do not bring up religious beliefs as a topic too often in my conversations. I am a person who likes to stay away from conflict, and I believe that religion and one's beliefs can have a great deal of conflict involved. I am very open-minded to others interests, beliefs, and thoughts; I guess I just do not like conflict.
I also found Chaplain Major Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad's description very helpful. There are five basic principles in the Islam religion: a belief in one God, pray five times per day, charity (annual payment), fasting (29-30 days once a year), and going to Mecca once in your lifetime. It does not seem like that would be too complicated! But after 9/11 (television can, in a sense, determine people's view of almost anything) I think that most Americans believe that Muslims have a lot of hatred in their beliefs, and that is not listed anywhere in the basic principles. You do not see anything about hate, hurting, or harming others, nor anything that would cause pain to another. In fact Muslims are regular people that live regular lives, and we Americans need to acknowledge this. As stated by Ms. Ingrid Mattson, "Most people, they live out their faith day to day by small actions of generosity, humility, and gratefulness. There are many Muslim doctors, and day after day they are serving people, they're helping people. Certainly, it's a result of their training, but it's also an aspect of their faith. There are Muslims working in soup kitchens and in those shelters." We are all human and we have many different beliefs! Will that ever be accepted not only in America but also throughout the world?
Jenny Cionca
Monticello, MN (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Like No Other (September 20, 2006)
To qualify what I'm about to say, please note the following:
1. I am an Arab-American, whose parents are Palestinian with family in Beirut and Amman.
2. I am Christian (technically Greek Orthodox); I have faith but don't believe in forcing others to my faith, or condemning others who don't practice my faith (despite the pope's and other spiritual leaders' wishes).
3. I am an American citizen, was educated at the University of Georgia, consider myself as American and patriotic as the next "Joe-Schmo" next to me, work in the market research field, and love what I do.
4. By looking at me, one would never guess that I am Arab. I appear as white as "Joe-Schmo" in his pick-up truck, and often take other, "more apparent" Arabs by surprise when I throw out a few words.
I listen to your program avidly on my commute home, and must say that you regularly present the most thought-provoking and insightful content. After listening to excerpts of your program, I only wished that my wife and some of my Western friends were listening to it with me. Mr. Nasr articulated what I have long argued to no avail — that the only way to solve our world problems is to address the root cause as opposed to the symptoms (where the key symptom that Westerners like to address is terrorism).
I think that I have an uncommon perspective — of a non-Muslim Arab/Palestinian dissent, law-abiding/tax-paying/everyday-working U.S. citizen — and your program speaks to me like none others can.
Sami Nuwar
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)
Why Ignore Extremists? (September 17, 2006)
By choosing to focus on the silent majority of Islam (who often are victimized by extremists) you have deprived listeners the opportunity of better understanding those whose faith is described as extremist, e.g. Wahhabism, Hezbollah, Taliban and Hamas. It would not be hard to find articulate English-speaking representatives of these groups. They are making the news, and they are most certainly people of faith. Why ignore them?
Elaine Handelman
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
Shattered Comfort Zone (September 15, 2006)
The 9/11 tragedy, and also the other events of Islamic militancy leading up to 9/11, have had a profound and deeply anguishing impact on me and most others in my circle of friends and relatives. I am from India, born and raised as a Muslim in a deeply devout family. While I always had a level of disquiet about religion in general, I managed to find a zone of acceptance and even comfort with my religion as I grew through my high school and college years. After coming to the U.S. for graduate studies and deciding to settle down here, I became less and less connected with my religion and religion in general, but kept those changes largely to myself. Over time, the notion of being a non-practicing Muslim gave me a comfort zone from which to put behind me the questions and misgivings I had in my formative years.
The rising militancy of Islam culminating in the events of 9/11 and subsequent events has deeply shattered my comfort zone. I had first-hand experience with religious intolerance in India, with the tragic events of the partition of the subcontinent and the subsequent periodic spasms of Hindu/Muslim violence. The renewed global militancy seemed to reawaken in me those feelings of doubt about the authenticity of religion as an institution for human redemption and human kindness. The acts of wanton destruction committed by the militants in the name of Islam are despicable and depraved. But equally offensive are the defensive attitudes and proclamations of the non-extremist sections of the Islamic population. I wish the "public face" of Islam presented by the more moderate segment was more assertive, visible, and non-ambiguous in not just condemning the actions of the extremists but denying their (the extremists') right to speak in the name of Islam.
Naz Bhimji
South Amboy, NJ (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Wearing the Hijab (September 15, 2006)
I am an American woman who has been Muslim for more than two decades. At the time of September 11, 2001, I had worn the head scarf (hijab) and a contemporary version of Islamic dress code. The day after September 11, my two adult sons, one who lived in Manhattan and another who lived in Miami at the time contacted me and appealed to me to stop wearing my head scarf. They feared I might be attacked in a hate crime by some ignorant person who wanted a target to strike that represented Islam. This was a current that rippled through our society at that time with numerous incidents that occurred including the murder of a Sikh taxi driver whose turban was interpreted as representing Islam.
