THE GREAT LEAP

To understand the earthshaking impact of the experience of American Muslims, let us first explore briefly the dynamism of the globalization process in the last half century, a period which constitutes the postcolonial era for the bulk of Muslim countries. The postcolonial era represents for most Muslim societies a time of great social turmoil and political upheaval. It has been also a period of experimentation and soul searching.

Colonial powers have been fairly successful in destroying traditional social and political structures and altering Muslim consciousness by introducing new institutions and patterns of social organization and interaction, and by transplanting modern education system in Muslim societies. Colonial powers altered state boundaries, carving new smaller states out of old larger ones; changed the distribution of power; established armies led by new military elites; and introduced a new lifestyle and a modern taste among the educated elites; designed new curricula for schools modeled after European curricula. While these curricula reintroduced to Muslim societies sciences that had been neglected and omitted in traditional schools, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, they also included subjects which brought new interpretations and meanings of human experience, such as history, philosophy, and social sciences.

In the postcolonial era most Muslim countries have witnessed varying degrees of economic deterioration, particularly experienced by social classes which lost their privileged position as a result of the change in power structures. Coup d’tant by ambitious military leaders became a frequent occurrence in most Muslim countries. Economic difficulties and political turmoil, combined with the desire of the newly independent countries of the Muslim world to upgrade their technical skills have brought hundreds of thousands of Muslims from the four corners of the world to the United States. Muslim migration to the United States increased after World War II and peaked in the seventies and eighties.Some came as students who were sent on government scholarships or by their families to pursue higher education in American universities, and then decided to make the New World their new home. Others came in pursuit of better jobs and better life. Yet others moved to the United States to escape civil wars, military occupation, or political persecution.

The migration of hundreds of thousands of Muslims over the last four decades is undoubtedly an act of historical proportion, may prove to be a defining moment in the history of Islam, indeed in the history of mankind. For as I argue below, the migration of Muslims to the United States has contributed to the profound transformation in the understanding and practices of Islam among Muslim immigrants, as well as among the Afro-American Muslim community. The impact of this massive migration of Muslims is not limited to the growing American Muslim population alone, but is bound to transform the American society at large, and even has the potential to transform Muslim societies the world over.

IN SEARCH OF COMMUNITY

Throughout the last two centuries, America has been the land of opportunities for those who were denied equal opportunities in their homeland. Many people who aspired for a life of freedom and better opportunities chose the United States as their new adopted home. Muslims are no exception. As Muslims began to realize their dreams of freedom and better economic conditions, they soon came face to face with a question which proved to be more difficult to answer than originally thought: what to do with the newly acquired freedom and wealth? After all, freedom and wealth have meaning only insofar as they can be enjoyed and expressed in a social context. For many of the immigrant Muslims, the social context in which they lived was both alien and alienating. For one thing, many Americans who were comfortable to work with immigrants in professional settings have always found it difficult to interact with people of different cultures and lifestyles in social settings.

Similarly, most Muslims found it exceedingly difficult to relate to a lifestyle they sincerely believed to be permissive and in several ways sinful. Muslim cultures without exception place great emphasis on chastity and abhor self-indulgence, particularly in the drinking of alcohol and sexual promiscuty. Cultural differences, therefore, limited greatly the level of social interaction between Muslim immigrants and their non-muslim neighbors and co-workers, and forced many of them to search for a community of compatible social norms and values.

The migration of Muslims in the seventies and eighties coincided with the worldwide phenomenon of Islamic resurgence. A significant number of students pursuing university education in the United States brought with them the newly found Islamic identity and activism. The Muslim Students’ Association, founded in the early sixties, became the locus of Muslim activities. Initially, meetings and activities were conducted on university campuses, using university facilities. However, soon Muslim students became involved in collective projects to build local mosques, which immediately became centers for all Muslims; students or otherwise.

Throughout the United States, mosques served as a pole around which the Muslim community was galvanized. They gradually became a true community center where Muslims prayed, received education in the teachings of Islam, conducted their marriages, celebrated their festivals, and deliberated their common concerns. It was in America that the comprehensive role of the mosque, exemplified in the Madina Mosque built by the Prophet of Islam and his companions, was restored. In America the mosque reclaimed its true meaning and comprehensive role as the center of the Muslim community.

THE CHALLENGE OF AMERICA

Muslims who came to America found themselves in the midst of a vibrant culture and assertive society. Anyone who decides to leave his or her old society and make America their new home would surely be impressed by the sense of autonomy and equality which form the core of American culture. Americans by and large speak up their minds freely and boldly, assert their rights against any act they deem to be unfair or representing an incident of excessive use of power, and resort to collective action in pursuit of their shared interests. Muslims slowly but surely have been learning the value of asserting one’s rights and the importance of organized and collective endeavors.

