“I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization,” Congressman Peter King , R-N.Y, said December 20.
The incoming Republican Chairman of the
Homeland Security Committee in Congress has thrown down the gauntlet against
Islam. The problem is that the “Islam” question in American politics has for
too long been muddied by international fears, racism, nationalism and a general
lack of education in the American public. So when a prominent American
politician declares that he’s taking an entire religion and its followers to
task the question is what are Muslim Americans going to do about it?
Over the last decade when there were political
questions about Islam in America the answers often come from Muslim immigrants,
the nation of Islam or even leaders from abroad, seldom from homegrown African
American Muslims. This is strange considering that African Americans make up
over 25 percent of the 8 million Muslims living in America today.
In the face of more aggressive airport
security patdowns, Juan Williams claiming Muslims on airplanes frighten him and
other discriminatory acts, African Americans who happen to be Muslim are
finally letting their voices be heard. And unlike some other groups, the unique
history of African Americans means they aren’t taking “Islmaphobia” lying down.
A clear example of this new discrimination and
the voices speaking out against it is the case of Basheer Jones, who is about
as African and American as apple pie and he’s Muslim. Jones, a Morehouse alumni
and former Cleveland radio host planned to put on an end of Ramadan celebration
last fall with a business partner at the famed Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The
event was to feature poetry, dance and musical acts but was cancelled by Fox at
the last minute. Why? According to emails sent by employees of the theater to
the businessmen their event “…was a Muslim event and it just falls too close to
the anniversary of 9-11!” The story became huge news in Atlanta but received
little national attention.
A couple of months later Jones is the
spokesperson for the Islamic World Conference to be held on January 14 in
Atlanta. The conference is meant to promote the idea that Islam is a religion
of peace but with a new twist. The passive voice might be a thing of the past.
“Most media focuses on Muslim immigrants who just want to come here and be
accepted, or the nation of Islam that has its own agenda. But Black Americans,
we have our own story to tell and we’re not just going to sit back while our
rights and dignity are taken away,” said Jones.
Political and religious leaders have been
waging war against Islam for almost a decade now and all too often some of this
behavior is promoted and tolerated within the African American community. From
barbershops to pulpits to Congressional podiums a sort of “Islamaphobia” has
been fomented that does this nation and its future no good.
I am generally loathe to use the suffix
“phobia” on any word as it suggests an irrational fear of a particular people
or idea. There are legitimate reasons for Americans to fear extremists and some
of those extremists are Muslim. However Christian Nationalists groups have been
sprouting up all over the United States since the Clinton administration and
you didn’t see Republican members of Congress saying they were going to stamp
out the radicalized Christians who were involved in the Oklahoma City bombing.
When we conflate religion, nation and a race of people no good can come of it
for public discourse or American policy.
The Islamic World Conference looks to be quite
a show. There will be a showing of the new film “Mooz-Lum” by Qasim Basir,
starring Nia Long and Danny Glover. There will be Muslim Ambassadors from South
Africa, there will be music there will be dance. But most importantly there will be dialogue, and there will be
voices from the African American community that are seldom heard and even fewer
times respected.
We are looking at the prospect of a Republican
Congress that plans on stirring up whatever hostility they can against the
fastest growing faith in the United States. Therefore it is in the best interest
of all patriotic Americans to support any attempt to set the dialogue and
policy discussion in the right direction. There are a lot more Basheer Joneses
than Timothy McVeighs in this country and that’s something we should celebrate
no matter what Congressman King wants to promote.
Jason
Johnson is an associate professor of political science and communications at
Hiram College in Ohio, where he teaches courses in campaigns and elections, pop
culture and the politics of sports.