Since the purpose of wearing the Islamic head covering and modest dress style is to protect the dignity and physical person of the Muslim woman from intrusive stares and molestation, I decided that the path of wisdom was to remove my scarf, although I did with sadness. In talking to Muslim women friends around the country I found others had done the same or had modified their head covering to be more anonymous. I continued this for several years and then gradually began to wear it again in various situations. It felt better to wear it than to not wear it.
Although my well-meaning non-Muslim friends actually celebrated my "liberation" from the scarf, I found no sense of relief in it despite its practicality. Without the scarf I got hired at more jobs than I did with the scarf, but somehow my economy seemed to flourish a lot less. In a strange way it felt like I lost my center. I skipped prayers more, did not go to the community prayers and in general felt more invaded by the world. I went to the hairdressers, shopped more, and tried to figure out a new image that would help me to simply pass undisturbed through the world with my Islam contained within, instead of carried outwardly on my sleeve, in my scarf. Perhaps this was the better path for our times, I hazarded to guess.
Since I am an unmarried woman, I had no husband to either sanction or disapprove my decision. I wanted my sons and my daughter to feel that I was safe and did not want to be a source of worry to them. As time passed I felt more alienated from my Islamic path and lifestyle. I associated less with Muslims and more with people of other faiths. I felt isolated — not afraid, just isolated.
Then one day I accidentally met a Sheikh in a rug store in California. He wore a green turban and a replica of the Prophet's [Muhammad] clothing. As I sat in the room with him I was overcome with a great nostalgia and a reminder of how I loved the prophetic tradition and everything it represented. He was a reminder to me of the presence of the Prophet himself. I felt like someone who had been wandering in a material desert who had arrived at an oasis. That journey brought me full circle and now I find myself part of the educational staff of an accredited Islamic school in Florida where I can wear hijab and associate with the ummah, a community where my values are shared.
Hadijah Vanada
Cooper City, FL (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Voice of Reason at the Edge of Sanity (September 14, 2006)
I listen without fail to Speaking of Faith when I can as it teaches much and offers glimpses of more. This particular program was of importance to me as I was deeply aware that the bridge between two belief systems was being eroded very quickly since the tragedy of 9/11. Your guest Seyyed Hossein Nasr was articulate and expressed views that encompassed many fleeting impressions in my mind formed by the world happenings in the last five years.
For a lot of people affected directly or indirectly by the tragedy, the grief is too near to allow introspection, and I understand and respect that. But it does seem to be true that, to understand the reasons, people in the West have not gone past the immediate present and into the last few centuries. I believe that remains the fundamental issue.
It warms my heart that Speaking of Faith did this program, to bring a voice — small though it may be in the scheme of things — that speaks reason and is keen on bridging gaps, when the whole humanity is spiraling to the very edge of sanity with chaos, mindless hatred, and unspeakable violence. Like another listener said, it is an act of courage, compassion, and immeasurable faith in goodness. Bravo!
Lavanya Ramanujan
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)
Centrist Islam (September 11, 2006)
I listened with great interest to your program and to descriptions of how Islam might evolve in more benign directions if left to its own devices rather than being pressured by the West. At the program's end, I wondered if it might be possible for followers of Islam to ever separate the issue of the existence of the state of Israel from the issue of Western colonialism.
While it is convenient to think of Israel as just another example of Western incursion into Islamic lands and while it may have been convenient for certain Western nations to advocate for Israel's right to exist for their own economic reasons, I believe the Jewish claim to a homeland rests on a basis much deeper and of longer standing than any Western ambitions in the Middle East. Representing as it does such a small portion of Middle East real estate and certainly possessing no claim to oil riches, I fail to see how Israel can ultimately be considered a threat to the Islamic world, especially if its existence can be separated from feelings of exploitation by Western powers. I hope Islam can reach that level of understanding.
Alan Shulman
New London, NH (WVPR, 89.5 FM)
The Faithful Always View Life as Sacred (September 11, 2006)
I was interested in the comment by your guest [Seyyed Hossein Nasr] when he made the comment that Muslims, unlike Christians, don't distinguish between the sacred and the secular. I thought people of faith in all traditions viewed all life as sacred, be they Muslim, Methodist, or Mormon. As a Christian and a member of the Episcopal Church, my faith governs my choices of how I spend my time and money, where I go, how I speak. I hope. It is the same whether I am at work, at home or at church. It is St. Benedict teaching ora et labora. It is Thich Nhat Hanh teaching mindfulness.
