TQF in the Washington Post

Shiite Muslims in U.S. Stay Silent on Problems

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/18/AR2005111802427_2.html

A new survey shows that Shiite Muslims in the United States are unlikely to report anti-Muslim hate crimes or other forms of discrimination.

Nearly 80 percent of American Shiites who were victims of "post 9-11 discrimination" reported the incidents either to family members or no one, according to the nationwide survey. The survey was sponsored by the Qunoot Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit group that released its findings Nov. 12 at a conference.

The survey found that few American Shiite victims reported such incidents to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national advocacy group that seeks to represent all American Muslims.

While there are an estimated 6 million Muslims in the United States, no one knows how many of them are Shiite. Worldwide, Shiites account for 10 percent to 15 percent of the Muslim population.

The survey also reported that 47 percent of American Shiites said they experienced overt or subtle forms of discrimination when attending Sunni-dominated mosques.

Conference participants -- mostly American Shiites in their twenties and thirties -- debated vigorously about whether to form their own national advocacy organizations or to try to make existing, Sunni-dominated ones, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, more responsive to their needs.

-- Religion News Service

An Unequal Silence

According to the BBC, two suicide bombers have left 80 dead and injured 100. The article notes:

The suicide bombs in Khanaqin, in north-eastern Iraq, are the latest in a string of attacks against Shia mosques.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in Baghdad, says the attacks were intended as an act of sectarian provocation, as all the casualties must have been Shia Muslims at prayer.

The BBC has an interesting sidebar that documents the “bloodiest” days in Iraq:

18 Nov 2005 - 80 dead
Multiple bombings in Baghdad and two Khanaqin mosques

14 Sept 2005 - 182 dead
Suicide car bomber targets Baghdad labourers in worst of a series of bombs

16 Aug 2005 - 90 dead
Suicide bomber detonates fuel tanker in Musayyib

28 Feb 2005 - 114 dead
Suicide car bomb hits government jobseekers in Hilla

24 June 2004 - 100 dead
Co-ordinated blasts in Mosul and four other cities

2 March 2004 - 140 dead
Suicide bombers attack Shia festival-goers in Karbala and Baghdad

1 Feb 2004 - 105 dead
Twin attacks on Kurdish parties' offices in Irbil

28 Aug 2003 - 85 dead
Car bomb at Najaf shrine kills Shia cleric Muhammad Baqr Hakim and many others

That’s a total causality amount of 896. Of the eight events listed above, five were direct attacks on Shias, resulting in 692 of total causalities (77.2%).

Last week’s tragic attack in Amman which claimed my friend’s uncle, Mustafa Al-Akkad, claimed 50 lives. It was met with international condemnation.

To my knowledge, no major group has condemned—or even addressed—this most recent attack in Baghdad.

TQF on EthicsDaily.com

Survey: American Shiite Muslims Unlikely to Report Discrimination
Link: http://ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=6583
Andrea Useem
11-18-05

(RNS) A new survey shows American Shiites are unlikely to report anti-Muslim hate crimes or other forms of discrimination and many say they face religious hostility when attending Sunni-dominated mosques in the United States.
Nearly 80 percent of American Shiites who were victims of "post 9-11 discrimination" reported the incidents either to family members or no one, according to the nationwide survey, the first of its kind to document the political and religious experiences of American Shiites.

The American Shi'a Muslim Survey was sponsored by the Qunoot Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit that released its findings Saturday at a conference.

The survey found that few American Shiite victims reported such incidents to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national advocacy group that seeks to represent all American Muslims.

Last year, CAIR processed nearly 1,700 reported cases of anti-Muslim discrimination or hate crimes, according to its 2005 annual report. The council does not keep track of whether victims are Sunni or Shiite, said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the organization.

While there are an estimated 6 million Muslims in the United States, nobody knows what percent of that total is Shiite. Worldwide, Shiites comprise between 10 percent and 15 percent of the total Muslim population with some tension arising over the fact that Saudi Arabia regards Shiite theology and practice as heresy.

The survey also showed that 47 percent of American Shiites experienced either overt or subtle forms of discrimination when attending Sunni mosques.

Conference participants--mostly American Shiites in their 20s and 30s--debated vigorously about whether to form their own national advocacy organizations or to seek to make existing, Sunni-dominated ones, such as CAIR, more responsive to American Shiite needs.

One reason the issue has come to the forefront is the sectarian nature of the Iraq war, said Najam Haider, a Princeton doctoral student who spoke at the conference.
"We are perceived as the ‘good Muslims' now, and many say we should use that to our advantage," said Haider, referring to the cooperation between Iraqi Shiites and the Bush administration.

The Rosa Parks of Pakistan?

Not quite. Thats not to say that Mukhtaran Bibi does not have the same courage or elegant composure that Parks had. But the circumstances --and more importantly the causes -- that produced Rosa Parks and Mukatarn are incongruent.

That did not, however, stop audience members on Monday night in DC from asking her if she felt she was Pakistan's Rosa Parks. Never mind that the question assumes a knowledge of American civil rights icons in rural Pakistan. The question reveals the (sub?)conscious effort to place historical figures in imaginary boxes.

I--like so many others in the audience--was humbled by her humbleness. What impressed me about her, aside from her brave struggle, is her sincerity and her incredible political acumen. When asked by NPR what she would tell Congress in her testimony the following day, she said she would think about it and then tell them tomorrow.

In a town that thrives and sustains on BS and self-aggrandizement, its refreshing to see voices like Mai illuminating our path.

To support her, check out a cool effort by some Muslims called (of course) Muslims for Muktaran.