Monday, August 20, 2007 at 12:12am
Fanning the flames of Islamophobia
Column: Left Coast Lions' Den
On Friday, I walked without fear into a potential den of scheming terrorists. To me it looked like the local halal butcher shop, but according to the New York City Police Department, halal butcher shops — together with bookstores, hookah bars and places where taxi drivers gather — are likely places to find young Muslim men who are en route from being urban-hip, booze-swilling, tail-chasing, fully integrated Western homeboys to being Osama wannabes marching to the Wahhabi drumbeat of anti-American jihad.
Last week, with a good bit of fanfare, the NYPD released a report on what it calls "homegrown terrorism," by which it means terror plots that originate on U.S. soil, among otherwise normal and unremarkable Americans and legal U.S. residents. The aim of the report, according to NYPD Chief Raymond Kelley, is to:
" ... assist policymakers and law enforcement officials, both in Washington and throughout the country, by providing a thorough understanding of the kind of threat we face domestically. It also seeks to contribute to the debate among intelligence and law enforcement agencies on how best to counter this emerging threat by better understanding what constitutes the radicalization process."
The report is long, sometimes repetitive, and can be summarized in one sentence: Homegrown terrorists usually start out as unremarkable people who, after undergoing some kind of crisis, turn to religion, eventually falling off the deep end after having come under the influence of radical Wahhabi-Salafi Islam in bookstores, butcher shops, hookah bars and taxi-driver hangouts, where they meet with like-minded young men and hatch nefarious plots to harm innocent Americans.
I read the NYPD report, all 90 pages of it, and it bothered me. While I imagine it is good for law enforcement agencies to understand the nature of terrorist nurture, in places the report reminded me of World War II-era pamphlets that enumerate supposed differences between the appearance and demeanor of Chinese and Japanese men — publications that fueled the anxiety and prejudice of culturally inexperienced white Americans 65 years ago.
The NYPD report is filled with stories of regular young men gone bad, and is illustrated with images of shifty and shady characters who have been arrested for plotting all manner of heinous violence. It almost feels as if the NYPD hopes to encourage Americans to assume a suspicious stance toward Muslim men. Perhaps we're supposed to tolerate domestic spying upon bookstores, butcher shops, hookah bars and taxi-driver hangouts. Whatever the intent of the NYPD, these stories and images communicate a great deal of fear and paranoia.
This is not something to be taken lightly. Just last week arsonists torched a mosque not far from where I live. I fear that the NYPD report will fan the flames of Islamophobia, making things worse. I'm concerned that my neighborhood halal market will be the next victim of our collective paranoia. As a society we need to calm down and master our fear.
I've decided to shop at the local halal market until our society's anti-Muslim paranoia has subsided. I simply refuse to let irrational fear control my life. Besides, the halal market is a good source of locally raised hormone- and antibiotic-free meat at a very reasonable price, and the people in there are nice.
When it comes to living the length of one's days, eating well and supporting local businesses is a good way to go. Without question, it trumps living in fear.
— — —
Ben Daniel is the pastor of Foothill Presbyterian Church in San Jose, Calif. Visit his website or send him an email at {email ben@bendaniel.org}ben@bendaniel.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Ben Daniel.
Last week, with a good bit of fanfare, the NYPD released a report on what it calls "homegrown terrorism," by which it means terror plots that originate on U.S. soil, among otherwise normal and unremarkable Americans and legal U.S. residents. The aim of the report, according to NYPD Chief Raymond Kelley, is to:
" ... assist policymakers and law enforcement officials, both in Washington and throughout the country, by providing a thorough understanding of the kind of threat we face domestically. It also seeks to contribute to the debate among intelligence and law enforcement agencies on how best to counter this emerging threat by better understanding what constitutes the radicalization process."
The report is long, sometimes repetitive, and can be summarized in one sentence: Homegrown terrorists usually start out as unremarkable people who, after undergoing some kind of crisis, turn to religion, eventually falling off the deep end after having come under the influence of radical Wahhabi-Salafi Islam in bookstores, butcher shops, hookah bars and taxi-driver hangouts, where they meet with like-minded young men and hatch nefarious plots to harm innocent Americans.
I read the NYPD report, all 90 pages of it, and it bothered me. While I imagine it is good for law enforcement agencies to understand the nature of terrorist nurture, in places the report reminded me of World War II-era pamphlets that enumerate supposed differences between the appearance and demeanor of Chinese and Japanese men — publications that fueled the anxiety and prejudice of culturally inexperienced white Americans 65 years ago.
The NYPD report is filled with stories of regular young men gone bad, and is illustrated with images of shifty and shady characters who have been arrested for plotting all manner of heinous violence. It almost feels as if the NYPD hopes to encourage Americans to assume a suspicious stance toward Muslim men. Perhaps we're supposed to tolerate domestic spying upon bookstores, butcher shops, hookah bars and taxi-driver hangouts. Whatever the intent of the NYPD, these stories and images communicate a great deal of fear and paranoia.
This is not something to be taken lightly. Just last week arsonists torched a mosque not far from where I live. I fear that the NYPD report will fan the flames of Islamophobia, making things worse. I'm concerned that my neighborhood halal market will be the next victim of our collective paranoia. As a society we need to calm down and master our fear.
I've decided to shop at the local halal market until our society's anti-Muslim paranoia has subsided. I simply refuse to let irrational fear control my life. Besides, the halal market is a good source of locally raised hormone- and antibiotic-free meat at a very reasonable price, and the people in there are nice.
When it comes to living the length of one's days, eating well and supporting local businesses is a good way to go. Without question, it trumps living in fear.
— — —
Ben Daniel is the pastor of Foothill Presbyterian Church in San Jose, Calif. Visit his website or send him an email at {email ben@bendaniel.org}ben@bendaniel.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Ben Daniel.