Apparently, 1.3% of America is preparing to overthrow the Constitution. Someone should inform the 1.3%.
Our recent Houston Chronicle op-ed, “The ‘Sharia threat’ is a hoax. Here’s why,” addresses a political fiction that, like an unsuccessful politician, refuses to retire gracefully.
We are told that American Muslims plan to impose Sharia law upon the United States. No credible Muslim organisation has demanded this. There is no bill before Congress, no national campaign and no secret manifesto hidden beneath the biryani tray.
There is only an accusation desperately searching for evidence.
The arithmetic is also inconvenient. Muslims represent roughly 1.3% of Americans and less than 5% of Greater Houston. We cannot consistently agree on when Ramadan begins, yet apparently we have achieved the coordination necessary to replace the American legal system.
It is reassuring to know somebody has such confidence in our organisational abilities.
For most Muslims, Sharia is a personal moral framework. It guides prayer, fasting, charity, family responsibilities, honest business dealings and care for neighbours. A Muslim refusing alcohol, giving to charity or caring for elderly parents is practising Sharia.
So far, the Republic remains standing.
American Muslims live under the Constitution. We vote, run for office, serve in the military, enforce the law, operate businesses and complain about taxes. That last activity should surely settle any remaining doubts about our Americanness.
The hoax might be funny if it were harmless. It is not. When politicians repeatedly portray Muslims as dangerous outsiders, they create a climate in which suspicion becomes respectable and prejudice begins dressing itself as patriotism.
Houston does not have a Muslim problem. It has a Muslim contribution. Muslims serve as physicians, nurses, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, academics and public servants. We help operate hospitals, build businesses, create jobs and keep the city moving—although, regrettably, we have made little progress with Houston traffic.
We are not waiting in America’s departure lounge. Our children were born here. Our parents are buried here. Our taxes are paid here. Our future is invested here.
Fear survives through distance. The remedy is familiarity.
Visit a mosque. Meet your Muslim neighbours. Ask questions. You may discover that those allegedly conspiring against the Constitution are mainly discussing college fees, cholesterol and whose thirty-five-year-old son is still “not quite ready” for marriage.
In other words, they are Americans.
The “Sharia threat” is an imaginary fire lit by people campaigning for the job of firefighter.
This is our home—not temporarily ,not conditionally.
So right!
Classic! Humorously and brilliantly put.