The Ranger Online

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive Sulma Khalid, of Randolph, Mass., and Sono Ghori of Foxborough, Mass., stand with other Muslims, civil libertarians and church representatives outside former Gov. Mitt Romney's office at the Statehouse in Boston Sept. 16, 2005, because of Romney's remarks that suggested some mosques be wiretapped and foreign students monitored.

Media Credit: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to Congress, places his hand on a Quran owned by Thomas Jefferson during his swearing-in ceremony Jan. 4, 2007.

Media Credit: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive President George W. Bush participates in a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service at the National Cathedral in Washington Sept. 14, 2001. Alongside the president are Rabbi Joshua O. Haberman of the Washington Hebrew Congregation and Imam Muzammil H. Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of North America.

Media Credit: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive Katherine Bonn, 23, a student at the University of Minnesota, joins about 200 others on Northrup Plaza in a solidarity rally in support of Arab-Americans and Muslim communities Sept. 14, 2001, in Minneapolis.

It is a "very, very difficult time" to be Muslim in the United States, political science Professor Asslan Khaligh said in "The Muslim World" symposium Feb. 27 at St. Mary's University.

"We are suspect in anything we do and anywhere we go," he said. "You have to see some of us when we're at the airport. They usually want to search everything."

Khaligh attributes the negative perception to Western imperialism, radical Islamic regimes and an ignorance of the Islamic faith.

The United States' relationship with Saddam Hussein over the years is an example of how changing political interests have unfairly demonized Muslims for political gain, Khaligh said.

Initially, the United States aligned itself with Hussein to combat the Iranian regime.

Throughout that period, the U.S. government highlighted all of the negative aspects of Iranian rule, Khaligh said.

However, as political goals changed, so did America's alliance.

Eventually, Hussein and his loyalists were caught in the cross hairs of the U.S. military, Khaligh said.

At the height of the anti-Iranian sentiment coming from the U.S. government in the 1980s, Khaligh, born and reared in Iran during the Cold War, but then living in the United States, said he identified himself as anything other than Iranian.

It was that demonization of the Iranian people during President Reagan's administration that made providing military support to Hussein's Iraq palatable to the American public, Khaligh said.

"Today we are in Iraq because of U.S. support against Iran during the Reagan administration," Khaligh said, noting the shift in U.S. policy as Hussein invaded Kuwait and gained control of that country's oil supply.

Khaligh said the United States "is not going to be successful in Iraq. Not because we're bad people but because Iraq has to get together, fight each other and figure out what they want, just like in the U.S. revolution."

However, not all of the blame for Islam's negative image among Western nations lies with the United States, Khaligh said.

Many Arab governments are some of the "most repressive," he said.

Saudi Arabia is known for human rights abuses, particularly among women who, for example, are not allowed to drive a vehicle.

Despite knowing this, however, Khaligh said the United States chooses to overlook the abuses because the current political relationship with Saudi Arabia is convenient to both countries' security and needs.

This does not excuse the Arab regime from its abuses, Khaligh said.

These abuses, along with politically convenient propaganda, fuels the negative stereotypes that have pervaded Western society, he said.

A point Khaligh made to the audience was that "government is not a good indicator of the religion it is affiliated with."

To illustrate that, Khaligh pointed out that the United States is considered a Christian country; however, many policies and actions are contrary to Christian theology.

Khaligh said ignorance of the Islamic faith is a major cause of Western society's fear of Muslims and that greater awareness would foster tolerance and understanding.

Khaligh said there are many commonalities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

"We're all good people. We're all God's people," he said. "We all want to be successful in our lives."

Khaligh reiterated this theme of equality as he brought his talk to a close. All people are important, especially the Iranians," he said tounge in cheek with a wink.

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