Sen. John McCain is down in the polls, his campaign is scrambling to reorganize, and his supporters are fuming with anger; but in a rally on Oct. 10, McCain and an elderly supporter crossed the line with the following inflammatory statements.
Supporter: “I don’t trust Obama. I have read about him, and he’s an Arab.”
McCain: “No ma’am, he’s a decent family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have some disagreements with on fundamental issues.”
What’s wrong with being an Arab? Or even a Muslim? McCain just implied that an Arab can’t be a decent family man or citizen, and that perpetuates the misconceptions and anti-Arab/Muslim sentiment in the United States.
I’m an Arab and I believe I’m a fairly decent person. There was no need for those baseless, ignorant and racist remarks.
Since the start of the presidential race, Sen. Barack Obama’s background has been questioned by the cynics and all form of viral Internet rumors have circulated around the globe. Obama is different, I agree; I’ve read his book “Dreams from My Father” and it tells you everything you need to know about his background.
He came from a modest family in Hawaii, the child of a Kenyan man and a white woman. He was raised by his single mother and grandparents, moved to Indonesia for a short period of time with his mother and stepfather and later returned to Hawaii to complete his education. So this notion that somehow Obama has links to Islam and terrorism is just plain ludicrous.
The words Muslim and Arab are not synonymous with terrorism, and they should not disqualify anyone from holding public office. Yes, there are extremists out there, but they only constitute a negligible minority of the over one billion Muslims on earth. Since 9/11, certain politicians and reporters in the media have grouped the words “Islamic terrorism,” resulting in a highly misconstrued perception of what Islam really is.
Bottom line, Islam is a peaceful religion. The people who attacked the World Trade Center, participate in suicide bombings and perform acts of terrorism in the name of Islam are psychotic—they will receive a one-way ticket to hell. The religion of Islam actually denounces those extreme acts because killing innocents is just plain wrong.
So what is Islam? The word “Islam” is derived from the root Arabic word “salam,” which means “peace.” A Muslim follows the teachings of Islam, a monotheistic religion characterized by a doctrine of submission to God and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God. The basic principles of Islam are as follows:
Oneness of God (called Allah in Arabic): Islam rejects the idea of multiple manifestations of Allah.
Oneness of mankind: People are created equal in the Law of God. There is no superiority of one race over another.
Oneness of messengers and the message: Muslims believe God sent different messengers throughout the history of humanity. All came with the same message and the same teachings, but some people misunderstood and misinterpreted them. The prophets and teachers of Christianity and Judaism are also the prophets of Islam: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad.
Angels and the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe in unseen creatures created by God for special missions. Muslims also believe in a Day of Judgment when all people of the world will be brought together for “accounting, reward and punishment.”
Innocence of man at birth: Muslims believe people are born free of sin. Only after they reach puberty will they be accountable for sinful acts. Forgiveness through true repentance is always available.
There are approximately 1.2 million Arab Americans and about 7 million Muslim Americans, who inhabit every walk of American life. There are congressmen, former cabinet secretaries and successful business people who are Arab or Muslim. So why do people shudder at the thought of having a Muslim or Arab run the United States?
As young Americans, it is time we thrust ourselves into a new era of tolerance, hope and change. The days of discrimination and racial slurs should have been long gone, but unease and the need for homogeneity still exist within the gut of some older Americans who feel that diversity is not good for America.
Is there a quick fix for this problem? No, but as an Arab Muslim American I know that it’s my duty to inform others, young and old alike, that race, religion and other demographics simply shouldn’t determine how you cast a ballot or judge a person’s character. It’s the substance that counts.
