Re: Mich. Prof Tells Muslim Students to Leave America
I think that instances of these kind will just increase over time. More importantly, these are just symptoms of the bigger problem, which is extreme negative perceptions about muslims in the Western worl. And these perceptions keep getting worse with every negative article and news story about muslims thats comes out of Asia, Europe or Africa and reported in the Western media.
Each one of us do our part, as we should. We put forward a positive image of muslims with the people we work with and interact with. I personally know many CAIR guys and to be honest I feel sorry for them. They do try their best to manage the media spin and put forth some resistance to the constant negative image. What they do is commendable, considering many of them work voluntarily for CAIR and take time away from their families and other activities to work for these causes. Very few of us do that, and most just complain.
I don't even solely blame the western media here, though I am sure they are all doing their part in turning some small isolated negative cases into huge muslim-bashing cover-stories. However, if you step-back and look at the events in the last five years, you will notice that in many instances muslims are their own worst enemy. That we are not a conformist ummah with no unified command system is part of the problem. There are significant differences of opinion amongst us and our scholars. There are no practical mechanisms of resolving them or working through them or around them. Infightings amongst ourselves is very common, with sectarian clashes and bomb blasts and factions, so much so that often we just end up making ourselves look like the biggest morons. Add on to it the rapidly growing segment of muslim population who thinks violence against other communities and nations is the answer to their woes. The biggest problem, by far, is that muslims have given up on education and innovation and research and adherence to our values. We are no longer deemed honest, and are no where close to being the leaders in trade and commerce and military prowess that we once were. Our leadership and entire societies are corrupt. Conspiracy theories run amock amongst our communities. Blame displacement syndrome is rampant.
There are no easy solutions and there are no quick-fixes. First, we have to admit that there is a serious problem. We have to reform our societies from top-down. Put our emphasis on educating our people. Make up 10-20-40 year goals for our communities and select/elect good and dedicated leadership that is loyal to the nation. Once we sort our house first, then we should look outside to build bridges and connect effectively with the rest of the world. Without fixing our internal problems, the work done by CAIR, and signing online petitions and doing demonstrations on the streets are just like putting bandaids to treat cancer. Woeful and horribly ineffective.