Patricia Jones
Los Angeles, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Madrassas and Fox News (September 11, 2006)
Speaking of Faith often provides answers to most questions or concerns I have about different faiths. I enjoy the inner peace that the show also provides through positive ideas and truth. However, this Sunday morning, I felt I was short of one major answer to one major question; what is Mr. Nasr and his likes (Islamic scholars and moderate Islamic people) doing to fight against Islamic extremism? This question could also take a different tangent: 'Why is the West or Christians trying to fight Islamic extremism?' That only fuels the hatred and violence.
The questions might seem banal and naive, but let us look at them in a deeper sense. If extremism and fundamentalism and now terrorism has tainted the Islamic faith, I don't think it is wise to think that another religion would cleanse it. So what is being done within the Islamic religion to turn the situation back to the peaceful traditions? Why are madrassas still allowed to propagate inaccuracies among the Islamic youth. As I see it, there are vicious circles of extremism and ignorance within Islam itself, and it is up to the wiser Muslim to rise up.
In the West and in the church, there seems to be this rising blind fundamentalism too — blind towards the rest of the world and other faiths. How in the first place did we even considered fixing what is going wrong with Islam? It seems to, now, create more wrong about Christianity! The war against terrorism has been approached from the wrong angle. Fox News and Al Jazeera and the likes are also contributing this tidal wave of polarizing propaganda. We are turning religions — the three main ones: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — into political parties or worse into British soccer teams. The ethics and morals are fainting and making room for false doctrines and violence. That puts the White House side by side with the madrassas and Fox News side by side with Al Jazeera.
Richard Shaw
Ann Arbor, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)
The Undermentioned Tradition of Sufism (September 11, 2006)
I have been and still am a devoted student of comparative religion and philosophy. In early 2001, I encountered a Sufi and his followers who came to Salt Lake City to give Zikr. Sufi tradition is the esoteric aspect of Islam, undermentioned in almost every discussion of Islam. Like Gnostic Christianity, it's followers have been persecuted on and off through the centuries. Rumi, the Persian poet and saint, founder of the whirling dervish Sufi school, is one of the most well-known Sufis in the West. Would Ms. Tippett be interested in interviewing a follower of one of the Sufi sects?
With particular reference to Sunday's broadcast, Seyyed Hossein Nasr precisely defined the West's and particularly the USA's arrogance and ignorance regarding Islam and fundamentalism. He quickly and thoroughly pointed to the complete absence of the key question that should have been asked: What was the cause that resulted in the tragedy of the Twin Towers destruction? Please have Mr. Nasr come again. His answers and educated responses were outstanding. I was very, very impressed with the entire interview.
Lynette Scott | Gnostic Christian
Sandy, UT (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
We Squandered the Chance (September 11, 2006)
About 19 years ago, when I rejected the teaching of Sunni Islam as a young radical youth leader and a best-selling Turkish author, I found refuge in the United States. My mentor and friend, Dr. Rashad Khalifa, was assassinated in 1990 by a terrorist organization organized in Salt Lake city. The members of Fuqra, which was later claimed to be affiliated with Bin Laden stabbed him to death in our Tucson mosque. This incident was claimed by local media (Arizona Daily Star) and by articles published at Newsweek and Dan Rather of CBS Evening News to be Al-Qaeda's first terrorist act in the USA.
I myself have been the target of Islamists since I uphold the Qur'an alone and reject the Hadith and Sunna, the authorities in traditional Islam. Well, after 9/11, I was happy that the U.S. finally woke up and saw the threat. Unfortunately, the policymakers squandered the fight against terrorism by using it to impose the policy promoted by big corporations and the Israeli lobby. Instead of using police and detective work, the dubious coalition of the Armageddonite religious right, the Israeli lobby, and war-profiteers used the military to impose their hegemony over the Middle East.
I never believed that the currently declared U.S. policy was indeed meant to bring democracy and human rights to the Muslim world. If it was indeed the policy, the first thing to do was to warn the Saudi king, the Egyptian tyrant, and the Pakistani general to open up their governments and embrace democracy. Instead, Iraq was targeted brutally and recklessly. (Afghanistan is another story,) I think that the "failure" in Iraq is not because of incompetence, but it is designed that way. In the end, the Iraqis will be blamed for not deserving democracy. This will be used to justify a new U.S. policy of supporting US-friendy despots in the region. No wonder, in the meantime, the two democratic nations in the Middle East were penalized: Palestine and Lebanon.
In sum, I suffered and still suffer the affect of terrorism, but I find myself feeling empathy to the terrorists when I see the greatest terrorism is conducted by those who supposedly declared war against terrorism. The US-Inc. and its ally in the Middle East have killed many times more children and civillians then the gang terrorists have. As one of the leaders of reformist movement, I find the US.Inc's arrogant and ignorant policy that promotes destruction, torture, repression, and violation of human rights, the biggest hurdle for our cause. The US.Inc, is conducting state terrorism, which helps the propaganda of gang terrorism and incubates hatred, revenge, and violence.
