Fighting Islamaphobia

After six Muslims were arrested this week for plotting a terrorist attack on an American army base I heard an interview with a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He was expressing concern for the safety of his community and thus stressing that these six were in no way representative of Islam or American Muslims and he criticized the media for portraying them as such. As a Jew who has suffered from anti-Semitism I felt instant sympathy for this man’s cause. However, it was undeniable that he did not say enough to calm the nerves of his audience. People have questions about the way Muslims think precisely because they are unclear about who represents the faith. Most Jews and Christians I know living in the United States feel their countries’ core values, such as equality, the respect for human life, freedom of religion, and justice for all, are in step with their religion. This should come as no surprise; most Jews and Christians are taught this from childhood onwards.