There appears to be no love lost between President Donald Trump and the American Muslim community of about three million people of mostly Middle East and African origin. Trump refused to be politically correct about the reality of radical Islam, a fact that millions of Muslims are living in denial of. The Middle East, which is the cradle of Islam has been made restive in modern times as a result of a combination of factors, most visible of which is America’s realist diplomatic adventure and sometimes misadventure in the region. From the partitioning of Palestine, by a United States backed United Nations, which led to the founding of the Zionist State of Israel in 1948 as well as the continuous support in form of multi-billion dollar military and economic aid packages, which has enabled the nascent state to defeat hostile Arab nations surrounding it on all fronts, to the controversial involvement of the CIA, on behalf of major US oil multinationals in the overthrow of the nationalist government of prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran in 1953 and the Reagan administration’s involvement in the Iran-Iraq war and Ghaddafi’s Libya in the 1980s are some historic engagements in the Middle East that have resulted into intense feelings of resentment among the Muslim population of the region against the United States.
However, the turning point in US-Muslim relations was the immediate and later events that took place, following the 2001 terror attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in the city of New York, suspected to be master minded by Al Qaeda leader, Saudi Arabia-born puritan and Jihadist, Osama bin Laden. This incident was the biggest attack on US home soil in modern times. The attack on America was largely welcome across the Muslim world, as a sign of beginning of the destruction of the greatest enemy of Islam. Osama bin Laden would emerge as a respected and admired figure in the Muslim world. To the American government, Osama bin Laden was the world’s most dangerous terrorist but to the global Muslim community, he was a freedom fighter; a rightly guided Jihadist. The response of the George Bush administration was swift. A global war on terror was declared and prosecuted beginning with the invasion of Afghanistan, leading to the fall of the Taliban regime, which had offered a safe haven for Osama bin Laden. Next were invasion of Iraq and the eventual fall and execution of Saddam Hussein, another figure who emerged very popular among Sunni Muslims, following the 1991 gulf war. The Muslim world largely viewed and continues to view these events through the prism of religion. ‘’America is at war with Islam and Muslims’’ is entrenched in the theology of political Islam. American Muslims, who are mostly immigrants from these theatres of diplomatic adventure or misadventure, are caught up in a complex web of conflict of loyalty between their nations of origin and their adoptive nation of residence on one hand, and on the other hand, a conflict of loyalty between the ideological global Muslim community, where injury against one is presented as injury against all and their adoptive nation, which is perceived to be the greatest aggressor against the Muslim world. This conflict of loyalty is evident in the numerous ISIS inspired terror attacks on American soil by Muslim American citizens of Middle East origin. This situation has understandably led to suspicion and resentment of the American Muslim community by non-Muslim Americans with increased security surveillance of some individuals suspected of close or remote ties with terror organisations, mosques and other Islamic centres within the United States. These sentiments were amplified through the campaign rhetoric of then GOP candidate, Donald Trump, who clearly and boldly identified the problem by its name; Radical Islam.
Unfortunately the reaction of Muslim America to all of these has led to more suspicion rather than understanding. They have largely reacted to the harsh criticisms of non-Muslim America rather than the cause of the criticisms in the first place. They have focused more on the error of the facts and ignored the reality of the truth of Radical Islam. Less than three per cent of American Muslims voted for Donald Trump while they also appear set to boycott his legitimate presidency and this may further put in doubt the loyalty of Muslim America to the United States America, their country. The early signs of a freeze in support and loyalty to the presidency of Donald Trump and by extension the United States by Muslim America came to light at the Washington cathedral venue of the national prayer service; an age-long tradition of spiritually inaugurating incoming US administrations. Over the years, the ceremony that was originally a Judeo-Christian affair has been expanded to accommodate other religious groups to reflect the ethno-religious diversity that is the United States today. This year’s inter faith service for the beginning of Trump’s administration was very significant. Having come out of a bitter and divisive election year, it was time for healing. The organisers of the prayer service specifically asked the Muslim participation to be in form of the Adhan; the Muslim call to prayer, which was to be rendered in the tradition of melodious eloquence. The Muslim call to prayer is historically significant to freedom of worship by Muslims. Recall that when the crusaders took Jerusalem in 1095, the Muslim call to prayer was banned for the next 100 years until Salaudeen Ayub, the Kurdish Muslim military leader took back the city for Muslims. In modern times, some right wing political groups have called for the ban of the Adhan in some European countries.
•To be continued