Word: islamics
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...matter how much we put it out there Sheila explained, Islam remains misunderstood. [People] see Islam as this black fog that no one can understand, and it seems to me that Americans are falling into the trap that the terrorists want us to fall into Sheila said. They wanted to polarize the issue into Islam vs. America or even foreigners vs. America, they want to see us fighting each other, and our country divided...
However, simply getting ones voice heard may not be enough. Yassine worries that there will be those who know and respect individuals, but still see Islam as barbaric. The message commnicated to him might be, youre a good Muslim, but everybody else isnt. America is a place to be an individual, Sheila said. Now were being forced to hide under this blanket of ambiguity...
...Most panelists agreed that, again, the media is in part to blame for a prejudiced view of Islam. Laila said she found the rhetoric spewed from CNN and Fox reporters to be very scary. She also noted that a C-SPAN reporter randomly accosted a man who appeared to be Muslim in order to question his patriotism. The idea behind the question, Laila said, is that it follows that if you dont respond, you support what happened...
Yassine sees the misunderstanding of Islam as a main obstacle to Muslim and Arab Americans becoming accepted as equally patriotic and equally outraged. Were even being judgmental when we say its a Muslim [who was behind the attacks] Yassine declared, noting that it hasnt been proved that it is Osama bin Laden, only that there are links...
Laura believes that the events in the wake of the attacks in New York and Washington could become a stepping stone to come to believe that Muslim and Arab Americans are like everyone else. Saif seemed to agree, hoping that in time America can realize that the values that Islam preaches are values that we all recognize