On October 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Smith Campus Center, about fifty students turned out for a forum entitled "Members of the Muslim Community Speak."

At the event, which was sponsored by the 6-College Muslim Student Organization, two members of the Muslim community, Aslam Abdullah and Edina Lekovic, spoke about their impressions of Muslims’ reactions to the events of the past month. Both work with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and both are employed by the Muslim-oriented magazine Minaret. Abdullah is the Editor-in-Chief, and Lekovic is a Managing Editor.

The discussion began with both panelists giving brief opening statements. Abdullah talked about the general public’s misconception of Muslims. "Never before in human history [have] the actions of a few been perceived as the actions of an entire community, an entire faith," he said.

Abdullah also suggested three steps to fight terrorism: first, bring the terrorists themselves to justice; second, work to end despotism and dictatorships in the Muslim world; and third, ensure that resources are shared equally among the powerless and the helpless people in the Muslim world.

Lekovic used her opening statement to dispel three myths about Muslims. First, she said that Islam is not a violent religion. According to her, the Koran teaches that civilians should never be harmed in wars and that killing even one person unjustly is the same as killing all of mankind.

Second, she tried to correct some common mistakes in the perception of jihads. Jihad actually means "to exert effort for the cause of God" and that the most important jihad is the jihad of self (the struggle to become closer to God), she said.

Finally, she pointed out that most Muslim people do not hate America. Many come to this country because they want to live here, and few, if any, come because they hate America. She expressed concern that many people are being racially profiled, and she suggested that the adage "driving while Black" might be replaced with "flying while Arab," as several people who looked Arabic were not allowed to fly after the events of September 11.

After their opening statements, moderator Khalid Maznavi ’02 opened the forum up to questions from the audience.

The first question was about the media’s role in the current crisis. Abdullah said that the media stereotypes Muslims much more than terrorists of other religions. He thought that this was especially interesting because "Muslims are the worst victims of the terrorism in their own communities."

Lekovic also pointed out that President Bush’s recent declaration that he would stop referring to the terrorists as "Islamic" is "a very positive step from the highest power of our nation."

Another student questioned whether U.S. foreign policy was partially to blame for the terrorist attacks. Abdullah said that it was. "In the last fifty years, we have not found the U.S. supporting a single democracy in the Muslim world," he said. He believes this attitude helps to entrench the power of terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

When asked about the Muslim community’s reaction to the United States’ recent air raids against Afghanistan, Abdullah said that the Muslim Public Affairs Council supports the President’s decision, "but targets must be well defined, and civilians in the countries that are affected should not be targets."

Lekovic said that many Muslims were concerned that the limited air strikes ordered so far could be expanded, resulting in a major conflict. "I don’t think it’s too much to say that we can be anti-war and anti-terrorism at the same time," she said.

Some students wondered how terrorists could interpret the Koran so differently from everyone else. Abdullah said that illiteracy, poverty, helplessness, alienation, and a lack of democracy all contribute to a profound hatred. "They have reached a level of hatred where even religion is unable to control their impulses and actions," he said.

When asked what students could do to show support for Muslims, Abdullah had a quick answer: "We want our civil liberties respected … and our dignity upheld, but that is not happening." He cited problems with racial profiling and religious rhetoric as part of a "wicked agenda" that some were trying to advance. He also pointed out that over the last fifty years, not a single Muslim has been convicted of treason or espionage in the United States.

Lekovic suggested that all citizens should educate themselves about all aspects of the reaction to terrorism. She specifically pointed to the Counter-Terrorism Bill, which is currently being debated in the Senate. According to Lekovic, the bill would allow the Immigration and Naturalization Service to deport resident aliens for very minor violations of policies and procedures. She suggested that the current situation could be likened to the Japanese internment camps of World War II. More than 500 people have been detained in the United States for questioning without having been arrested.

Finally, Abdullah expressed concern that the United States was supporting the Northern Alliance in its bid to unseat the Taliban. He said that the Northern Alliance is a group that includes rapists, murderers, and drug dealers and that putting such "political bandits and mercenaries" in charge of Afghanistan would only further destabilize the country.

After the forum, students seemed to feel more informed about issues relating to the Muslim community. "It think it’s really important to get the religious principles shown in an easy-to-understand form," said Tawny Mata ’04.

Jason Murcko ’05 agreed. "I believe I learned a lot about Islam and the conditions in Arabic countries," he said.

The forum’s organizers worked with the organizers of the Frank Blue Room Monday Forums to plan this event. Maznavi encouraged everyone to attend this week’s forum, featuring religion and ethics professors, on Monday during lunch in the Frank Blue Room.