Muslims, Minorities and Trump; Facts, Problems and Solutions
Muslims and other Minorities are in a state of flux after the elections; traveling form a state of uncertainty to apprehension to despair to fear and plain despondency. I recently came across and article Wanted: Leaders to Turn Interfaith Conflict into Trust in NYT by David Bernstein dated Nov. 29, 2016. The author has interviewed Eboo Patel, who is a Muslim and Founder of Interfaith Youth Core, which trains leaders to build relationships and respect between diverse faith communities. The work has expanded considerably. The organization now has more than 350 active campuses in its network, and more than 1,000 colleges have used its resources. Patel spoke about democracy, the responsibilities of citizens, and his fears and hopes after this year’s election. For the sake of time, I have edited and shared with you some of facts and views which I think are pertinent and helpful. (I have rendered in bold the lines which I think are particularly thought provoking) Please do not expect any continuity:
“This month, the F.B.I. reported that hate crimes against Muslims in 2015 reached their highest level since 2001. In New York City this year, hate crimes are tracking one-third higher than last year; against Muslims they have more than doubled.
But these tensions did not begin with Trump. In America, virtually every form of faith or belief has at some point suffered unfavorable reception by others; the victims include Roman Catholics, Mormons, evangelical Christians, Jews and atheists, alongside Muslims.”
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Bornstein: What’s the big question on your mind today?
Patel: How do we build a healthy religiously diverse democracy? It has great relevance to the current moment……… And diversity isn’t just the things we like. It isn’t just samosas and egg rolls. Diversity is also the things you don’t like. We have to recognize that expressions of some identities will injure others.
…….(for) a healthy religiously diverse democracy. I think the answer is that we have to recognize that people can disagree on some fundamental or ultimate concerns, and work together on others. An interfaith leader creates the spaces, curates the conversations and forms the activities for these kinds of relationships to emerge. The typical metaphor for this is bridges……..It means you’re going to have to be able to identify shared values and tell a compelling narrative about the importance of a diverse community. It means you’re going to have to find inspiring activities for them to do together……..Stop focusing on boring commonality. You have to do the work of identifying commonality that feels as inspiring as the disagreement is intense — and that doesn’t magically appear………I just mean don’t get hung up on them (fundamental differences). Don’t let them prevent you from doing other fundamental things.
B: Is this possible with everyone?
P: I do think there’s a line, and it’s somewhere around the K.K.K. If the K.K.K. is hosting a bake sale to support education, I’m probably not buying a cupcake. But discerning between the K.K.K. and the average citizen with whom I disagree is a basic quality of a rational person.
For me, if you support a Muslim registry because your knowledge of Muslims comes from the first minute of the evening news and your Facebook news feed, and there is a significant possibility that different conversations and information about Muslims would shift that idea, I would absolutely engage constructively with you. And I think this describes many Americans. What I’m very wary of is what I would call an educated bigotry that seeks to manipulate.
B: What gives you hope?
P: The virtual evaporation of anti-Catholic prejudice in America over the past 40 years.
In 1959 and 1960, vast swaths of America feared that the election of J.F.K. would mean that the flag of the Vatican would fly in Washington, D.C., and the Pope would descend on the White House. Arthur Schlesinger, the historian, famously said that the deepest bias in the American people is anti-Catholicism.
Last year, I was one of thousands of people holding a Vatican Flag on the south lawn of the White House as Pope Francis appeared with President Obama. It’s a stunning shift in history. And people have almost no memory of the anti-Catholic bigotry from two generations ago. A lot of Catholics don’t even remember it.
Why? As the social science tells us, when people of different identities mix positively with one another, they come to like each other, and that is the great genius of American civil society. Interfaith leaders pay attention to the prejudices that have disappeared in the past and recognize that those same dynamics can be put into place again.
B: What practical things can citizens do to relate better with others?
P: Develop a list of people you disagree with whom you admire. ……..Or identify unlikely and powerful partnerships in history. A classic civil rights example would be Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King Jr. It seems straightforward now, but 50 years ago it was uncommon for an Orthodox Jew to march alongside a black Baptist.
B: How can religion help heal divisions?
P: Religions have stunning illustrations of reconciliation and a wider sense of ‘we.’ It’s a sacred thing in many religious traditions to partner with people with whom you have deep differences. The Quran says argue with them in “the best of ways.” There’s a recognition that there are going to be deep disagreements, and you are instructed as to how to engage with those.
B Who do you fear most?
P: People who say things like: There’s no such thing as a moderate Muslim. Moderate Muslims are only failed radicals. Or: We are in a war against Islam, and they know it and we don’t. Or: American Muslims are a Trojan horse within.
By the way, that’s everything that was said about Catholics.
B How do you feel personally? How are you talking about the election with your children?
P: I’m scared out of my mind. My kids have Muslim names. There are famous Islamophobes who are getting senior positions in the Trump administration. Hate crimes against Muslims are through the roof. That’s crazy to me.
My wife and I are adamant that we are not going to blame all Trump supporters for what some extremists are doing………….We talk a lot about being proud of being Muslim and being Indian and of the contributions of our communities to America.
