FREMONT, California: The arrest of Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old US citizen of Pakistani descent and the alleged driver of the vehicle used in the failed New York Times Square bombing a few weeks ago, represents an opportunity to respond effectively to a potential act of terrorism instead of reacting with fear and hysteria that will inevitably be manipulated by extremist elements.
As of Tuesday morning, details are slowly emerging regarding the potential motives of the suspect, Shahzad, who was arrested at JFK airport in New York as he planned to fly to Dubai. And in the meantime, the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for this amateurish and failed attempt.
Their eagerness speaks volumes about their desperation to instill fear in the hearts of the American public by an act of terrorism on the US mainland.
Similar moments of tension — though isolated — have in the past been used to sow dissension and enmity through polarizing statements in the media by bigoted ideological pundits in both non-Muslim American and global Muslim communities. We saw this tendency recently when Army major Nidal Hassan Malik opened fire and killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas and when Nigerian student Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab tried to ignite himself on an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009 despite having been previously flagged.
Such incidents serve as fuel for right-wing commentators to promote a dangerously inaccurate image of an Islamic monolith with all Muslims having a homicidal aversion to "our freedoms". Verbal attacks will, no doubt, be made on US President Barack Obama’s efforts at conciliation and partnership with Muslim communities, efforts such as his Al-Arabiya interview, his historic speech to Muslims in Cairo last June and his outreach to Muslim American organizations and leaders.
Some media pundits argue passionately on the cable network Fox News to "profile away" evil-doers — in effect advocating racial profiling of ethnic minorities, especially of Middle Easterners and South Asians. Anticipating public anxiety, Obama reacted to calls for "greater security" following the failed Christmas Day bombing in 2009 by implementing catch-all measures — recently amended — to extend special pat-downs and heightened profiling to individuals returning from 14, mostly Muslim-majority, countries.
Racial profiling and the erosion of civil liberties and due process are counterproductive in fighting terrorism. Still, I worry that fear and divisive rhetoric will be lead to such techniques being implemented, undermining the mutual trust and cooperation that has been painstakingly built over the past two years between Muslim Americans and law enforcement agencies.
Right-wing demagogues who proclaim the virtues of the West and argue that terrorism is unique to the "Muslim world" should be reminded of the recent arrest of nine members of the terrorist group, the Hutarees, for conspiring to kill police officers and wage war on the United States government. The group has been labeled an anomaly by Christians and Christian groups.
And the suicide flight of disgruntled Joseph Stack into the IRS building in Texas, which killed an innocent public employee, has been overlooked by many media pundits even as anger at federal government institutions has been allowed to fester in loud and angry public protests.
To be sure, radicalized Muslim elements manipulate incidents, such as the satirical cartoon depictions of the Prophet, as categorical proof that the "imperialist" West is perpetuating a war on Islam and all Muslims. Recent violence and threats against those cartoonists who have depicted the Prophet in a disrespectful manner do not emerge in a vacuum, but rather they are symptomatic of a sustained belief in a skewed and simplistic narrative of the "war-mongering West" that finds its evidence in the Iraq war, US support for Israel, civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and cozy US relations with Arab dictatorships.
It is these elements that ultimately bear the greatest blame for betraying the legacy and spirit of the Prophet, who urged moderation and civility.
In the face of the threat from extremists, the greatest mistake Americans could make would be to revisit the “us versus them” rhetoric and invasive security policies of the previous administration, such as the US PATRIOT Act, which made it easier for government agencies to access private information, detain immigrants and search homes and businesses. These policies proved to be disastrous in curbing global terrorism but highly successful in eroding US standing in world opinion, and damaged cooperation with Muslim communities worldwide.
Ultimately, the best defence is holding onto the very same values of freedom, liberty and democracy Americans — both Muslim and non-Muslim — wish to defend and protect.
The sad reality of modern, globalized 21st century existence is that the threat of terrorism and violence is a constant aspect of daily life. But reactionary posturing, rampant ethnic stereotyping, scapegoating of minorities and provoking mistrust of Muslim Americans and allies have only ever exacerbated the risks. Recent history has shown that a reasoned and moderate perspective, along with sound security measures, vigilant policing, protection of civil liberties and mutual aid are our best hope.
As more evidence in the Times Square attempted bombing case emerges in coming days, let us hope this reasoned and moderate perspective prevails.
Wajahat Ali is Associate Editor of Altmuslim.com, a writer and attorney, whose play The Domestic Crusaders is the first major play about Muslims living in a post-9/11 America. This abridged article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from the author. The full text can be found at www.goatmilkblog.com.
