EDITORIAL
Criminalize Islamophobia Now
T
he June 6 act of Islamophobic terrorism in the Canadian city of London hit the heart — and deeply. Madiha Salman, a social issues writer so very near her academic goal of obtaining a doctoral degree in geoenvironmental engineering (granted posthumously), was deliberately crushed to death with a truck. Dying alongside her were her husband, teenage daughter and mother-in-law. Her 9-year-old son, who was conscious and saw their lives snuffed out, was left with multiple injuries and never-fading emotional scars. Madiha was your editor’s (much younger) cousin. In keeping with their “all politics is local” attitude, politicians from Trudeau downwards issued the usual condemnations. But politics is not local and hate never confines itself to color-coded pills, for whether the powerful largely ignore or sometimes bless anti-Muslim campaigns, Muslims worldwide are affected. And then there are those politicians and others who deliberately fan it and then condemn it for appearances’ sake. Canada has long been on the list of racebased atrocities, Chapel Hill (N.C.), New Zealand, the U.K., France, the U.S., India, Myanmar and China. Will this list ever have an end? It’s time to demand that these people not only reject, but also honestly cleanse their souls of Islamophobia. Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is leading a campaign to criminalize Islamophobia. In February, he stated, “The West conveniently associated Islam with terrorism, but in the last 20 years Muslim countries unfortunately did not respond to this narrative. Muslim leaders should have stood up to the West and made it clear that there is no link between Islam or any other religion with terrorism.” He continues efforts to mobilize a united Muslim front to convince the UN and the EU to criminalize Islamophobia. Reacting to this latest outrage, he said, “This condemnable act of terrorism reveals the growing Islamophobia in Western countries. Islamophobia needs to be countered holistically by the international community.” In September 2019, Khan, Turkish president Recep Erdogan and (now
former) Malaysian prime minister Mahatir Mohamad decided to jointly launch an English-language television channel dedicated to confronting Islamophobia and removing misperceptions about Islam and Muslims. With Mahathir’s departure, one waits in vain for any resource-rich Muslim ruler to stop his various antics long enough to sign on to it. It is also time for North America’s Muslims to reassess their priorities. Instead of being satisfied with the very low rate of return on interfaith efforts, maybe we should become proactive and share at least the basics of Islam with our neighbors and communities. God willing, an informed people will be less prone to falling victim to the vile machinations that enabled the horrific murder of Madiha and her family. This year, the ISNA annual convention is being held under the theme “Reimagine and Rebuild with Renewed Resolve”, Sept. 4-5. Once again, due to Covid-related issues, it will be conducted virtually. Continuing with its tradition, ISNA has prepared a rich fare to be presented by eminent speakers and leaders. Being virtual, participants will be joining a global community to share learning and inspiration. We have invited Prof. Sandra Whitehead (J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University, Wis.) to share the rich heritage being built by Milwaukee’s Muslims. This report is part of Islamic Horizon’s effort to document the journey of North America’s Muslim communities. As she was preparing it, another landmark occurred: Milwaukee won the NBA trophy! And after almost 50 years, the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returned to the city where he had spent his first six years in the faith and had led his team to their first-ever national championship in 1971. While we were preparing this issue, ISNA and Muslim Americans lost Husain Nagamia — a dedicated member of the ISNA Founders Club — a surgeon who cut deep into the hearts and souls with his magnanimity and caring, and Tarek Raskhan Alkadri, 51, who spread care and support that knew no boundaries. May God be pleased with them all. ih
6 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
PUBLISHER The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) PRESIDENT Safaa Zarzour EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Basharat Saleem EDITOR Omer Bin Abdullah EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Iqbal Unus, Chair: M. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Saba Ali ISLAMIC HORIZONS is a bimonthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Copyright @2020 All rights reserved Reproduction, in whole or in part, of this material in mechanical or electronic form without written permission is strictly prohibited. Islamic Horizons magazine is available electronically on ProQuest’s Ethnic NewsWatch, Questia.com LexisNexis, and EBSCO Discovery Service, and is indexed by Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. Please see your librarian for access. The name “Islamic Horizons” is protected through trademark registration ISSN 8756‑2367 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Islamic Horizons, P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual, domestic – $24 Canada – US$30 Overseas airmail – US$60 TO SUBSCRIBE Contact Islamic Horizons at https://isna.net/SubscribeToIH.html https://isna.net/islamic-horizons/ For inquiries: membership@isna.net ADVERTISING For rates contact Islamic Horizons at (703) 742‑8108, E-mail horizons@isna.net, www.isna.net CORRESPONDENCE Send all correspondence and/or Letters to the Editor at: Islamic Horizons P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Email: horizons@isna.net
