by Abdullahi Nur
Friday, September 10, 2010
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Eid-ul-fitra is one of the major Islamic holidays, and it follows the month of fasting – the month of Ramadan. This is the first time for decades that Ramadan and the US summer vacation have fallen together. In general, for Muslims living in North America, it is challenging to maintain Islamic holidays and traditions in a predominantly non-Muslim environment. This is especially very difficult for children who normally see their friends and classmates celebrating Charismas with lots of hoopla, gifts and excitement. While Eid or Islamic holidays are not celebrated in the same way; and for adults, who have work and school responsibilities. This means that adults also have a limited time for Eid celebrations.However, this time the situation is different, because this is the first time here in the USA that the Eid celebration and September 11 are synchronized, and there is significant tension and a hot debate in the nation about the proposed construction of an Islamic Center that is two blocks away from “Ground Zero”. The tension has now spilled far beyond US shores, with caustic debate now being played out not only throughout the US, but all around the Muslim world.
In August, some violence was manifest in some states, like with a mosque construction site in Tennessee, which was torched. Similar violence broke out in a small town in western New York, where there was a Muslim man who was a cub driver who was knifed in what the police are calling a hate crime. In addition to this, a leader of a small church in Florida, Terry Jones, plans to make a bonfire of the Holy Koran; and again, this threat to burn Korans has become hotly debated internationally. Despite pressure from the Whitehouse, religious leaders, community leaders, along with secular groups, have all condemned the potential act, and have all called to have the event abandoned; but Mr. Jones remains determined to do so.
The question is why in a great country like the US, which has a constitution based on freedom religion, a man from a small church of no more than 50 people can create such a heated international debate. To get an answer on this issue, I talked to many people, who passionately and privately told me that this was an issue driven by right wing party politicians who are using a tense situation worse. The next question is, why is the Right Wing in the US doing this?
The get answer to this question is that the Right Wing in the US wants to split the vote of open minded Americans in the upcoming mid-term elections. By doing so, attempting to undermine not only the Islamic Center in lower Manhattan, but also to create a comprehensive fear of Islam on keystone issues, as they have done in relation to gay marriage or Hispanic immigrants in Arizona. The strategy clearly appears to be of raising extremist and xenophobic stakes on any number of issues throughout the US. It is the politics of fear; and this is a dangerous game to play in a globalised world. The only loser in such politics is the US, and US national security.
Abdullahi Nur
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