Palestinians Are An Invented People?
by Hussein Ata
 Here we go again, another presidential election year and what a surprise the anti Muslim rhetoric is on the rise. A republican candidate declares that the “Palestinians are an invented people”, a bill that includes “indefinite detention without trial” and Lowes pulling the advertisement from the “All American Muslim” show. This is just the beginning.
Unfortunately, our memory seems to be short and we tend to quickly forget these things. The cycle continues and grows strongly without a very effective response. We see e-mails fly all over the internet, articles written and interviews on TV then life goes on. This is all good but not nearly enough.
We face tremendous challenges over family, education, drugs and many other social issues that must be addressed and addressed quickly. These issues may vary from community to community and from city to city. However, there is one common issue that Muslims all over the US face without an exception, and that is our civil liberties and our right to enjoy our freedom as American citizens. This is, by far, the most critical and most dangerous issue of all. Our existence in the US is at stake. If you do not believe that then ask a Native American, if you can find one. Or ask the Japanese who spent time in internment camps, even when some Japanese Americans fought with Americans side by side against Japan.
We must remember that without our civil rights and freedom it will be very difficult if not impossible to tackle other issues. “A political suicide” is the response we constantly hear from some politicians when Muslim issues are raised in private discussions. If we go back 20 years, you will find very few politicians, maybe 2 or 3, if that many, who stood up for what is right when it came to the Muslim issues. And they paid the price as far as their political career. So why should any politician take that risk? Until the Muslims become a force in the political arena it will be very difficult for politicians to take our side.
We have to change from being reactive to proactive. We cannot continue to wait for issues to arise then react. Let us see how other minorities were successful not only in overcoming bigotry and discrimination but becoming a very strong political force that shapes the future of this country. We talked about this before and will continue to push in this direction. How many of our children are interested in political careers and civic engagement, and how many parents will be supportive if their children do choose this type of career? As communities and organizations, what are we doing to help them in this direction?
When the same candidate who said the Palestinians are an invented people was questioned about the statement, he did not back off. On the contrary, he went further by declaring the Palestinians as terrorists! Unless we take matters in our hands and set our priorities right to become a political force, do not be surprised if the next US president will declare that Islam is not a religion or it is a terrorist ideology and must be forbidden.
May Allah guide us to what pleases Him and help us make the correct decisions. |