Americanization of Islam
PRINCETON BOROUGH -- As religious scholar Yvonne Haddad has watched Islam become the fastest growing religion in the United States, she sees the opportunity for broader acceptance in American society without other religions sacrificing their identity.
"Islam is becoming an American religion," Haddad, an expert in the history of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations at Georgetown University told students and faculty at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School on Wednesday.
"Muslims are eager to be part of this country," Haddad said. "They don't want to be discriminated against. They want their children to be able to live here. They would like Islam to be recognized as a positive force for justice and peace."
Haddad pointed to Sept. 11th as a watershed moment for Islamic unity within the United States that strengthened ties between Muslims across the nation.
"Before 9/11, if a mosque collected money for charity purposes, usually that money would be sent to Pakistan or to somewhere else abroad," Haddad said.
"But now what you see is a greater influence being put on how to serve the community here," she said. "Now the money is going to national interfaith groups, social justice groups, and clinics. There is a lot of internal networking now."
Haddad explained that after Sept. 11, mosques across the country also began to place priority in appealing to younger Muslims with "American experiences." That shift, Haddad said, helped turn the post-9/11 mosque into a place where interfaith conversation could take place.
"What we see today is an importance being placed on dialogue," Haddad said.
"Muslims were very afraid prior to 9/11 to engage in dialogue because they saw it as a ruse of conversion. After 9/11, Muslims opened up their mosques and said "Please come in' and "See, you have nothing to be afraid of.'"
Haddad said that the Americanization of Islam is evident in the vocational choices of young Muslims.
"Another area you see change is that more young people are studying Islamic studies and studying to become lawyers," Haddad said.
"In earlier generations, Muslims were doctors and engineers because in the Middle East, if you were a bright student, this is what you became, but not anymore."
By becoming lawyers and academics, Haddad said young Muslims demonstrate their willingness to participate in--and add their perspective to--a larger American dialogue.
While the Muslims of America may be on the path to Americanization, what that means for the future remains uncertain, she said.
Describing the post-Sept. 11 world as "bifurcated," Haddad called for greater pluralism.
"Today, you still have a division between the Judeo-Christian America and the multicultural America," Haddad said.
"What you see today are Muslims who are advocating for pluralism, because Islam is pluralistic. The Koran says that it is God's will that there will be differences between people. Pluralism is the essence of Islam."
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Asadullah Syed
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