While Muslims have been impressed by the vibrant American culture, and hence willing to learn from its strengths, they have been equally alarmed by its downside. Particularly of concern to Muslims is the increasing moral laxity of the American society, reflected in sexual promiscuity, violence, pornography, drug abuse, and other social ills that have been on the increase. The perceived moral laxity has prompted many Muslim parents to search for alternative schooling and social activities for their children, and hence brought them closer to Islamic centers, and highlighted the importance of community.

Moving to America and becoming part of the American society challenged the Muslims yet in another, and even more profound, way. Living in a society that provided the individual with more freedom and autonomy revealed to many Muslims the moral and political limitations of contemporary Muslim cultures which they brought with them to the New World. The American experience of the Muslims became a constant reminder not only of the extent to which the universal teachings of Islam have been confused with parochial customs and traditions, but also of the serious deformation afflicting Muslim consciousness. America has indeed challenged the old habits of Muslim immigrants and made the need, even necessity, for cultural reform more apparent than ever.

The deformation of Muslim consciousness has been a protracted and subtle process, stretching over many generations. While factors leading to cultural distortions are varied and complicated, two stand out as central to this process: spiritual laxity and intellectual rigidity. Spiritual laxity is a historical process and has inflicted all cultures and civilizations. It has been described and dissected by eminent philosophers and historians, including
Plato, Ibn Khaldun, Taynbee, and Spengler, to name just a few.

Spiritual laxity takes place when the strong commitments to the beliefs and ethos of a rising and vibrant culture are weakened by the passage of time. Intellectual rigidity, on the other hand, denotes a state of confusion whereby historically bound practices and behavioral patterns are mistaken for the universal values which gave rise to them in a particular time and place.

Spiritual laxity and intellectual rigidity were brought to the fore in America. They surfaced first when ethnic commonalities triumphed over Islamic bonds as the basis of communities. Many Muslims found it easier to work with people of similar ethnic background rather than going the extra mile to work with those who share with them their values and aspirations. The result has been a continuous fragmentation, and hence waste of human and financial resources, and the loss of power.

The parochialism of Muslim immigrants was further highlighted in the generation gap between the first generation who continued to be emotionally attached to their old cultural habits, and very often insisted on replicating the old environment and living habits in all details, and the second generation who identified themselves with America, their natural homeland and the only society they ever experienced. The gap is particularly pronounced whenever the parents insist on assigning religious significance to otherwise parochial customs and traditions.

EMERGING NEW REALITY

The limitations cited above notwithstanding, several indicators reveal signs of positive developments, and hence engender hopes for better and more promising future for the Muslim community. Evidently, spiritual and intellectual limitations have not been equally distributed throughout the community, and the Muslim community has been blessed with countless individuals who have been able to rise above their socio-cultural limitations, and have in the process succeeded in pulling others along with them.

One outstanding feature of the Muslim immigrants who came to the United States in the last few decades is that many of them are highly educated with remarkable personal achievements. The free and well-organized American society has provided these achievers with ample challenges and opportunities to bring their talents and skills to bear on the life of their communities and the greater society around them. The outstanding achievements of the morally committed and highly skilled Muslim leadership is revealed in the mushrooming of full-time schools and national organizations committed to advancing a genuine and authentic Islamic spirit despite mounting odds. The concerted and organized efforts of the local and national

Islamic organizations have made remarkable inroads in a relatively short time into the mainstream social and political American life. The list of achievements includes: the establishment of hundreds of Islamic centers and full-time schools, introduction of Muslim chaplains into the U.S. military, establishment of political action and lobbying organizations, publishing houses, small size media organizations, etc.

Also remarkable is the great enthusiasm given to Islamic education by America Muslims. In a relatively short period of time, the efforts to provide Islamic education to Muslim youths progressed from weekend schools to full-time Islamic schools. There is hardly any major city in America without an Islamic school. Metropolitan areas, such as Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, have over a dozen full-time Islamic schools each. A number of Muslim education councils have been established to coordinate efforts to improve Islamic education, particularly in the area of curriculum development and teacher training.

Another remarkable achievement has taken place in the area of political organization. Several national organisations concerned with politically mobilizing the Muslim community and defending the civil and political rights of Muslims have been established in the last decade, such as the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), the American Muslim Council (AMC), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). These political-action organizations have been quite instrumental in raising Muslim awareness regarding their civil and political rights, educating them as to how they should respond to various political events through local gatherings and national conventions. They have also been lobbying the Congress and federal agencies on their behalf. This is quite remarkable, given the fact that individuals leading these efforts belong to the first generation of Muslim immigrants.

The great interest in Islamic education and political action, alluded to above, though still in its infancy, holds a great hope for brighter future. But the American Muslim community will have to travel a long way before its struggle for Islamic education and effective political voice can bear fruits. More importantly, Muslim leaders must develop sharp vision and clear goals, and then proceed to plan their steps with precision and vigor. I will therefore devote the remainder of this article to addressing some of the concerns pertaining to the main foundations of the future development of the Muslim community in America: Islamic education and political maturation.

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