It is a letter addressed to the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, but appears to be more for the placation of hostile Americans—angry that they have not witnessed in the five years since 9/11 public Muslim condemnation of terrorist attacks around the world. Yet, Abdullah, a conciliatory and educated man not known to incense, not even by his own wife, says that when he wrote the letter—right after reading the decree issued by al Qaeda—rage was rushing through his veins, and so he didn't have time to consider whom exactly it was going to please, nor whom exactly it was going to offend. (Nor did he have time to consider the very real possibility that such a reproachful letter could bring danger upon himself from fanatical Muslims, because, in his words: "I don't know that kind of fear. I believe God is in control of that. If it's the will of God to call me, no one can save me.") But minutes after he sent the letter off, R-J editorial page editor John Kerr called him, telling him the newspaper would definitely run it, and Abdullah says he understood then that he had instigated something.
That something, he says, has been a resounding and unanimous positive response. Which is true, no doubt, but that was anticipated. The interesting part is the undertones of those responses elicited, for in them abounds the real story of Abdullah's newsworthy letter, the sociological and political dynamics surrounding it.
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There were the responses that, in essence, said: Finally, we as non-Muslim Americans have been wanting and deserving of this for a long time. For example, in the Right Wing News, one respondent wrote: "Millions of Muslims have come to this country, presumably seeking a better life ... it's about time they reciprocate for the blessings America has bestowed upon them by standing up for her in the face of extremism."
Abdullah, 49, says that he has indeed been saying these things for the past five years—saying them in Jamia Masjid, Southern Nevada's largest mosque, where he is spiritual leader; in academic writings, for he is a scholar; and in the Muslim Observer, of which he is the editor-in-chief. But he believes the letter published in the R-J (and on the Internet) on Sunday, September 10, was heard by the non-Muslim community on account of two chief reasons: The R-J, a conservative newspaper, gave it a prominent place on the letters page with a big, bold headline, and in this letter he not only renounces terrorism but also articulates allegiance to America, which is something he thinks Americans have been yearning to hear since the calamity of 9/11.
There were the responses that, in essence, said: That's terrific, but that's only one voice. One letter-writer in the R-J put it this fashion: "I pray that yours is the one small voice, crying in the wilderness, that begins a new voice for the Muslim people."
But the truth is, there has not been much opportunity for public condemnation by Muslim Americans. For, as Abdullah says: "The Muslim community in America has not been active in public life—we have been somewhat isolated." Moreover, there aren't many Muslims in Clark County, or America in general, to begin with. Muslims make up 2.3 percent of the American population, and less than one percent of Clark County's, according to a survey done by City University in New York. And few hold positions in American society from which they can make their voices heard, the survey states.
And there were the responses that insinuated: Great letter, but that still isn't enough. For instance, in the R-J: "Your letter is a credo for all Muslims in America and throughout the world who despise the acts of the 15th-century barbarians masquerading under the banner of your religion. Perhaps there is some way you can circulate your statement throughout Muslim communities, seeking to gain the signatures of other Muslims of like mind. Having a million signatures or more would certainly make a statement to non-Muslims in America."
And in the Right Wing News: "I'd be more impressed if it hadn't taken FIVE YEARS for Muslims to start talking like this. I'd be more impressed if Muslims were to protest the terrorists every time they hear of another threat to the West, i.e., every effin' day."
And digg.com: "My view has always been if Islam is a religion of peace and it has been hijacked, why no outrage from the vast majority of Muslims? This is the reason for the anti-Muslim sentiment sweeping our nation."
A citizen of the USA for two decades now and a Muslim since childhood, Abdullah says: "Americans—people like you, people like me—we don't need to apologize for our faith. Everyday Muslims don't need to apologize for being Muslim. But we do have a responsibility to explain our values and ideas, because bin Laden has put that on us. He speaks for our religion, directs his speeches toward us, and we have to show non-Muslims that that is not us."
And therefore, says John Hawkins, head of Right Wing News, it is up to the leaders, who are in the spotlight, to speak for their people. It is their responsibility to exorcise that burden placed upon them when the Osamas of the world say: "We are doing this in the name of Islam."
As the imam of the Islamic Society of Nevada, who guides some 300 families in their faith, Abdullah agrees that it is incumbent upon Muslim leaders to demonstrate to the non-Muslim community (and even some Muslims on the other side of the world, who Abdullah says need to re-learn that Islam is not a religion of destruction) three things: One, that Islam does not promote violence; two, that Muslims here seek allegiance to America; and three, that being Muslim and being American are not irreconcilable elements to one's identity.
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Hawkins says Abdullah's letter and other such public renouncements are needed above all else right now, because without them, the perception among Americans of moderate Muslims is that "they sort of wink at terrorist attacks." Without them, the perception is that moderate Muslims give terrorists their tacit approval. And without them, Hawkins says, all that Americans have to base their opinions on are the unfavorable, unbalanced headlines which they see on TV, the Internet and newspapers on a daily basis.
"And that's why people assume things when they see Muslims, why people fear," says Hawkins, who also writes for Human Events, an online weekly news forum. "It's just the way people are."
Abdullah understands this. Which is the reason he—though disappointed and hurt by the discrimination that he himself, his friends and over half of American Muslims, according to one national study, have encountered in the past five years—says he is most outraged by the notorious miscreants who invoke the name of Islam for their destructive purposes. He says it is they who have distorted the perception of his religion, inviolable and paramount, and victimized all Muslim Americans, a people who have no relation to the horrific events of 9/11 whatsoever.