U.S.A.-FLORIDA: WHAT COULD MODERATE MOSLEMS DO?!?

What moderate Muslims should do

VERO BEACH -- At a foreign-policy forum here focusing on Islam, one question from a large crowd that included several Muslims drew disproportionate interest: How might moderate Muslims -- the vast majority -- expand their efforts to counter extremism?

It is my long-held belief that moderates of all religions -- not simply Muslims -- should try harder to diminish dangerous impulses within their respective communities. The terrorist threat today does not discriminate in terms of religion, culture, nationality, ethnicity or physical location.

Islam, though, unfortunately draws a greater share of attention because so many recent high-profile attacks stemmed from the plots of at least nominally Muslim perpetrators. The word "nominal" is important, because I do not think that true Muslims would engage in mindless suicide and cause indiscriminate carnage.

The question of how moderates could raise their voices and join their hands more effectively against extremism poses a challenge because it reaches in myriad directions. Some Muslims who already are working to resolve the problem understandably chafe at the criticism.

But because others are not making such strides -- and many Americans see moderate Muslims as substantially silent -- it is appropriate to ask what more can be done.

I will limit my comments to American Muslims. One reason is that Muslims, despite their embrace of a universal religion, differ much across countries and cultures. Second, many of them lack the luxury of living in a country such as the United States, where the desire to speak out does not compete with the fear of deadly retaliation.

It is not easy to strike a moderate stance in places where a visible, vocal minority espouses and uses violence. Thus, it is not realistic to assume that moderate Muslims would rise up as a group and quash extremism.

One way that moderate Muslims can help is by sharing more information about Islam, that is, building bridges that can lead to better understanding, communication and inclusiveness -- all of which would work against extremist propaganda.

In a recent U.S. poll, most respondents said that they had an insufficient grasp of Islamic teachings and beliefs. Perhaps that dearth of information affected their responses to other questions. Although most saw Islam as peaceful, nearly half indicated an unfavorable opinion about the religion. In response, I would encourage more inter-faith dialogues, objective discussions about Islam in public forums and guest presentations in schools at all levels.

Another way that moderate Muslims can help is by raising their profiles -- not simply in the form of public condemnations after acts of terrorism -- but on a regular basis. I am not suggesting that they restrict themselves to terrorism, although they could assist tremendously in developing awareness about the economic, political, historical, ideological and social root causes of that phenomenon.

A wide range of other policy matters would benefit greatly from moderate Muslims' expanded involvement. For example, I would like to see a diverse, private-sector version of the Iraq Study Group develop ideas not only for resolving problems in that country but the entire Middle East.

A third way moderate Muslims could help is by joining with governmental and non-governmental groups to reach out to leaders, especially Islamic religious ones, in other countries. Imagine, for instance, if religious figures from Saudi Arabia traveled to the United States in large numbers for total immersion programs, hosted in part by American Muslim groups. Those visitors could well depart with a more enlightened perspective.

Of course, other possibilities proliferate. I am interested in what readers have to say on this topic. Kindly share your thoughts with me at jber sia@orlandosentinel.com, and I will summarize the results in a future column.


Pertinent Links:

1) What moderate Muslims should do