Metro

Our Neighbors

ADL program works to dispel stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.

Keri Guten Cohen

Story Development Editor

A

11 Arabs are not Muslims.
This fact, often misunderstood
in the general population, was
clarified several times by two speakers at
the second installment of the "Weaving
Our Community" educational series pre-
sented by the Anti-Defamation League
Michigan Region. The Feb. 12 program
at Lawrence Technological University in
Southfield focused on "Dispelling Myths
and Stereotypes of Muslim and Arab
Communities!'
'Arabs and Muslims are not syn-
onymous:' explained Amir Hussain, an
associate professor in theological studies
at Loyola Marymount University in Los
Angeles. "Eighty percent of Muslims are
non-Arab. The most are Asian, with large
populations in Indochina, Pakistan and
India.
"The language of the Koran is Arabic,
so people think all Muslims are Arabs;'
he said. "There's a misconception that all
Islam is the same. The religion is varied
and diverse!'
A native of Pakistan who moved to
Toronto at age 4, Hussain said when he
was young, Muslims who would come to
mind for him were Muhammad Ali and
Kareem Abdul Jabar — African-American
Muslims.
"Arab is not a religion," explained
Detroit civil rights attorney Nabih Ayad
in his talk about Arab demograph-
ics in Michigan. "The majority of Arab
Americans, 60 percent, are of the Christian
faith, not Muslim!'

Islam 101
Hussain gave the basics about Islam to the
diverse audience of about 50. (More than
150 people had signed up for the program,
but bad weather kept them away.)
Islam, the world's second largest reli-
gion, claims more than 1 billion people
worldwide and its history spans about
1,500 years. The word Islam means sub-
mission, or as Hussain put it, "to engage
and surrender to God."
Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam
is monotheistic and recognizes Moses,
Jesus and Abraham among its prophets.
Muhammad is the last in a long line of
Islamic prophets and is believed to be the
messenger of God.

A20

February 21 2008

The Bible and the Torah are recog-
nized, but Muslims believe the Koran
as revealed to Muhammad is the only
book that has stayed true and unchanged
over generations. Indeed, some stories
are similar. During the festival of Eid al-
Adha, Abraham's sacrifice is celebrated
by the modern-day slaughtering of a
ram. Muslims believe that Abraham
was told to sacrifice Ishmael, his son by
Hagar; Jews believe it was Isaac, his son
by Sarah.
Hussain highlighted several factors in
common with Judaism, such as prayer,
charity, emphasis
on community,
fasting and pil-
grimage. He
also delineated
different levels
of Muslim obser-
vance, ranging
from activity to
understanding
to intentionality.
Nabih Hussain
The activity level
includes the five
pillars of Islam:
making a faith statement, praying five
times daily, charity, fasting during the
month of Ramadan and making a pil-
grimage to Mecca, site of the first Islamic
house of prayer.
Confusing to most Americans is the
difference between Sunni and Shia
Muslims. Sunni is the larger group at
80 percent. The 20 percent of Muslims
who are Shia includes most in America.
According to Hussain, the Sunni believe
there is no successor to Muhammad and
that the community chooses the next
imam. The Shia believe its leadership is
vested in Muhammad's family and see his
son-in-law All as his successor. The Shia
"Twelvers" believe the 12th imam went
into hiding in the 10th century and will
return at the end of days. Hussain likened
waiting for his return to Jews waiting for
the Messiah.

Michigan Demographics
Among the approximately 5 million Arabs
in the U.S., slightly under 500,000 live in
a three-square-mile area of Detroit and
Dearborn, giving Michigan the highest
concentration of Arabs outside the Middle
East. Close to 760,000 Arabs live in Los
Angeles, giving that city the largest Arab

population in the U.S.
In Metro Detroit, most Arabs are
Lebanese, followed by Syrians. Chaldeans
number about 100,000 here. They are
from Iraq or Syria and are Catholic. Their
language is Aramaic, but most speak
Arabic as well.
"Like many other ethnic groups, Arabs
came to Metro Detroit due to the auto
industry," Ayad said.
"Detroit has been an attraction for
many Arabs from the Middle East due
to the large Arab population, the food,
religious schools and social, cultural and
religious institu-
tions and the many
organizations that
support, protect and
foster the growth of
the community. New
immigrants don't
feel such a deep cul-
ture shock!"
The events of 9-11
were
a turning point
Amir Hussain
for Arab Americans,
Ayad said.
Racial profiling,
immigration and fear of suspicion by the
federal government became top concerns,
he said.
"There has been this chilling affect
on the courts when it comes to Arab-
American defendants;' the lawyer said.
"When an Arab American is charged with
any illegal activity, there automatically is a
presumption as if any proceeds are being
used to help terrorist organizations.
"Now is even worse for Arab Americans
in Metro Detroit. The seeds of law enforce-
ment have been planted, and the long
investigations are now bearing fruit.
However, none of these investigations
are truly terror related. Arabs who are
Muslims are even scared to give zakat
(charity) as one of the five pillars of their
religion.
"Like all groups, Arab Americans want
to be part of society," he said. "We love this
country. Ignorance leads to hate. The more
we know about each other, the sooner we
can live in happiness side by side."

Hard Questions
An audience member asked about Islamic
extremism and its influence on main-
stream Muslims as well as why moder-
ate Muslims don't speak out against the

extremists.
Both speakers pointed a finger at the
news media, which they say highlights
extremists because they make news.
"We have enough Muslim doctors:' he
said. "Where are Muslim journalists and
filmmakers to tell our stories? More voices
are moderate, but you tend not to hear
them!'
He explained that many moderate
Muslims come from societies where law
enforcement or government is corrupt,
and they are fearful of speaking out. He
cited a book called Progressive Muslims
that includes essays by 15 men and
women — including Hussain — on a
variety of topics.
And there also is some reluctance to
speak to predominantly Jewish groups.
ADL Regional Director Betsy Kellman
had a local Arab speaker back out of the
program as the invitation was going to
the printer. He told her his business had
been threatened by others in the Arab
community because he was speaking for
ADL.
Ayad was asked to step in because he
knew Kellman and ADL regional imme-
diate past chairman Daniel Levy from
ALPACT (Advocates and Leaders for
Police and Community Trust), a local
group of civil rights leaders and law
enforcement agencies. Yet the announce-
ment that he'd be speaking sparked some
dissension spread through e-mail.
At question was Ayad's defense of Arab
clients accused of terror-related actions
here and abroad. He also is attorney for
the American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC).
Levy, also an attorney, addressed the
issue at the beginning of the program.
"I personally suggested Nabih," he said.
"I bristle at the notion of guilt by asso-
ciation, especially for attorneys. Because
they may represent rapists and murderers
doesn't make them rapists and murder-
ers."
Kellman stressed the "Weaving Our
Community" series is educational, not
political. "We need to know about our
neighbors and, with the largest concentra-
tion of Arabs outside the Middle East, you
can't ignore them in this series!' 0

For more information on "Weaving Our
Community" programs, go to

regions.adl.org/michigan.

