Headlines, Human Rights, Middle East & North Africa, North America, Religion

RELIGION-US: Keeping the Muslim Faith – And a Low Profile

Omid Memarian*

OAKLAND, California, Oct 16 2007 (IPS) - Ali Hanif is an African-American Muslim living in Oakland, California. On Fridays, his day off, he attends group prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Northern California (CCNC). But Hanif says that he never volunteers his religion to strangers.

"Speaking freely about being Muslim and being identified as a Muslim because of dressing, attitude and name has become harder in recent years," he told IPS.

The father of two children, Hanif believes that since the attacks of Sep. 11, 2001 – more than six years ago – it has become more and more difficult to pray or read the Koran in public.

"It has never been easy, but these days it can be a security-related concern," he said. "There&#39s a lot of stuff going on out here. There are a lot of crazy people out there. A lot of people have a lack of understanding of Islam."

"You know, we live in a European, Christian-dominated country. This country is set up for Christians. We Muslims pretty much have to make our own space in America."

A survey released by Pew Research Center last month confirms that public attitudes in the United States about Muslims and Islam have grown more negative in recent years.

"About four in ten Americans (43 percent) say they have a favourable opinion of Muslims, while 35 percent express a negative view. Opinion about Muslims, on balance, was somewhat more positive in 2004 (48 percent favourable vs. 32 percent unfavourable)," Pew reported.

"As in previous surveys, Muslim Americans are seen more positively than Muslims (53 percent vs. 43 percent); however, unfavourable opinions of Muslim Americans have also edged upward, from 25 percent in 2005 to 29 percent currently."

There are almost three million Muslims in the United States. The American Muslim Council reports that 42 percent are African-Americans, 24 percent are of South Asian origin and 12 percent are of Arab origin.

When this reporter took out a camera at the CCNC, one of the few places in the area where Muslims gather for Friday prayers, the handful of attendees who were preparing for the noon prayer and waiting for the Imam to start the Khutba turned their faces away.

A 65-year-old man came forward. "Don&#39t take any pictures of me," he said. "What do you want these pictures for?"

The conversation about taking pictures made the other worshipers even more cautious. It seemed that nobody was interested in being photographed, including Ali Sheikholeslami, the executive director of CCNC.

"I&#39d prefer to be low-profile," he said following a lengthy interview about his centre.

An engineer and the father of two children, Sheikholeslami left Iran before the 1979 Revolution to pursue his academic education. He also serves as the Khatib and performs the Friday&#39s Khutba.

The person who delivers the Khutba is called the Khatib. The Khatib is usually the Imam, but sometimes the two roles can be carried out by different people.

Sheikholeslami believes that the intensified "Islamophobia" in the United States is one key reason for the dwindling number of worshippers at the CCNC.

"After Sep. 11, we have seen a decline in attendance because some people are worried that if they go to an Islamic centre, are associated with an Islamic centre, there will be repercussions," he said. "If later on some government entities come and want to investigate this issue, they are afraid to get into trouble or maybe something would happen to them."

A middle-aged Middle Eastern man with a short beard said that his weekly Khutba contains two parts: the first focuses on moral issues, and the second part is about social and political issues ranging from the latest events in Iraq, to global warming and the importance of preserving water. Sheikholeslami encourages attendees to actively participate in politics and society.

"Although there are some parts of the Muslim community who have gone the other way, becoming more exclusive and staying away from the general society, but overall, the trend is really to be more active in different affairs of American society," he said.

Fear of publicly practicing their religion brings many Muslims of different sects, including Shiites and Sunnis, to the mosque in Oakland at noontime, or in the afternoon, when they head home after praying in a group.

Hanif said that he has followed the example of the first Shiite Imams from 1,000 years ago in practicing "Takiyeh", which means not acknowledging your religion when there is a threat of being hurt or killed. "I don&#39t always put my information out there, because I don&#39t know who&#39s who, and I take an example from Imam Ali now, and for security reasons I have to use Takiyeh."

George Bisharat, who teaches Criminal Procedure, Law and Social Anthropology, and Law in Middle East Societies at UC Hastings College of the Law, says there is little question that the years immediately following 9/11 were extremely uncomfortable for Muslim Americans – as well as for Arab and South Asian Americans, many of whom are non-Muslims.

"American public attitudes were quite inflamed, and attacks, public slurs, and workplace discrimination against Muslim Americans were common," he said. "Since that time, my impression is that there has been marginal improvement, and a greater public willingness to develop more nuanced understandings of Muslims and Islam."

But others are not as optimistic. "Being a Muslim in the U.S. nowadays makes you a suspect unless you can prove the opposite," said Raed Jarrar, a prominent Iraqi blogger and consultant at the American Friends Services Committee. "Issues like racial profiling for Muslims are being discussed in a very casual way as if it is not illegal to racially profile anyone in the U.S."

"There are many incidents people being stopped on ferries and airplanes because they look Arab or Muslim, in an addition to what happened to me personally when I was racially profiled in JFK airport in August 2006," he told IPS.

"I was prevented from boarding on my airplane because I was wearing a t-shirt with Arabic letters on it," he said. "Then, after the TSA [Transportation Security Administration] and Jet Blue made me cover my t-shirt, they changed my seat from the front of the airplane to the back of it. This is one example of how being an Arab-Muslim-brown makes you a suspect."

Raed said that he is does not pray because he is not religious. "But my friends and family do avoid praying in public, and I&#39m sure you&#39ve heard the story of the six imams who were praying on the airplane then the TSA ordered them to get out of the plane before it departed."

Sheila Musaji, editor of American Muslim magazine, agreed. "Sadly, I do see an increase in Islamophobia – in the media, in public perceptions, and also in the number of incidents targeting Muslims," said. "The American Muslim has been tracking negative statements and actual incidents for some time, and even a cursory look at the information shows a steady increase in Islamophobia."

In 2005, the Council on American Islamic Relations processed a total of 1,972 civil rights complaints, compared to 1,522 cases reported to CAIR the previous year.

Still, efforts to promote interfaith dialogue appear to be flourishing. Last week, more than 250 people of different faiths, including Muslim community leaders, interfaith leaders, members of law enforcement, representatives of peace and justice groups and elected officials, turned out for a "Sharing Ramadan" iftar, or fast-breaking meal, held at the Islamic Centre of Greater Cincinnati.

*Omid Memarian is a peace fellow at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. He has won several awards, including Human Rights Watch&#39s highest honour in 2005, the Human Rights Defender Award.