Edip Yuksel | Reformist Islam
Tucson, AZ (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Hearing One's Neighbor (September 10, 2006)
It was an act of brave necessity to air this program on the weekend prior to the fifth anniversary of 9/11/01. Brave because it runs so counter to all of the rhetoric to which we have been subject in the run-up to this day of remembrance. Necessary because the way through the chaos of confrontational politics is for each of us to first listen to our neighbors (down the block and across the globe) before we dare to speak intelligently and humanely with them. We don't need to agree with all that we hear and most likely we won't; but we do need to listen, carefully. Thank you for providing one opportunity to do just that. Hopefully, we will attempt to replicate this openness in our towns and villages.
James Reid
Allentown, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Do Muhammad's Later Teachings Superseded Earlier Ones? (September 10, 2006)
I very much enjoyed your show, and it prompted a question I've had for a long time. As a biology professor, I have had a number of Muslim students and consider myself a supporter of efforts to promote mutual understanding. However, I keep running across the following and would enjoy reading an answer from someone in the know — I keep hearing that the rule in Islam is that Muhammad prophesied over a number of years and that what he said later replaces what he said earlier if there is a conflict. Specifically, in his early days he was more inclusive and ecumenical and in later years he was more militant and fundamental. If this is correct, then aren't the Islamic fundamentalists correct in their interpretations? I guess my key question is do Muhammad's later writings take precedence over his earlier writings if there is a conflict in what they say?
Murray Nabors
Oxford, MS (WMAV, 90.3 FM)
Reluctant to Condemn Violence (September 10, 2006)
I often find your program to be thoughtful and enlightening. However, this was not the case with today's program. To me, you missed the single most important issue concerning the ways in which Muslims are currently viewed in Western society. While many of your guests seemed to say Muslims were being misjudged by the actions of a "few," they also seemed reluctant to condemn the continued violence being perpetuated by these same "few." Until mainstream Muslims speak out and condemn these violent actions, they will continue to be seen as giving tacit approval to the escalating violence and hate.
Wayne Dorothy
Abilene, TX (KACU, 89.7 FM)
Know Your Neighbor (September 10, 2006)
In your program, you asked a question to the effect of 'What are some striking examples of good that Islam does that we can use to counter the example set by the extremists who attacked the USA five years ago?' My answer is: I've found the most striking examples of the good in Islam (or any faithful, or secular person for that matter) comes from making a point of knowing my neighbor regardless of race, ethnicity, or religious belief. It's the actual things people do that demonstrate their true colors and if they're good people or not. Not if they repeat a mantra. With that in mind, every individual Muslim I've met has been among the kindest and well spoken people in my life.
Jason Daniels
Eden Prairie, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
Not on the Right Path to Resolution (September 10, 2006)
The events of September 11, 2001 have had profound affects on my life and my sense of well-being. After 9/11, I entered the security field to help society adjust to this new danger and eventually heal the wounds caused by this terrible event. Since that terrible day I have found events to be even more frightening. We have developed into two opposing armed camps bent on each other's extermination. Both camps must become aware that they are both causing a terrible suffering on all of mankind that must stop. The way to resolve this suffering is not in the direction both sides are embarked on now.
James Mauch
Cudahy, WI (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
What Did We Do? (September 10, 2006)
A question has been turning in my mind since that day [9/11]. What did we do to generate that hatred, that violence? This event is just a response to an aggression that has been (or is being) felt as violent and hurtful as the attack on the Twin Towers. As long as we don't address this question, hunting terrorists will never be enough to extinguish the pain other people are feeling. I am sad and worried that this question is not being explored sufficiently.
I was listening today to the interview with Nasr, and I was thrilled to hear, for the first time, someone addressing [this] question that has been haunting me since 9/11. I was delighted to hear this interview, and I think Americans need to hear more of these perspectives, these questions. They need to expand their thinking, be educated to question beyond polarities of good versus evil. I felt I was privileged — in that I by chance I was able to listen to this program while driving to see the sunrise on the beach. But how many people are awake on a Sunday at 7 a.m. to listen to this? Such an important message, and it's hidden in a time where the city sleeps. Why so? How could NPR help to reproduce this interview, multiply thought-provoking conversations like this one, as part of their important educational role? I was delighted to learn about the audio clips available on the Speaking of Faith Web site, which I didn't know. I went in, signed up for a newsletter, listened to a few clips, and I thank you for working to give a space to the voice of Muslims.
Then again, I think, 'What about non-Muslims? Wouldn't it be important also to hear non-Muslims talk about this, about what we Westerners are doing to provoke hatred, what is the ignorance hiding in generalizations and stereotyping? If we discriminate, wouldn't Western voices be more heard than the same Muslim ones? Are there non-Muslims ready to stand up and talk about this, question our own culture, hegemony, complicity, responsibility? If there are some, where are they? Who are they? I would like to hear more of them.
