Muslim Americans Stand for Faith, Freedom, and Country
A Response to Harmful Stereotypes and Fear-Mongering
Response to May: Halting the halting of radical Islam
As an American Muslim, I feel compelled to respond to recent inflammatory rhetoric that paints my faith community as a monolithic threat to this nation. Such divisive language not only misrepresents Islam and Muslim Americans but also undermines the very principles of religious freedom and equal justice that make America exceptional.
We Are Your Neighbors, Not Your Enemy
Muslim Americans are teachers educating your children, doctors caring for your sick, engineers building your infrastructure, and service members defending your freedom. We are small business owners, firefighters, police officers, and community volunteers. We pay taxes, vote in elections, serve on juries, and contribute billions to the American economy annually.
To suggest that Muslim refugees and immigrants “do not wish to assimilate” ignores the reality of millions of successful, integrated Muslim families who have enriched American society for generations. Like every immigrant group before us, Irish Catholics, Italian Americans, Jewish refugees, we maintain our religious identity while embracing American values of liberty, democracy, and opportunity.
Condemning Terrorism Is Not Enough—But We Do It Anyway
Muslims worldwide have consistently and loudly condemned terrorism. Major Islamic scholars, organizations, and leaders have issued countless fatwas and statements declaring that terrorism violates Islamic principles. The reality that some choose to ignore is that Muslims are the primary victims of extremist violence, and Muslim communities work closely with law enforcement to prevent radicalization.
When tragic attacks occur, Muslim Americans face a double burden: grief over innocent lives lost and fear of collective blame and backlash against our communities. No other religious group is expected to repeatedly apologize for the actions of criminals who distort their faith.
The Truth About Sharia
The fearmongering about “Sharia law” reveals a profound misunderstanding of Islamic practice. For the overwhelming majority of Muslims, Sharia refers to personal religious obligations, prayer, fasting, charity, ethical conduct, not a political legal system. It is comparable to Jewish Halakha or Catholic Canon law.
Muslim Americans do not seek to impose religious law on anyone. We simply wish to practice our faith freely while respecting the constitutional rights of all Americans. The suggestion that funding religious schools would somehow create “radical Islamic schools teaching Sharia law” is a discriminatory double standard. Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant schools receive various forms of public support and teach their religious traditions without threatening American democracy.
Afghan Refugees: Heroes, Not Threats
The characterization of Afghan refugees as potential terrorists is particularly painful and unjust. These families risked everything, and many lost family members, because they believed in America and helped our military forces for two decades. They served as interpreters, intelligence sources, and partners in the fight against the very terrorists they are now accused of resembling.
Yes, extensive vetting is important. But highlighting one arrested individual among thousands of peaceful, grateful families who are rebuilding their lives and contributing to their new communities is grossly misleading. By this logic, we should condemn entire groups based on the worst actions of any individual member, a principle that would indict every community in America.
Elected Officials Represent All Americans
Regarding Representative Ilhan Omar: attacking a duly elected member of Congress for her refugee background sets a dangerous precedent. Omar represents her constituents and exercises the same First Amendment rights as any American. We can disagree with her policies without questioning her right to serve or suggesting that refugee backgrounds disqualify people from full participation in democracy.
This is precisely what America promises: that regardless of where you were born, if you become a citizen, you have equal rights and opportunities. Suggesting otherwise undermines our constitutional principles.
Religious Freedom Means Freedom for All Faiths
The recent Supreme Court decision on religious school funding is not a “victory against radical Islam”, it is a decision about the appropriate boundaries between church and state that affects all religious communities. Framing it as protection from Muslim influence reveals the true motivation: not defending religious liberty, but restricting it for Muslims specifically.
True religious freedom means protecting the rights of all faiths, even those we disagree with. If we compromise this principle to target one religious group, we endanger the religious liberty of all Americans.
The Real Threat to America
The greatest threat to American unity is not Muslim Americans practicing their faith and contributing to society. It is rhetoric that divides us into “us versus them,” that treats entire communities as suspect, and that undermines the constitutional promise of equal justice under law.
When we profile, stereotype, and scapegoat based on religion or ethnicity, we abandon American values and play into the hands of extremists who want to convince Muslims that America will never accept them. We prove their narrative and push vulnerable individuals toward radicalization.
Moving Forward Together
Muslim Americans love this country. We want the same things all Americans want: safety for our families, opportunity for our children, and freedom to practice our faith. We stand ready to work with all Americans, regardless of faith or politics, to build stronger, safer communities.
We ask only for what the Constitution guarantees: to be judged as individuals, not stereotyped as a monolithic threat. To have our loyalty and patriotism recognized, not perpetually questioned. To practice our faith freely, just as Christians, Jews, and people of all faiths do.
This is not a clash of civilizations. This is a question of whether we will live up to American ideals of religious freedom, equal justice, and unity in diversity—or whether we will succumb to fear and division.
Muslim Americans choose faith, freedom, and country. We hope our fellow Americans will join us in building a nation worthy of its founding promises.
The author is an American Muslim who believes in the Constitution, loves this country, and refuses to let fear-mongering divide us from our fellow citizens.
