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Americans More Open to Islam Than Ever Before
JEDDAH, Nov. 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - There is a better opportunity for spreading the message of Islam in America now, more than ever before, a Muslim leader in Canada told Saudi daily newspaper,
Arab News.
Ibrahim Hussein Malabari, director general of the Toronto Islamic Center and a senior official of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) told the paper that people in America are now eager to learn about Islam, especially after the deadly September 11 attacks.
"As a result of this overwhelming response, there was big demand for Islamic books and Qur'an cassettes," said Malabari. "More and more people are coming to the fold of Islam."
The number of non-Muslims visiting mosques and Islamic centers these days has increased considerably, Malabari said. Muslim scholars are invited to give lectures on Islam at churches, campuses and companies. Muslim leaders and intellectuals appear on television channels to clarify their position on major issues, especially terrorism.
Malabari has embarked on a project in association with the Riyadh-based Al-Haramain Charitable Foundation to distribute pamphlets on Islam to every American home.
Quoting a report of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Malabari said the number of people who have embraced Islam after the September 11 attacks was four times higher than before the horrific incident.
Many American intellectuals, like John Esposito of Georgetown University, have spoken highly about Islam. Dr. Murad Hoffman, a German who embraced Islam, considers the U.S. a fertile land for Islam to flourish.
According to Malabari, many of the reports on anti-Muslim hate crimes in America and Canada were exaggerated. He said the murder of two Muslim students in Mississauga, 25 kilometers west of Toronto, were not related to hate crimes.
However, Malabari pointed out that there were some incidents of threats and attacks in different parts of the United States and Canada.
"There were also some serious incidents," said Malabari. "Mosques were burned and three or four people were killed. But compared to other countries, the hate crimes were far less in the U.S. and Canada. If the September 11 attacks had taken place in some other country, thousands would have been killed in the backlash," he said.
Malabari told the Arab News that the majority of non-Muslims had shown sympathy toward Muslims after the September 11 attacks and offered help to protect Islamic centers and mosques.
"But there was no need for such help as the hate crimes quickly subsided. At some campuses, non-Muslim girl students wore
hijab [Islamic headdress worn by women] as a show of solidarity with their Muslim friends," he pointed out.
In many cities, Christian-Muslim dialogues were organized, generating strong cooperation and understanding between the two communities. This prompted Jews to hold similar dialogues with Muslims.
Companies like General Motors arranged lectures about Islam. Dr. Sayyed Muhammad Saeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), delivered a lecture on Islam for GM executives. The Lilly company in Indiana, also arranged a lecture by Saeed, drawing thousands of company employees, he said.
Malabari described Americans as a tolerant and open society.
"They are ready to learn," he added. "Common people of the country are, however, ignorant about Islam. They don't know much about the people in other countries.
"American media has a big role in creating a bad impression about Islam and Muslims as they often present a distorted picture of them. All they know about Islam and Muslims is through the media and Hollywood films, which portray Muslims, especially Arab Muslims, negatively," he went on to say.
Malabari visited New York last month after the attacks. He said he had expected a tough time at the airport, especially as his passport showed his recent visits to Algeria, Turkey and Egypt and a visit to Pakistan sometime ago. "But a young, white officer at the airport allowed me to move on without questioning," he explained.
Malabari did not face any trouble in a London's airport either. He was in the Britain visiting the Islamiya Primary School, established by Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens).
He said in the streets of London he saw Muslim women walking freely, wearing hijab as if nothing had happened.
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