Muslims are from all walks of life with a huge dichotomy of cultures and ethnicities. You are confusing faith with culture in your comments.

Muslims in America follow the laws of the country to no less degree than any other group, and one would daresay they are far more law abiding than average Americans. We have a right to freely practice our faith and value our own “customs”, which by the way are closer to “old fashioned American values” than most Americans hold dear today as our country moves closer and closer to a materialistic and hedonistic society.

Sadly, some Americans expect people to immigrate to this country and then become homogenized into the American culture, Muslims are Americans and we value and uphold the Constitution, its Amendments, and the Bill of Rights, including the parts regarding freedom of religion, right to privacy, and freedom of speech. Those laws apply to all us, not just folks who consider themselves “real Americans”. Frankly, if you paid closer attention, you’d find us all “honoring the country “loudly – publicly – courageously” It’s difficult to hear if you have your hands over your ears.

My family has been in America since before there was a Constitution, and I am a Muslim. And I defend my right to privacy, free speech and freedom to practice my faith.

First and foremost this affects us directly as Americans; our security and safety and way of life was shaken and disrupted 8 years ago today and for us to not have a voice in the debate is a denial of our constitutional rights.

Secondly this affected us indirectly since the ones blamed/accused/taking responsibility for/arrested in relation to this incident are supposedly claiming to be doing these deeds in the name of our religion. When KKK members were killing minorities in the name of Christianity, it was white Christians who stood up and said “This is not right, this is not us!” Why are we, as Muslims, not allowed that same voice?

Third, it impacts our community because the backlash is as xenophobic as the Japanese concentration camps of WWII. Removing American rights and freedoms from any group of the citizenry reduces America on the whole and crushes the society’s primary values. It removes from America what makes it a great nation and brings to question the very nature of what America means. It is a slap in the face and a violation to the memories of those who fought, suffered and perhaps died to preserve this nation.

Lastly, I agree that we should not polarize to radical conspiracy ideas but I also feel that it is our duty as leaders of the community to demand clarity and full disclosure on the events of 9/11/01. There are details missing that have never been filled in and it would be the duty of ANY citizen of the USA to demand full disclosure from the US government. The Pentagon is covered in cameras, and yet we are to believe that three poor images from an angle obscuring the actual site of impact are all that was recovered? Terrorist activities are intended to cause the maximum amount of damage possible; why then did the “terrorists” strike the twin towers at the exact frame of the day when they were the least populated? Why did the impact happen to strike the pentagon on the one side which was under construction and therefore not occupied?

Minimal casualties compared to what could have been orchestrated with only a one-hour time difference or the adjustment of a few degrees for impact. Some say it is divine providence that no more were killed. I think it is cold, calculated planning.

Too many unanswered questions that the American people deserve to know.

When my ancestors came to America in the 1600s they were fleeing an oppressive government which cared nothing for its people. Now, nearly 400 years later has America become the place to flee from rather than toward?

OBAMA IS A DIFFERENT STORY AND I FEEL MUCH SAFER NOW THAN BEFORE.
WHEN I WROTE THE ARTICLE ” ON BEING A MUSLIM IN AMERICA” IN SEPTEMBER 2001 AND FOUR YEARS LATER CONFIRMED THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED.

SULTAN REZA

i read your fine article “Can American Muslims Talk About 9/11?” posted on the website of Muslims for a safe America.

I fully agree with you that Muslim communities should speak openly and ask questions about what actually happened on 9/11, learn about the collusion between the CIA, MI5 and AL Qaida, understand that the Western alliance needed, after the demise of the Soviet Union a new enemy that would secure Western unity and corporate profit for at least a century (and that enemy was found in the guise of a “global islamic terrorist conspiracy” led by Osama bin Laden.

By tackling rationally these issues, and basing themselves on solid historical and forensic evidence, Muslims in the US could general goodwill, trust and help the American people more generally to engage with these issues in order to protect the democratic system and the rule of law.

By the way, I am Jewish and was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, in 1941.

With my kindest greetings,

Elias Davidsson
Alfter, Germany

Let me suggest though that Muslims should not blame the attacked (the U.S.) for being suspicious of the attackers’ fellow Muslims. Yes it’s guilt by association – that’s just the way of the world – and it’s up to the “moderate” Muslims to distinguish themselves publicly..loud and clear..that they do not support such acts of terror.

They should further affirm their allegiance to this country that they have come to.

I still believe in the age old rule “when in Rome, do as the Romans” don’t you?

When we go to Muslim countries we expect to follow your/their customs..we take great pains to do so and are still hated and reviled simply because we are “infidels on their holy soil.” OK so wouldn’t you agree that when in the U.S. others should adopt our customs and honor our country…? Shouldn’t that be the custom among Muslims here?

If you agree, if you believe that when you come to our country you should honor our country..then do so loudly – publicly – courageously. Otherwise it just looks like more “taqfir.”

Are you aware of the many non-Muslims who question the official 9/11 investigation? Like these seven CIA veterans
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_alan_mil_070922_seven_cia_veterans_c.htm

The real question your article raises for me, is how do we educate each other about each other…and that, I think, is your conclusion.

How many Muslims in the interview get Cable t.v. or have available to them multi-media resources like PBS, History Channel, Internet, etc.? Do they speak English? Are the able to go on line and research issues for which they have questions?

As for hijacking planes, for several years – in the late 1960s to 1970s – it appeared to be the national sport – Castro had a whole fleet of US airliners; and the news has repeatedly pointed out that the TSA screeners miss a very large percentage of items on test runs – and this even though airports are being told in *advance* that test runs are going to be made.

I guess I’m part of the 40% that believes people who considered themselves to be extremely devout Muslims committed the attacks – and that their notions of how to demonstrate devotion to Allah (SWT) and that their notions and the notions of the vast majority of the Ummah on the subject are completely unrelated – for the vast majority of us murder is a forbidden sin, not a virtue, after all. What part of the notion that if one kills one person it is as if one has killed the entire world is difficult to understand?

I think we caused more harm to ourselves by embracing conspiracy theories and attacking anyone who suggested the terrorists were Muslims than the terrorists caused to us. I’m sure some of my mail is being opened and read because of the odd little tears in the envelope flaps; probably because I once wandered by mistake onto a mailing list run by the lunatic fringe -although I quit I’m sure that some confused and unaccountable bureaucrat added my name to some idiotic “enemies list.” I know that many people, including quite a few Muslims like myself, were absolutely horrified when our supposed “religious leaders” ran around telling Muslim police officers that they had to leave their jobs because it was “haram” for them to help the non-Muslims allegedly oppress us. It was a terrible, terrible, terrible mistake – and it meant that at a time when bridges between us and government were most needed, we ran away – which in American culture suggests that we were somehow in tacit agreement with murderers.

Yeah, it hasn’t exactly been warm and fuzzy since 9/11 – but I *still* get treated better by the average American as a Muslimah in hijab than I did as a random off-breed Indian in “Western” clothing.

The American Indians had the same misfortune for similiar reasons.