And the same question, 'What have we done?' applies here. What could I do? I think writing to you is a little thing I thought I could do, today. I'm an immigrant in this country and always stood in the background of a culture that I respected as "the first world." But I am slowly beginning to think that there may be some — for me — obvious perspectives that are not as obvious.
Isabel Rimanoczy | Spiritual, not Religious
Aventura, FL (WLRN, 91.5 FM)
The President's Administration Is Not Being Christian (September 10, 2006)
It has made me more and more angry about the way the present administration reacts to everything that happens in the world. They (who claim to be "Christian") have no understanding of the rest of the world nor have any interest in trying to understand them, but seem to feel everyone else should be exactly like them! They spout off about "democracy" but when another people elect their government, if that government is not what the president and his cronies wanted, they refuse to talk to them. If they were really Christian, they would not bomb other people! I really believe that because of the way our "Christian" administration has reacted has indeed increased terrorism throughout the world, and that they consistently twist the facts to mislead the Americans. By the way, I love your program, Krista. It's a calm exploration of different ways to faith which is very important in this crazy world of ours.
Louise Kazarinoff | practicing Unitarian-Universalist
Pentwater, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)
A Galling Analogy Went Unchallenged (September 10, 2006)
I am a native New Yorker who has been working in international development for over 20 years, 14 of which have been in Muslim countries. New York City remains my permanent residence, but I have been living in a Muslim central Asian country for the last two years. I regularly listen to the program as I find the discussions quite interesting and a learning experience. I was therefore very disappointed with Ms. Tippett's conversation with Seyyed Hossein Nasr, particularly Ms. Tippet's near apologetic approach in not challenging some of Mr. Nasr's more outrageous statements. For instance, his equating the causes behind the burning of Washington D.C. during the civil rights struggles with suicide bombers. As an African American and someone who experienced loss in the destruction of the Twin Towers, I found that statement quite galling. Since when do we equate the burning of buildings with the taking of life through suicide bombings? The fact that Ms. Tippett did not challenge this most outrageous statement has undermined the credibility of her program. I will never accept anger among Muslims regarding America, the West's domestic and foreign policies, their lack of understanding of the Muslim world (or whatever that is) as sufficient justification for murder.
Donna Walton
New York, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)
Best Version of the Truth (September 10, 2006)
I listened today to your program about Muslims and 9/11 while I was on the road. I have to say that I was very impressed by the testimony of the Muslim personalities you interviewed. I live in the States but I am of European origin, and I felt the view of your testimonies is truly how the world is. I felt relieved hearing a "different" and a much more analytical/logical approach about the Middle East and what happened on 9/11.
Thank you very much, and I really encourage you to go ahead in this path of presenting a truth that is halfway between us (Westerners) and them (Middle Easterners). And which, at the end, turns to be more the truth (truth is normally halfway). Thanks again. I believe this (truth) is the best tribute to the victims of radicalism, that unfortunate day.
Merce Sune-Weaver
Glastonbury, CT (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Absolutizing the Transient (September 9, 2006)
Ever since listening to your interview with Seyyed Hossein Nasr this morning, one phrase of his has stuck in my mind when he spoke about how we in America "absolutize the transient." And you know something? He's absolutely correct. We focus more upon Paris Hilton getting arrested for drunk driving or the latest dirt about TomKat and Brangelina than on the emptiness in our hearts and souls that we think our obsession with celebrity can fill. Who cares about the nuances within Islam? Who cares about this nation's complicity in bringing about the conditions that provoked the rise of perverse interpretations of the Qur'an resulting in airplanes being flown into buildings? Give us the latest American Idol and we'll be happy. Give us the screamers and screechers of commercial talk radio who would condemn all Muslims and send them back where they came from, for they know who the true red, white and blue Americans are.
Kevin Young
Sheffield, IA (KUNI, 90.9 FM)
Muslims and Jews (September 9, 2006)
I had to leave the room where your interview is now on NPR because I can no longer listen to calm "intellectual" discussions regarding terrorism. I want to hear the moderate Muslims speak with the same passion that I hear coming from the streets of Arab countries that hate the U.S. and Israel. There are only a few Arab voices that express this passion: Faoud Ajami, Salma Abdallah, Walid Shoebat. Brigitte Gabriel, a Christian Arab from Lebanon is another. Walid is a former terrorist from Palestine. Nonie Darwish is a Muslim woman whose Web site tries to bring Arabs and Jews together in peace. These speakers are all pro-Israel.
