Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"altmuslim\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.altmuslim.com\/ee_images\/stewart_burnquran.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hesham Hassaballa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hesham Hassaballa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/\",\"name\":\"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/e31949b09c4e0ecaf55815f6c1d817f4\"},\"description\":\"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/\",\"name\":\"altmuslim\",\"description\":\"Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics & culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/e31949b09c4e0ecaf55815f6c1d817f4\",\"name\":\"Hesham Hassaballa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ce88a8f9463eb260b148987e73c611?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ce88a8f9463eb260b148987e73c611?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hesham Hassaballa\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/author\/heshamhessaballa\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?","description":"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?","og_description":"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/","og_site_name":"altmuslim","article_published_time":"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.altmuslim.com\/ee_images\/stewart_burnquran.jpeg"}],"author":"Hesham Hassaballa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hesham Hassaballa","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/","name":"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00","dateModified":"2010-10-11T17:20:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/e31949b09c4e0ecaf55815f6c1d817f4"},"description":"There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2010\/10\/is_there_an_antidote_for_anti-muslim_rhetoric\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Media: Is there an antidote for anti-Muslim rhetoric?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/","name":"altmuslim","description":"Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics & culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/e31949b09c4e0ecaf55815f6c1d817f4","name":"Hesham Hassaballa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ce88a8f9463eb260b148987e73c611?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ce88a8f9463eb260b148987e73c611?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hesham Hassaballa"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/author\/heshamhessaballa\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/520"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Thanks, Jon \u2013 we\u2019ll take it from here<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

The summer of 2010 has seen tremendous anti-Muslim rhetoric, fervor, and disinformation. By twisting the truth about Islam and Muslims, a relatively small number of anti-Muslim ideologues have managed to take over the discourse and create a truly hostile environment for American Muslims. This is being borne out in the numerous mosque fights that have sprung up across the country, with the grandest example being the non-controversy that became the controversial \u201cGround Zero Mosque,\u201d or as comedian Jon Stewart likes to call it, the \u201cCommunity Center of Death.\u201d <\/p>\n

The root cause of all this hostility is ignorance and misinformation. Americans are still woefully misinformed about Islam. According to a recent Pew Research Poll<\/a>, 65% of Americans know either \u201csome\u201d or \u201cnot very much\u201d about Islam. One in four Americans know \u201cnothing at all.\u201d This void in knowledge is fertile ground into which Islamophobes can plant their seeds of misinformation. Yet, I cannot blame my fellow non-Muslim Americans for this lack of knowledge about Islam. Many Americans know very little about even their own faiths.<\/p>\n

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released the US Religious Knowledge Survey<\/a> detailing Americans\u2019 knowledge about religion. And it does not look pretty. According to the survey, more than four-in-ten Catholics in the United States (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ. About half of Protestants (53%) cannot correctly identify Martin Luther as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation, which made their religion a separate branch of Christianity. Roughly four-in-ten Jews (43%) do not recognize that Maimonides, one of the most venerated rabbis in history, was Jewish.<\/p>\n

This puts Americans\u2019 lack of knowledge about Islam in perspective. Nevertheless, ignorance is our real enemy in this struggle against the forces of hatred and division, and the more ignorance there is, the stronger the hand of those who seek to marginalize the American Muslim community. What can Muslims do about this? \u201cWork harder,\u201d is the inevitable answer. \u201cWork harder at educating the American public about Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet, even that is becoming more and more difficult to do. People are being told not to trust what Muslims say because they are all practicing \u201ctaqiyya.\u201d The recent declaration<\/a> of Faisal Shahzad that when he took an oath of allegiance to the United States, he \u201cdid not mean it\u201d does not help to dispel this falsehood. Moreover, there are moves to change American textbooks, which have been deemed by some<\/a> to be too \u201cpro-Muslim.\u201d So, what are we to do?<\/p>\n

More engagement, on both a personal and national level, needs to be undertaken. American Muslims all live somewhere, and that \u201csomewhere\u201d has neighbors. American Muslims need to know their neighbors on an intimate, personal level. Exchange gifts, go to block parties, coach softball teams, become Neighborhood Watch block captains \u2013 that is the best way to teach about Islam, by showing what \u201creal live Islam\u201d looks like. Yes, public service announcements highlighting the role of Muslim 9\/11 first responders do help in a big way. Yes, more credible, honest Muslim spokespeople in the mainstream media help. But, local engagement is the key.<\/p>\n

In addition, Muslims must enter into the field of the arts in droves: writing books, producing television shows, and making films. Muslims have already made great strides: the wonderful work of Unity Productions Foundation<\/a>, Azhar Usman<\/a>, Wajahat Ali<\/a>, and G. Willow Wilson<\/a> are excellent examples. I am also trying to contribute to this effort with my forthcoming book, Noble Brother<\/i>, which is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry. Each one of us has a talent, and we should try to use that talent to contribute to the American Muslim story.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Muslims should start promoting themselves a little more on a local level. I was speaking to a Muslim producer of a local Chicago TV network news affiliate, and she told me that a great way to increase the number of positive stories about Muslims in the media is to self-promote. More of us should be the \u201clocal experts\u201d on Islam and the American Muslim story and share this expertise with their local news media.<\/p>\n

We should all have Press Kits ready for distribution. If we are doing something positive, such as running a marathon<\/a> for a good cause or donating to a free clinic, we should send out a press release. Foment good relationships with local print and broadcast reporters. This is already being done all across the country, but we need more of it. We all know that American Muslims contribute positively to the country\u2019s well being every single day; more of our neighbors should know about it as well.<\/p>\n

This is not an easy task, not in the least. But, it is essential. It is not necessary that every non-Muslim American become experts at Islam; many are not even expert in their own faiths. But what is necessary is that we are all familiar enough with each other \u2013 our likes, our dislikes, our hopes, our dreams \u2013 that when we see images of pedophile priests or \u201cIslamic\u201d suicide bombers, we say to ourselves, \u201cI know that is not the reality, because my neighbor is not like that. And I believe my neighbor more than I believe what\u2019s on the TV.\u201d And we will all the better for it.<\/p>\n

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician and writer. He is the co-author of \u201cThe Beliefnet Guide to Islam,\u201d published by Doubleday in 2006. His blog is called God, Faith, and a Pen<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"