Sunday, September 4, 2011

US Muslims Admit That 9-11 Attacks Helped Their Communities

One of the first articles I ever wrote on Islam was titled "The Two Faces of Islam . . . Still Smiling." In the article, I argued that all Muslims actually benefit from terrorism. Violent Muslims benefit from terrorism because people start living in fear. Peaceful Muslims benefit from terrorism because non-Muslims, in an effort to protect peaceful Muslims from the fabled "anti-Muslim backlash," rush to their aid, giving Muslims multiple platforms to explain "real Islam" to us. Hence, after every terrorist attack, the West becomes a dawah paradise. The words I wrote on the day of the London subway bombing are just as relevant today as they were then:

Today’s terrorist attacks in London, strangely enough, will help Islam grow even stronger. There will be a brief period of outrage against Islam, but once the smoke has cleared (both literally and figuratively), the world will once again rush to defend Islam, and more bills will be passed, "protecting" Muslims from those who would speak out against Muhammad’s "religion of peace." No matter how violent Islam becomes, as long as people fail to recognize that its two faces are part of the same head (and that both faces are calmly smiling as new laws make Islam untouchable), Muhammad’s empire of faith will thrive in a world of false tolerance.

Interestingly, some Muslims in the West are admitting that terrorist attacks are helping the Muslim community:

If there are any silver linings to the tragedy of 9-11, First Coast Muslims say one of them may be that Northeast Florida's Islamic community has grown in its outward focus and accessibility, area religious leaders say.

Ministers and lay people, both inside and outside the faith, describe a transformation of what was before the attacks a largely reclusive community into one that is better educated about its own beliefs and practices, more nimble and savvy in engaging the wider culture and more involved in civic and inter-faith issues.

Thanks also in part to the coming of age of second- and third-generation children of immigrants, the region's Muslims have become more proactive and consistent in the past decade of projecting positive messages in response to, or ahead of, negative stereotypes of the faith.

"I think it's more positive than anything else," Imam Lateef Majeed, an American-born Muslim who converted to Islam 35 years ago. He's now part of the Islamic Center of Orange Park, which meets Fridays in a Presbyterian church. "I saw more Muslims become interested in explaining what Islam was all about and that they were not part of any terrorist or subversive groups."

Non-Muslims actively involved in city's interfaith community also have seen the change, said the Rev. Fred Woolsey, a retired Disciples of Christ pastor and long-time participant in the Interfaith Council of Jacksonville.

Before 9-11, he said, it was usually just the imam and a handful of members from the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, the area's largest mosque, who were involved in the council's meetings and events. After the attacks, that involvement shot up and they've begun to forge working relationships with other faith groups in town, he said.

"The (Muslim) community is maturing and beginning to feel more comfortable in the (wider) community," Woolsey said. (Read more.)

Well, if the Muslim community is becoming more comfortable, I guess the attacks were worth it.

13 comments:

GreekAsianPanda said...

...And I've seen at least two videos on display on Muslim Youtube channels that have titles such as "I became a Muslim because of 9/11" (though I didn't watch them; I was busy watching another video and forgot about them after I finished). It's a stupid idea to title it like that, if you ask me. I assume the videos have to do with becoming aware of Islam because of 9/11, and then converting as a result of seeing its "light." So if they're looking for something else "good" that came from 9/11...

Anyway, I have to disagree with these people. Though the issue is usually exaggerated (at least from what I've seen), statistics show that anti-Muslim hate crimes increased after 9/11.

I made a chart recording hate crime statistics from 1996 to 2009, which can be seen here. (It's not very good because the Catholic line is kind of hidden behind the Protestant and multi-religion line, but the Islamic line is the only one that matters for now.)

Hate crimes against Muslims used to be pretty low -- even lower than those against Protestants and Catholics. But in 2001, and presumably immediately after 9/11, the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes skyrocketed. Luckily, they declined dramatically in 2002 and continue to gradually drop down, but they still haven't reached pre-9/11 levels, and it may be a long time before they do.

