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Muslims in America
by Jane I. Smith To the outside observer of a large immigrant mosque congregation on an early Friday afternoon in North America when the Muslim community gathers for corporate prayer, the first awareness may well be of the diversity of Muslims in America. This is apparent not only in the distinctive colorful national dress they may wear for the occasion. It is also visible in their ethnicities and the variety of languages they speak. Muslims in America are a microcosm of Muslims in the world. They come from over 60 African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern nations; they are immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, but also doctors, engineers and computer experts, part of the brain drain migration to North America. Small but significant numbers of African Americans, Euro-Americans and Latinos convert to Islam every year. America's Muslims are citizens and transients, professionals and members of middle or lower middle class; they are indigent and prosperous, highly educated and illiterate; they are first, second and third generation Americans as well as those whose ancestors have long been an established part of American society. Some wear their Islam, both literally and figuratively, with pride and often with zeal. Others prefer to practice the faith quietly and in family settings rather than publicly. Many try to follow the customs of traditional Muslim societies in the new culture, but find that it is difficult to resist acculturation and integration into American life. The large majority of Muslims in America do not observe Islamic practices or even ritual occasions at all. For both immigrants and Americans who have chosen to convert to Islam, the task of discovering, or formulating, their sense of identity is crucial. Many appropriate hyphenated identities representing to a greater or lesser extent other ethnic, national, and cultural affiliations such as Arab-American, Pakistani-American, or African-American. Some choose to highlight their religious identification as Sunni or Shi'ite, while others feel such distinctions may not be helpful in the search for a truly American Islam. Various occasions bring forth unconscious allegiances, affirming or creating differences within the community. The majority of the approximately six million Muslims who live in America are first, second or third generation immigrants. The American situation is unique in the West, however, because of the very sizeable community of African Americans who have decided to identify themselves as Muslims. Some African Americans continue to be part of the Nation of Islam as preached by Elijah Muhammad and until recently by Louis Farrakhan, although the large majority now identify with Sunni Islam and are part of such movements as the Muslim American Society of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. American blacks also have been attracted to a variety of heterodox movements, many only tangentially identified with Islam. Young Muslims often struggle with what it means to be Muslim in American society. Some of them actively rebel, not wanting anything to do with customs or symbols that mark them as different from their colleagues. Other youth appreciate the fact that they are Muslim, and as they move into their late teens and twenties they work actively for a clearer understanding of what Islam means in its pure and "un-acculturated" sense. This may well put strains on the family that chooses to retain some cultural associations with its home country. Girls who are not allowed to date, for example, particularly if their brothers do so, sometimes feel resentful or even actively rebel. Many young people find the allure of American teen culture too appealing to resist, giving deep concern to their parents. Others are taking important leadership positions in their respective religious communities, and the numbers of young men and women actively involved in organizations such as the Muslim Student Association are constantly growing. Many are working actively in the areas of da'wa and Islamic education. The American context poses a constant challenge to Muslims, especially since 9/11. Anti-Muslim prejudice is rising, helped by sensationalist press coverage that dwells on themes of Muslim violence and on what are portrayed by the media as the oppressed women of Islam in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. American Muslim women who choose to veil find that most Americans simply cannot understand this practice. Muslims living in North America today comprise the most diverse population in the history of Islam. They may or may not choose to publicly identify themselves with Islam as a religion and a way of life. Yet all of them, in one way or another, are facing the compelling questions of how to understand themselves as Americans and how to define themselves so as to be understood by their fellow citizens. Increasing numbers of Muslims are participating in American public life, including such fields as politics, education, medicine, the cultural arts, commerce, and computer sciences. Many understand that Americans are in need of education about Islam, and are active in their communities in interfaith dialogue and in sharing information about their mosques and their religious beliefs and practices. Islam in America is visible, growing, and permanent. Many Muslims feel that America must now recognize its religious plurality by referring to itself as a Judeo-Christian-Muslim nation. The struggle for such recognition, however, will not be easy. Jane I. Smith is professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. The coeditor of The Muslim World and an editor of the Encyclopedia of Women in World Religion, she is the author of The Concept of Islam in the History of Qur'anic Exegesis and coauthor of Mission to America. She serves as a member of the Commission on Interfaith Relations of the National Council of Churches.
21.06.2005
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=commentary&alt=&hn=20909
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