American Muslims must reach out

The nuclear bomb that exploded during a recent episode of Fox's "24" did not raise new questions about whether Islam and Muslims pose a threat to America. Instead, the blast just reinforced and amplified the existing questions that many Americans have been asking since 9/11.

Polls show that many Americans believe that Islam encourages violence, and they are suspicious that Islam and Muslims pose a threat to this country. They hear al-Qaida calling on Muslims to kill Americans. They read verses in The Recitation, or Quran, relating to subjects like violence and loyalty, and they have real questions about whether Muslims are commanded to be violent and about whether Muslims can be loyal to a secular state like America. Unfortunately, these fears have resulted in discrimination and hate crimes against many innocent American Muslims.

American Muslims should go beyond condemnations of terrorism and slogans like "Islam means peace," and they should address the real, post-9/11 questions that many Americans are asking. For example, Muslims around the country should regularly hold public forums where articulate Muslim scholars provide detailed analysis of all the verses at issue and answer every question that is asked.

Of course, there have been some isolated and sporadic efforts along these lines. Various Muslim groups have published materials and held occasional limited discussions about certain verses from The Recitation. But these groups have not made the dissemination of such information a priority, so the vast majority of Americans, Muslims as well as people of other faiths, have not seen these materials or heard these discussions.

In addition to answering America's questions, American Muslims must actively engage in the national discussion about how to make America safer. Since 9/11, American Muslims have focused more on civil liberties than on security, because law-enforcement efforts have often been targeted at Muslims in America.

It's important to protect the civil liberties of Muslims who pose no threat to America. However, American Muslims must remember that future terrorist attacks could kill innocent Americans of all faiths (including American Muslims) and lead to more hate crimes, discrimination and governmental scrutiny directed at American Muslims. If American Muslims have concerns about particular security measures, they should propose real alternatives that will keep America safe without infringing unnecessarily on civil liberties.

On the other hand, American Muslims who believe no such security measures are needed, because they believe there is no real terrorist threat, should make that argument to the American public. It's important for the American people to understand that these Muslims are not opposed to American security.

Answering America's questions and actively working to make America safer are the best ways for American Muslims to successfully reduce anti-Muslim hostility, and to make sure that fictional depictions of nuclear explosions on "24" don't lead to discrimination and hate crimes in the real world.

Kamran Memon, a Chicago civil-rights attorney, is the founder of Muslims for a Safe America, http://muslimsforasafeamerica.org/, which encourages honest and informed discussion about how to make Muslims and America safer.