Honesty: the Ground Zero mosque, Israel/Palestine, Muslims and the West

Sitting in Cairo now, I’ve been thinking more about the conversations that I had with Israelis and Palestinians over the summer. I’ve also been following the debate in the United States about the mosque/Islamic community center that gained approval for building near Ground Zero.

What I’ve been thinking is that there’s a need for some real honesty on all sides. Take Israel and Palestine. I watched a documentary recently that portrayed pro-Palestinian protesters in north America as building raging anti-Israel sentiment among young people.  The commentators criticized these protestors for crossing the line between criticizing Israel and being anti-Semitic, and said signs describing Israel as a racist or apartheid state are beyond this ‘line.’  I definitely agree that some protestors cross the lines of anti-Semitism. Some pro-Palestinian protestors are simply crazy, cruel and completely insensitive when they use Holocaust terminology or demonize the entire Jewish religion. I also agree that calling for Israel not to exist is wrong.

However, it is dishonest of Israelis to claim that this criticism is totally unfounded.  There are plenty of reasons why many people view the situation in Israel/Palestine as apartheid. There are also plenty of reasons why people view Israel as a racist state.  In many cases, it is.  And many Israeli Jews that I have talked to have spouted unbelievably racist sentiments towards Arabs. So, I’d like to see some honesty about this.  Likewise, pro-Palestinian activists should condemn the use of insensitive and evil language against the Jewish people. Pro-Palestinian activists should also condemn unequivocally the use of suicide bombings, etc. against Israeli civilians.  And importantly, which the documentary did acknowledge, being pro-Palestinian does not equal being anti-Israel.

Likewise, the debate over the so-called “Ground Zero mosque.”  Which is not even really a mosque, nor is it exactly at the Ground Zero site. But that’s beside the point.

The point is that those who are criticizing the Islamic center should admit that they are failing to see Islam as a multi-faceted, dynamic and complex religion – rather than a global monolith working to take over Western civilization.  The kinds of Muslims wanting to build this Islamic center could not be more different than the Muslims who blew up the World Trade Center. The same as the Jews who beat up Palestinians in Hebron could not be more different than Rahm Emmanuel – or that Jerry Falwell could not be more different than my Christian professors at university.  The tea party movement, Gingrich and others should also realize that they are losing ‘America’ when they start to choose only those who they like to have the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, rather than extending them to all.  Islam is a religion just like any other, and should demand the same intellectual honesty and respect as any other.

But on the other hand, some Muslim leaders in America need to be much more honest as well. When asked about Hamas, they should criticize their bombings of Israeli cities.  They should also be able to offer honest and candid answers about problems in Islam with women’s rights and just punishment. When the Taliban grab the headlines again and again with their public stoning executions and the like in the name of Islamic sharia law, there is a need for Muslims to clarify strongly the way in which this is not acceptable.  Perhaps Muslims should focus on the issue of Islam and the state ('church and state') and generate some robust, honest debate on groups like Hamas, on Iran, and on the Taliban. Explain to us why these groups/phenomenon have arisen, and let more Americans understand. I think this is the major issue which makes so many Americans nervous about Islam. And though I am not in the least afraid of Muslims eventually making America an Islamic state (and think it's ridiculous) I think many Americans need to hear some honest answers from Muslims.

Those of us who study Islam, this conflict, and these issues have an advantage. It’s part of my life to understand these things and to parse out the truths from the falsehoods. But I’m beginning to have much more sympathy for people who don’t have this opportunity. It is hard to draw accurate conclusions about these complex issues when so much of what you hear on both sides is colored by dishonesty.