Of course, good things can come out of bad things, but this is just the response of one Muslim community. A Muslim community who has had hateful messages spray-painted onto its mosque or had its members assaulted would probably think differently.

goethechosemercy said...

Quote:
I made a chart recording hate crime statistics from 1996 to 2009,
end

YOU made a chart?
What is your authority?
Are you a police statistician?
Do you work for the FBI?
Your appeal to the authority of statistics is contemptible.

Muslims benefit from terrorism.
They did so after 610 AD.
They did so in 710 AD.
They did so in 810 AD.
They did so in 910 AD.
And so on, and so on, and so on.
Terror and deception are the essence and core of Islam.
Islam is profane.
Mohammed is a false prophet.
Allah is an elemental spirit of the world.

I was born a Christian.
I WILL DIE A CHRISTIAN!

GreekAsianPanda said...

"YOU made a chart?
What is your authority?
Are you a police statistician?
Do you work for the FBI?
Your appeal to the authority of statistics is contemptible."

It says "Source: FBI.gov" right underneath the key, so I assume you either didn't look carefully enough or didn't even look at all.

If you want to see the FBI's statistics yourself, just go to the website, click on "Crime Statistics/UCR" under the Stats and Services tab, and then click on any of the years under the Hate Crime Statistics section. I gathered all the numbers from the yearly hate crime reports and put them in a chart for better visual comparison.

"Muslims benefit from terrorism."

They can, but not always and not all of them. I think I've already showed that. Plus, most of the victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims themselves.

Koala Bear said...

I suggest you read God's War on Terror by Walid Shoebat. It is happening. Scary but true. Islam is the anti-Christ religion and there is a war coming - you can tell that even before reading his book.

goethechosemercy said...

Quote:
Plus, most of the victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims themselves.
end

Wow.
Is that supposed to make the kuffar feel safe?
Is that supposed to relieve the tremendous repulsion endemic in the West against Islam?
I don't think it's working.

curly said...

@Koala Bear

Hello, have you heard about Walid Shoebat lately? He exposed that he was fraud by CNN. The problem is i can't heard from video because I am Deaf.

Any feedback? Just let me know, so I am like to know what going on Walid Shoebat.

Reese Smith said...

Honor killings are hate crimes.

Deleting said...

curly,
CNN did a hack piece on Walid. That's what happened.
They didn't follow through on sources. They didn't check facts.
Everything on their end was a complete hachet job on them. You can read about it on www.shoebat.com.
There are things about walid's teachings on the number of the beast I don't agree with but he's right on on a lot of it.

GreekAsianPanda said...

"Wow.
Is that supposed to make the kuffar feel safe?
Is that supposed to relieve the tremendous repulsion endemic in the West against Islam?
I don't think it's working."

My point was that Muslims don't always benefit from terrorism, contra your statement "Muslims benefit from terrorism" and David's point, not that we should "feel safe" from Islamic terrorists, considering that they do kill non-Muslims sometimes and continually seek to kill them.

mkvine said...

GAP, why do you always do this?

curly said...

@Deleting,
I assumed that you already read the website about Shoebat. I am not interesting to read website because time. Also I am slow reader.
I do trust your judgment. So, Do you think Shoebat was PLO terrorist?
You mentioned "There are things about walid's teachings on the number of the beast I don't agree". You cant mind you gave me 2 or 3 examples what you disagree Shoebat? Thank you so much

Deleting said...

@curly
Yes, I do believe he was a PLO terrorist. Where I am hesistant to buy into his mark of the beast because what he;s saying in essence is the false prophet was mohammed, however i've also been told revelations 13:9 is a future event so the 'false prophet' hasn't happened yet.
I have to look into it a little more, but ninety percent of all he says I agree with and can see in the scriptures. Pslams 83 for example is dead on. That confederecy is happening now.

curly said...

@Deleting,
Thank you so much for respond.