In the period July 5-7, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an umbrella organization of many Muslim associations and institutions in the United States and Canada, conducted its Sixth Annual Islam in America Conference (IslamOnline – News, July 6, and 7).

The conference included the “Fifth Annual Islam in American Prisons Conference,” the “Third Annual Conference on Islam among Latino Americans,” the “Second Annual Conference on Muslim Refugees in America” along with its own “Sixth Annual Islam in America Conference.” As the titles suggest, this year’s conference was held in continuation of regular ongoing conferences on the abovementioned themes.

Despite many drawbacks to the conference, it was very significant in terms of the relationship between Islamic and Western civilizations. This type of conferences, leading to discussions on the macro level, will determine the future trend of global civilization in the twenty-first century.

The Muslim Community in America

For any discussion on the subject of the conference one should understand the nature of the Muslim community in North America. Until very recently the Muslim community was dominated by recent immigrants from Muslim majority countries. This composition, however, has already changed because of the increasing number of converts and second generation Muslims, although the leadership still remains in the hands of immigrant Muslims.

One unique characteristic of these immigrant Muslims is that most of them did not intend to settle in America when they initially arrived there. The “myth of return” dominated their minds roughly until the 1970s. However, when most American Muslims realized that, in spite of many (mainly social) problems, America was the best alternative they had to settle down permanently.

They were already engaged in addressing many social problems, but their decision to settle permanently motivated them further into getting more intensely involved. Their activities moved first from campuses to Islamic centers, and then to full-time Muslim schools. Immigrant and indigenous Muslims formed a good working coalition in these activities. Yet when they needed literature on different aspects of Islam for these activities, they imported them from Muslim majority countries. They hardly noticed that many of those books, written in the context of a Muslim majority situation, were not suitable to American Muslims.

Many immigrant Muslims brought with them their idea of “implementing God’s words in God’s land” to America without any consideration to the American situation. That did not create any problems as long as Muslim activities were confined within the community.

However, as they increasingly came in touch with more Americans, books related to political issues began to create problems, yet none of those activist Muslims realized this. One issue that was extensively discussed in these books was the question of creating an Islamic state. Were the Muslims going to create an Islamic state in America? What was the meaning of an Islamic state? Is it the implementation of the Shari’ah? What was the Shari’ah? Didn’t the Shari’ah mean hudud laws? Didn’t the hudud laws mean the laws of capital punishment?

Many Muslim activists, mainly immigrants, were quick to condemn the American press for creating a negative image of Islam, while they hardly realized how much they themselves were responsible for creating a negative image of Islam in America. Discussions were held in conferences about the image of Islam, but it seems that Muslims have a long way to go to correct their image as Muslims in the American society.

The Significance of September 11

September 11, of course, is a very significant date for Muslims in America. There were not only many reports of Muslims being targets of revenge attacks following that day, but there were also hundreds and thousands of reports of many non-Muslim Americans who extended their support and promised assistance to Muslims against any potential assault or even threat of assault on them. The event became a chance for Muslims to get closer to their non-Muslim neighbors.

Immediately after September 11 there were reports of a popular demand of books on Islam. This demand now has moved to campuses: Courses related to Islamic civilization have become extremely popular in American campuses. This was reported in a session sponsored by the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies. However, Muslims do not seem to be prepared to deal with these challenges by producing adequate literature on different aspects of Islam.

Muslims in the American Political Process

Any discussion on Muslims in America inevitably leads to questions related to political issues. One good aspect of the conference, however, was that most discussions avoided issues related to U.S. foreign policy.

It was clear to most participants that the American foreign policy towards the Middle East and its so-called “war on terrorism” were no longer based on any acceptable reasoning. However, there was a growing awareness that, although democracy was being hijacked, there was no shortcut to the solution of the problem.

Two papers discussed the experiences in Fremont, California, and Bridgeview, Illinois highlighting the Muslim experience in local politics. It was clear from the presentations that Muslims could make a difference in American politics if they were to get organized and plan accordingly. However, many Muslims want immediate change, and they want it in the policies at the top. One should realize that this is not a realistic expectation, and should learn from the life of the Prophet in this respect.

The Role of ISNA 

The Islamic Society of North America can play a significant role in streamlining Muslim activities in North America. What it needs to do is to study the example of the Prophet, and to try to understand it in the context of the current American society. It would also be useful to promote American born Muslims to leadership positions; be they converts or children of immigrant Muslims. Perhaps with their more enhanced and thorough understanding of the many problems facing Muslims in the West today, they could pave the way to a new direction in the contemporary history of the Muslim nation.

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