June 9, 2017

Ramadan is a blessed month, but ISIS has made it a bloody month. Just a couple weeks ago, Manchester. Now, Baghdad, Kabul, London, and Tehran. More than 130 imams condemned the London attack, issuing a statement that the terrorists are enemies of Islam. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in an interview, “Followers of a perverse ideology who murder innocent Londoners and visitors are an utter desecration of Ramadan and a rejection of the true values of Islam.” Syndicated talk show host Dean Obeidallah said it best: “They [terrorists] are the enemies of Islam. They're not going to be in paradise. They're in the hell burning forever. The worst part is they invoke Islam. They define it and kill people in the name of our faith.“

We mourn with the people of London and Manchester, as we do with the victims in Kabul and Baghdad and Tehran. The combination of these vicious crimes across the world only underscores the fact that ISIS has no allegiance except to hate, that they follow no religion except violence, and that they are just as eager to shed the blood of Muslims during Ramadan. It’s a fact that, unfortunately, many of our political leaders seem unwilling to accept or even acknowledge.

Instead, such immoral opportunists exploit these tragedies to serve ulterior agendas through fear-mongering and xenophobia while ultimately doing little to counter or even exacerbating the scourge of terrorism. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to blame Muslims for the terror attacks and promoted his Muslim travel ban. Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins called on Christendom to kill anyone suspected of being a "radicalized Muslim." Brexit leader Nigel Farage spouted the idea of internment camps on Fox News. And yet they remain silent when equally hateful attacks are carried out by ISIS against Muslims, or by white supremacists in places like Portland. There is also a lack of acknowledgement that Muslims regularly report potentially violent individuals to the authorities, though law enforcement often fails to follow up.

Counter-terror officials in the UK have, in the past, pushed a counter-radicalization program that was government-led and only served to further alienate the very communities it intended to serve. The same has proven true in our own nation. By enacting programs and policies that feed on fear and suspicion rather than address the core issues of isolation and mental-health well-being, such efforts are doomed to fail. The most effective approach involves American and British Muslims adopting authentic community-led initiatives. Only community leaders who have earned the trust of their members, without the meddling of law enforcement and government, can be most effective at intervention in cases where a young person is dealing with an identity crisis, post-traumatic stress, depression, or ideological radicalization.

Our efforts as a community to fight back against the cancer of hate that defines groups like ISIS and white supremacists are only undermined when the false narratives of “Islam is at war with the West” and “clash of civilizations” are promulgated by immoral political opportunists. American Muslims have been a part of this nation’s fabric since its founding, and when Islamophobes ignore that narrative, they expose themselves as no different than ISIS, with the same goal of dividing us. We will prevail over hate in all its forms and we will restore the true spirit of Ramadan and Islam.