COMMENTARY: Overcoming Our Prejudice

c. 2000 Religion News Service (Dale Hanson Bourke is the author of five books and mother of two sons.) (UNDATED) Over the past few weeks we have all read news reports and commentaries about the Mideast crisis. Sadly, a number of these accounts include loaded words and misrepresentations. Our country has had a long and […]

c. 2000 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is the author of five books and mother of two sons.)

(UNDATED) Over the past few weeks we have all read news reports and commentaries about the Mideast crisis. Sadly, a number of these accounts include loaded words and misrepresentations.


Our country has had a long and painful history of discrimination against Jews, African-Americans, Catholics, Asians and other groups of people who didn’t fit our mold. These chapters in our history have fostered hatred and left enduring marks of fear and suspicion.

Although we can celebrate our progress in overcoming this history, we seem willing and able to quickly regress. The latest target of such bigotry is Arab-Americans and those who practice Islam.

The first misconception is that they are one and the same. Many Arab-Americans living in this country are, in fact, Christians. They came to this country from the Mideast, North Africa, the Balkans and other parts of the world. Just like most of our ancestors, they came to America in search of religious freedom.

Many Muslims in this country also have Arab ancestry, but a large number are African or Asian. The word “Arab” itself is often misused, since it is really a linguistic designation.

Worldwide, this group is a minority of the Muslim population. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country. Islam is the second largest religion in the world by some accounts, with some sources estimating as many as 1.2 billion adherents. In the United States, there are an estimated 6 million Muslims, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. There are different types of Muslims, just as there are different types of Christians and Jews. The two largest groups are the Sunnis and Shiites. The Sunnis, sometimes called the “orthodox,” include the vast majority of Muslims worldwide. The Shiites originated during a political dispute over leadership and emphasize the role of individual leaders. Shiites dominate in Iran, Pakistan and Iraq. Most Palestinian Muslims are Sunnis.

Theologically, Muslims have many similarities to Christians and Jews. Islam, for example, embraces the teachings of Jesus, Moses and Abraham. Like Christians and Jews, Muslims consider themselves children of Abraham. Islam is a monotheistic faith and Allah is simply the name used for God. Jesus is viewed as a prophet but not a savior.

The teachings of the Prophet Muhammed are contained in the Koran. Many portions are similar to Old Testament passages and many of the stories are nearly identical. Nothing in the scripture advocates discord with Christians or Jews.

In many news accounts, cultural or political issues are confused with the Muslim faith. In some countries, Muslims do not observe a separation of church and state, a concept Americans embrace. To a Muslim, all of life is dedicated to faith. Islamic states such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Mauritania, are ruled by Shariah or Islamic law, which is rooted in the Koran and the teachings of Muhammed.


The word “jihad” is often translated in the U.S. press as “holy war.” Muslim sources dispute this translation and CAIR translates it as “to strive, struggle and exert effort. It is a central Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defense, or fighting against tyranny or oppression.”

Given their growing numbers in the United States, there are Muslims in every major city and in most smaller towns. Many look just like anyone else. Some women cover their heads and bodies to be modest, but other Muslim women simply wear modest Western-style clothes.

Many have been deeply hurt by words in news accounts or conversations in the grocery store. One American of Palestinian heritage working in a law firm told of hearing two lawyers use vicious words to describe Arabs. She knew these educated men would never use such words to describe African-Americans but they felt free to disparage her heritage and she was afraid to speak up for fear of losing her job.

Now more than ever Americans must learn more about Islam and about Arab-Americans. Simply knowing the facts is the first step toward stopping one more manifestation of prejudice. And despite the great strengths of this country, prejudice has always been one of our worst habits.

DEA END BOURKE

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