It is possible to be a good American and a good Muslim. More of one does not mean less of the other. Weaving American patriotic traditions into Muslim events will make this point loud and clear.

When University of North Florida professor Parvez Ahmed was nominated to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, local media and public officials did not succumb heavy pressure from a small but vocal group to reject him, demonstrating that responsible journalism and diligent public stewardship is alive and well.

The American Muslim community should not brush aside facts by either taking a defensive posture or by being apologetic. The better path is to conduct honest soul searching and enact proactive measures that can avoid such attention grabbing headlines in the first place.

Many Muslims erroneously believe they have monopoly over the use of the word Allah, asserting that the Christian God is different from the Muslim God. And yet, normative Islam insists that there is “No God but God,” meaning there cannot be a God for Christians and a different God for Muslims.

Persistent religious discrimination against Muslims and recurring communal violence have marred India’s ideals and values. As the Sachar Report illustrates, the issue of Muslim empowerment is not so much about the Muslim community as it is about India’s future

A change in attitude towards Islam and Muslims in America is undoubtedly the result of more American Muslims making the effort to reach out to their neighbors and explaining away the misunderstandings about their faith.

The FBI’s hasty pronouncements and ensuing misguided responses by some American Muslim organizations have placed undue burdens on the American Muslim community. Both the FBI and American Muslim groups should work out their differences before security and civic harmony are undermined.

The American Muslim community cannot remain in its current reactive fire-fighting mode. It needs to become proactive, preventing fires from erupting in the first place.