Salma grew up in Israel with Christians and Jews. They seem to have a more educated and non-biased viewpoint than most of the Arab voices that I hear on NPR. They are aware of Jewish history and the early days of Israel's statehood. They are aware of the 60-year-long hatred that Arabs have for the Jews of Israel. Yes, for the Jews of Israel — not all Jews. For centuries, Jews lived in Arab lands. "Why," I asked Salma Abdallah "could the Arabs that were in Palestine in 1948 not live in a Jewish state?" After all there are Arabs that did not run away, that are Israeli citizens. Her answer surprised me. She said that Arabs consider themselves the rulers of the Arabian lands (or what we call the Middle East) and so for them to live under another religion that is the majority is unthinkable.
Dolores Heinze
Aberdeen, NJ (WNYC, 93.9 FM)
The Contradiction of Iran (September 9, 2006)
I am more distressed after the discussion with your guest regarding Iran. He stated that it is the center of Islam thought. He did not explain the Iranian attitude towards Jews. The reason the U.S. does not talk to Iran is because we remember Adolph Hitler. There are many alive and dead who fought his thoughts. If Iran was so good, why do they let the rival Moslems kill each other in the name of Allah. I cannot think of blowing up a church, synagogue, or Islamic center. I was not raised to hate and have always enjoyed, for the most part, my relationships with Christians even though I am Jewish. I love your program but I am more depressed. Also the person who wanted access to CNN [Seyyed Hossein Nasr]. Would he include respect for all religions including Moslems sects who enjoy killing each other? Also, why cannot an American feel safe in Indonesia? Thanks for a good show.
Alan Geist
Rye Brook, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)
Radio Talk (September 9, 2006)
Thank you for such a heartfelt and much-needed public talk show radio. I'm a recent convert and listening to brother Seyyed Hossein Nasr brought tears to my eyes when he quoted the Qur'an saying it forbids us from killing innocent people. There are many urgent things that need to take place and it is only through the actions of the faithful (not just Muslims) that this world will change. I'd like to quote Marianne Williamson — a quote that I find particularly comforting during the times when people don't understand why is it that I submitted to Islam:
"Our deepest fear isn't that we're inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful enough beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous' — Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born t make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone, And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously Give others people permission to do the same."
Peace to everyone.
Andrea Mau | Observant Muslim
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
What Kind of God? (September 9, 2006)
I have seen the exacerbation of anti-Muslim rhetoric and the increasing demonization of all Muslims. I have heard so many lies about Islam and Muslims in the media, I've turned off the TV and discontinued receiving the newspaper. I feel frustrated and near hopeless that there will ever be mindful, accurate dialogue presented in our media. I do what I can by spreading the word to friends, family, and people whom I chance to meet in different venues of my life, but still feel overwhelmed by the tidal waves of propaganda.
Robin Church | observant Muslim
Woodstock, IL (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Hope (September 8, 2006)
This is the first time for me to listen to the whole program. Your topic and the discussion were too important for me not to continue to listen. As a Muslim, I was thrilled to hear on a radio someone who speaks of the Islam I grew up with and believe in. I have friends who are from all faiths and those who don't believe in God and each of them is dear to me for who they are as people. I don't have the authority to judge anyone on faith. I believe that as long as people don't hurt anyone including themselves, animals or plants, as the Islam I know teaches, then that is the most important thing that connects us as humans. Thanks a lot Krista for bringing this program to my home.
Aisha Ahmed
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)
Looking for the True Spirit of Islam (September 8, 2006)
It has affected me in several ways. It has disappointed me. I see very little evidence of people within the Muslim community seeking to nullify the radical/violent extremists. It appears that no one speaks up against them. The ones who are doing the speaking tend to be intolerant. It seems that the religion has been hijacked by those who hate and by those who are intolerant of secular or non-Islamic lifestyles. I have always believed that if a religion is not based on love and tolerance that it cannot be the truth and if it is based on love and tolerance than it does not matter what religion it is called — it is the truth.
So, I am disappointed at what "visible Islam" seems to be. Intolerant of the West and supportive of jihad. I am disappointed that intelligent human beings can believe in "conspiracy theories" that implicate Israel and the Jewish people for the 9/11 tragedy. I visited Egypt earlier in the year and, although this is only one country, I was struck by the anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli sentiment that I read in the English language Egyptian newspaper. The hatred of Israel is so strong and it is taught to the young generations, not only in Egypt, but throughout the Muslim world, Arab and non-Arab countries alike. How can religious people teach hatred? So for these reasons I am disappointed and sad.
I am concerned that the U.S. has not been more proactive in helping us to reduce our addiction to foreign oil. When we import oil we not only contribute to global warming, we negatively impact out trade deficit and we tend to empower the countries that support or at least house many of the intolerant and extremist Muslims. We also fuel their arguments that we are a rich, spoiled and wasteful country.
