Muslims in Western Politics

2. Claiming Space in America’s Pluralism: Muslims Enter the Political Maelstrom

2 Claiming Space in America’s Pluralism: Muslims Enter the Political Maelstrom Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Robert Stephen Ricks In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the George W. Bush administration has legislated policies that impact the Muslim population of the United States and threaten, in a more fundamental way, the guarantees of liberty and freedom of speech, thought, and religion enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.1 While it is too early to assess whether American policies will have a permanent impact on the integration and assimilation of Muslims and Arabs into American culture, it is clear that the measures adopted by the government have had a profound impact on Muslims living in the United States. These measures have already disrupted the lives of thousands and left them in the grip of constant apprehension; they have also impeded the entry and full participation of the American Muslim community in the public square. This disruption has occurred both through official means, such as the controversial PATRIOT (Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act, and by more subtle pressures that infiltrate the internal discourse of the Muslim community and tend to reshape and redirect its interactions with the public sphere. For example, the U.S. government is currently attempting to play an important role in identifying, and in some fashion creating, a “moderate Islam” that  · Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Robert Stephen Ricks is distinctly different from that espoused by al-Qaeda and the mujahideen—one that, ironically, rejects the same articulation of the faith encouraged by former American administrations and their allies during the Cold War, namely a fundamentalist Islam that would act as a firewall against the spread of socialism, Marxism , or communism in Muslim nations. As this brand of Islam is no longer useful, and has actually become an impediment to American interests and security, the Bush administration has launched several initiatives at home and abroad to foster, nurture, and empower “moderate” Muslims. At the same time it is acting to undermine those Muslims it has designated as “terrorists,” “fundamentalists,” “extremists ,” “jihadists,” or “Islamists” (Haddad 2004). In response to harassment and discrimination, a few Muslims have been prompted to reexamine the theological and ideological constructs that define the contours of diasporic Islam. The policies have also propelled new claimants to the intellectual leadership of the Muslim community , fostering a more amiable—and less “threatening”—redefinition of Islam. At the same time, government policies appear to have subtly encouraged the attitudes of those intent on criticizing the religion of Islam and its teachings by failing to consistently condemn hate speech against Islam.2 All of these factors have combined to pose a new and intense challenge to the identity, security, and autonomy of American Muslims and their communities. For Muslims, this is a key historical moment as they strive to overcome these challenges and become fully empowered as participants in civic and political life; likewise, this is a moment that compels Americans to once again examine their country’s relation to the ideals of religious freedom and pluralism. It is as yet unclear in which direction these challenges will be resolved. This study provides a brief historical overview of the American ideal of religious freedom and contrasts it with the more sobering reality of marginalized religious groups throughout its history. It focuses on Muslim attempts to fit into the American religious mosaic and gain recognition as legitimate actors within its political maelstrom, and on Muslim responses to both internal and external challenges faced by the Muslim community in the aftermath of 9/11. It also looks at the efforts of a few Muslim leaders to redefine the role of Islam in a pluralistic American society, and at the impact of the reality of 9/11 on the articulation of Islam in the American public square. Finally, it explores some of the initiatives that have been generated within the Muslim community to deal with these issues. Religion and the American Public Square In the International Religious Freedom Act, a 1998 bill that made advocacy of religious freedom abroad a tenet of American foreign policy, the following sketch of the history of religious freedom in the United States was presented: Claiming Space in America’s Pluralism ·  The right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States. Many of our nation’s...