Since that fateful day when the Twin Towers fell in 2001, many Americans have wondered: Are Muslims really a threat to America?
According to a survey conducted by Cornell University in 2004, 44 percent of Americans said the civil liberties of Muslims should be restricted. Still, 6 to 8 million Americans who are Muslim would argue otherwise.
Last night, as part of "Pride not Prejudice" week, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) hosted a forum in 112 Kern Building, discussing this very issue.
The forum, which attracted 75 students, professors and State College residents, opened the floor for discussion on an issue that MSA President Mansoor Aleidi (senior-chemical engineering) said is often misunderstood.
"It's important to give people the right facts about Muslims," Aleidi said. "We are not here to force our views on people. We want to educate people."
Raeed Tayeh, former public relations director of the Muslim American Society, was the event's speaker and said Americans believing Muslims are a threat to America is a rather recent phenomenon born out of 9/11.
"The government is making us look at Muslims through political lenses," Tayeh said of the post-9/11 environment. "The fear of the unknown has also helped to frame the image of Islam and Muslims."
Tayeh, believing it's wrong to single out any group of people, said Muslims are no more of a threat than people of any other culture.
"When you have a holistic view of Muslims, you start to realize things aren't as bad as you think," he said. "Muslims reflect what America is."
Riadh Bounatirou (graduate-comparative literature) said he attended to get a better understanding and to hopefully get an answer.
"It's always nice to hear well-founded arguments," Bounatirou said. "If we don't have such lectures in the university, where are we going to have them?"
Tayeh credited many of the misconceptions about Islam to negative news coverage from "entertainers" like conservative talk show hosts Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, referring to them as "neo-McCarthyist individuals" who seek to make others afraid of Islam.
"Many Americans don't know all the facts," he said.
Tayeh listed several important figures in America that were, and are, Muslim: Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected into Congress in January 2007; Malcolm X, civil rights activist; and Sylvester Johnson, current police commissioner of Philadelphia, to name a few.
"Muslims are your neighbors, professors and classmates," Aleidi said.
Tayeh said Muslims are actually closer to "white evangelicals" and "black Protestants" when comparing the amount of passion one shows for their respective faith.
"We don't interact with each other, and that can be a problem," Tayeh said. "We don't listen to each other enough."
Tayeh said Americans need an accurate perception of Muslims, not a skewed one. This, he argued, has led to skewed policy and the problem with what is going on in Iraq now.
Yet, Tayeh said some of the fault lies in his own people's hands.
"The blame falls on Muslims," he said. "We didn't do enough before 9/11."
He challenged the audience to find the answers for themselves and not believe everything.
"Don't take my word for it," Tayeh said. "Find out from objective sources. Open your minds and educate yourselves."