I am concerned that, as a country, we have done little to empower the Middle East region through pro-active education, support, and financial aid. We have only had military and political confrontation. We should be the major empowering entity, not Hezbollah. We have more wealth than any other country on this planet and we use it primarily in military endeavors. We squandered all of the goodwill post-9/11 through the cowboy talk and action of Bush. I question the "radical Islamic threat" and consider that we did as much to create it as destroy it through our actions. It is real, but we are not doing nearly enough to truly eradicate it. We need to, of course, protect ourselves and to empower Israel, the only true democratic and free culture in the region, but we need to do more to bring lasting peace to the region and to the whole world.
It has made me intent on learning more about Islam and sharing what I learn with my children. Not in a hateful way, but in an enlightening way — trying to place Islam in a context of true spirituality or true self-transformation for the good.
Robert Newman | practicing Kabbalistic Jew
Los Angeles, CA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Book Recommendation (September 8, 2006)
Have just finished reading The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam by Jamal Rahman. If you are not familiar with it, I would strongly commend it. And if you've never had the joy of chatting with Jamal Rahman, I would commend that to you as well.
Steven Greenebaum
Lynnwood, WA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
No Longer Without Suspicion (September 6, 2006)
I was raised as a WASP, and converted to Islam 37 years ago. I have always been proud to be an American, proud that we valued the individual, required due process of law; never jailed someone without giving them the opportunity to prove their innocence in a timely manner; proud that we were tolerance of others of different customs and religions. Personally, coming from a small northern California town (Chico), I had never encountered the slightest prejudice. I felt free to criticize anything in the government, from what the president was saying/doing, to protesting our involvement in wars, etc.
After 9/11, I lost all those rights and articles of pride. I saw people I knew who were arrested, charged with being a terrorist because someone thought they looked suspicious, kept in jail for up to three years, often coerced to plead guilty. If they could resist the coercion they have ultimately gained their freedom, with terrorists charges quietly dropped and other bogus charges substituted, and then ultimately these are dropped and they are released, but their financial resources are still held, and they are told they are still under investigation. I am looked at with suspicion when I wander the aisles of stores, and I no longer feel free to express the same views that I had when I was a non-Muslim.
Freda Shamma | devout Muslim
Cincinnati, OH (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
On Education of Muslims (September 5, 2006)
Illiteracy and ignorance among any social, ethnic, or religious groups of people leads towards prejudices, biased opinions, and most destructively, towards a total economic collapse especially in the current capitalistic economic models. Islam has long suffered the perils of ignorance among its followers. Be it Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, a majority of the 1.3 billion Muslim population in today's world stands ignorant. Ignorant about their own religion, its history, its facts, their regional issues, and above all, the recent history and the current events of the world. In return, this mass ignorance leads us towards being unable to form democratic governments, or crippled to run a government even if one is found.
Economic deprivation emerging from unstable political conditions becomes a major excuse for the populace to stay illiterate, and focus on labor-intensive industries only. That illiteracy, when widespread, is a tool for any group to manipulate our thoughts in any way they want, making most of us firm believers in conspiracy theories. That all the world is against Islam and that Islam is supposed to be against all the world, that no act of America, Western European nations or Israel is empty of deception woven against the Muslims are the major and key conspiracies popular among our people. As long as we keep on believing them, we keep on rejecting the most obvious, most apparent, and most current facts and truths about our time, which are: education, money, stable governmental systems.
As long as we Muslims have something or someone to blame upon, we will never realize what we need to get rid of our current and shamefully deprived state of affairs. And the only way to revive it, is education. In each and every part of each and every Muslim nation, education and more education and nothing else.
Sulman Mohsin
Chicago, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)
Can Tolerance and Pluralism Survive? (September 4, 2006)
I grow more and more deeply discouraged that religious tolerance and pluralism can survive as a widely held value in various religious traditions. Certainly the Islamic world is going through a period where an increasingly influential part of that tradition not only does not value religious tolerance and pluralism, but actually sees it as antithetical to the very essence of the faith. (Nor is this trend confined to the Islamic world.)
I recognize that our Western media do not provide a fully balanced perspective — if such a thing is ever truly possible anywhere — but I keep looking for evidence of non-marginal voices within Islam calling for toleration and pluralism, and frankly it is very hard to find any. Most of those that we do hear are from Muslims in Europe and America, and even here they don't seem all that prominent. In the Arab world, such voices place themselves in real physical danger. This environment offers little hope of improvement. In our own country, too, although perhaps we start from a more tolerant equilibrium, we seem to be moving away from embracing plurality as an active good, and toward at best a policy of grit-your-teeth and refrain from smiting those who, because of their false opinions, really deserve to be put away for good.
Craig Butcher | practicing Unitarian-Universalist
Chelsea, MI (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Just Plain Meaner (September 3, 2006)
I think the United States has just become meaner [since 9/11]. No more compassion for the poor. No rehabilitation for the incarcerated. Trash talk. Talk radio hate-mongers. Ann Coulter. Make life hard for gays and lesbians. The undocumented Mexican worker, as long as he cleans the office building at night and you never see him, is OK, but the minute he asks for some dignity, he is some criminal who needs to be separated from his livelihood and his family. This change in our country has caused me stress and bouts of depression.
