A RECENT poll reported that 48 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam. That's quite an eye-opener. It either tells us that Americans are comfortable in their misperceptions about Muslims or are just simply unwilling to examine what exactly is Islam. It also appears that the election of Barack Obama as president has done little to encourage people to explore issues beyond their comfort zone. While I think that any of the above can apply, I suggest it boils down to Muslims and non-Muslims just not caring enough to bridge the gap between Islam and other religions. The ABC/Washington Post pool surveyed 1,000 adults in March and found that the unfavorable view of Islam is the highest “unfavorable” rating since 9/11. The poll further found that 29 percent of Americans believe that “mainstream” Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims, which is nearly double the percentage from 2002. Yet 55 percent of Americans acknowledge they “lack a good basic understanding” of Islam and 53 percent said they don't personally know a Muslim. Not surprisingly a large majority of Americans who know a Muslim or have Muslim friends have a very favorable view of Islam. And 81 percent say that it's important that Obama improve US relations with Muslim countries. So what is it about Americans that keeps these unfavorable impressions alive? There are the conservative blogs that stoke anti-Muslim sentiment. Many of the more vehement sites claim an expertise in Islam studies or extensively quote the Qu'ran to convey their knowledge but quote out of context or without understanding. This is common, even among Muslims, but it's more the tone of mockery and ridicule that encourages the fringe elements to vent their anger toward Islam and these comments go unmoderated. Muslims understandably don't participate in such debates because it's a no-win situation. But clearly they have fallen down on the job of developing strong ties with the non-Muslim community to counter negative public perceptions. The Council on American Islamic Relations has encouraged American mosques to participate in its monthly Mosque Open House Project. This has met with some success but it is extremely limited depending on how well a mosque publicizes its open house and the number of non-Muslim attendees, who are usually curious adults. A 2008 study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that three-quarters of surveyed Americans classify themselves as Christian and 5 percent say they belong to other faiths. Nearly 30 percent of the adults say they leave their childhood faith to practice another religion or no religion at all. The US government, whether at the local, state or federal level, is understandably skittish about involving itself in religious matters and unwaveringly follows its Constitution that invokes separation of church and state. There was a time, however, that local government was more flexible in its interpretation of religious education under its supervision. I read recently an article about an American writer who as a child in the 1960s had 40 minutes a week set aside at his primary school for religious education. The school district adhered to strict rules of holding the class off campus in a small building in the school parking lot. This followed to a degree the separation issue, although the class was held during school hours. The class, according to him, taught the basics of Christianity, Islam, Judiasm and other religions.That might have contributed to the writer's obviously balanced position of all religions . However, pressure from atheist advocacy groups, parents and civil rights groups that wanted stricter interpretation of the Constitution put an end to those classes. But in the United Kingdom primary schools send children on field trips to local mosques to talk with imams, visit the prayer area and learn about the basics of Islam. I have seen many of those school children in my university's local mosque. But given that now, more than ever after 9/11, when Christianity and Islam have become so politicized, perhaps reaching back to objective, non-proselytizing religious instruction at the elementary school level will do as much good as Obama's outreach program to the Ummah. Certainly Muslims can do a better job of understanding Christianity and Judiasm. And it seems reasonable that a compromise can be reached to allow community religious leaders a few minutes in an elementary classroom explain the five pillars of Islam or a brief description of work of Jesus (pbuh). The religious climate today is too volatile to ignore. Muslims in particular need to be more proactive and willing to engage the non-Muslim community. Imams have an obligation not only to serve the members of their mosques but participate in the community. That means joining the Rotary Club or the local Chamber of Commerce in the US or become active in township councils in the United Kingdom. Being an effective imam does not mean tending to one's own membership but developing an outreach program to stem the tide of ignorance, hate and misperception. If Americans – and British citizens for that matter – are given a well rounded perspective of Islam and other religions at an early age, then there will be no polls revealing that people believe that mainstream Islam encourages violence. – SG – The writer can be reached: [email protected] and her blog is: www.saudiwriter.blogspot.com __