Ayman Fadel
Augusta, GA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Traveling Difficulty (September 1, 2006)
It [9/11] affected more than anyone else and made us suspicious. For example, I came back from abroad, after I had been through normal screening I was told I was selected to go through a different screening. But the second one was not only checking my stuff all over again, but asking questions from why I traveled to what country, to which mosque you pray, and how often do I worship, and what are these note writings. I even had a prescription drug I was prescribed by my doctor. "You are too young to use that drug," said the lady that was questioning me. "What is your religion." After writing all of my answers over an hour, she went to her computer to type my answers. I was surprised, and thought even if I will travel again in the future.
M. Abdul | Muslim
Minneapolis, MN (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Finding the Good Souls in Darkness (August 30, 2006)
Be it faith or be it family tradition or the tradition informed by the faith, I was raised to look for the good in every situation. As God is the ultimate good, in the larger perspective everything has to be good. 9/11 put that perspective to quite a test.
It was not so much for me as much as watching the fear in my fellow Muslims. After the initial cloud of confusion, I was quickly back on track, as I noticed that the mainstream are actually recognizing a group, a faith, words such as Islam or Muslim, albeit negatively, but nevertheless it was a step towards education for which I had struggled with my sons' school district.
The initial post-9/11 challenge for me was two-fold. One was to tell the Muslims not to be afraid, as fear actually will beget whatever it is fearful of. The other was to actively look for what I could do. The more fulfilling outcome was on what I could do. I discovered the spirit within me that I had learned as one of the most beautiful words in Islam and which under the current climate was the most demonized. That was the struggle to overcome obstacles within me to gain the greater strength and spread the beauty. Through this effort, I discovered the peace activists, and recognized the kindred spirits with similar goals for the struggle — the jihad.
Whatever powers are sensationalizing and labeling, coloring and demonizing terms to serve the purpose of putting down Muslims and Islam according to their personal interests will have their heyday. Going back to my belief "everything has a term." What goes round comes back. Leave it to Allah. Meanwhile our job is to find the good souls who are always there and build up the force that will overcome darkness with knowledge and love. As wisdom tells us: pain brings progress. The pain that Muslims are going through will hone their souls to greater beauty. Moreover in this journey we will meet greater beauty when we meet other souls from other faiths with the same goals. It is only when we are challenged that we get the clarity to actually discover unity in everything — that in Islam is God.
Saiyida Islam | practicing Muslim
Springfield, PA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
An Opportunity to Educate (August 27, 2006)
I am an African-American Muslim woman, and the president of a faith-based non-profit organization. I have found that many non-Muslims need to be enlightened about the true religious beliefs of Muslims. Many people have biased opinions about what we believe and I am one Muslim who makes it a point to talk to others and educate others to assist in dispelling the myths that are associated with Islam. To be misguided or miseducated about something can only lead to more ignorance. It has been difficult since 9/11 for many Muslims but it has also presented the Muslim community the opportunity to create effective dialogues with those that dont understand what Islam is about.
Nafisa Cooper | practicing Muslim
Philadelphia, PA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Associating the Word Terrorist with Islam Is Wrong (August 26, 2006)
As a Muslim that lived in USA two years, I know that Americans are good people, and I like them. The media is biased against Islam and Muslims, fueled by the GW Bush government ideas, as well as the high association with Israeli actions whatever they are.
Terrorism is not Islamic because Islam is not calling for violence; it calls for justice. In Islam a non-Muslim ruler that is just is better than a Muslim dictator. A Muslims has to seek a just country to live in rather than staying in an oppressed Muslim country.
I will not flood you with verses from the Qur'an to justify the meanings of what moderate Muslims should be. You mau read articles at "Islamicminds" at Yahoo groups or CAIR. The American association with Israeli occupation of Muslim land is the origin of all the evils we see, as terrorism from some Muslims who are fanatic criminals in killing innocent people anywhere. But isn't that what Israel is doing with the arms and blessings of the U.S. government?
The war that continued many years between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, had anyone in the media called or used the term "Catholic terrorist"? Why then if a terrorist that caused devastation and happened to be a Muslim called an "Islamic millitant" or "Muslim terrorist"? Had you (the media) called the American that blown the FBI building a "Christian terrorist"?
The war of the GW Bush government on terror was transferred into war on every Muslim, especially of Arabic origin. I am an American Fisheries Society member and I love to go to the U.S. to attend a meeting. But I cannot risk coming and being detained or questioned just because I am an Arab-Muslim? Or that I share with others opinions in politics that your government wouldn't like!
Elsayed Khallaf | practicing Muslim
Shebeen Alkoom, Egypt (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
