Two weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on America, I met with two Muslim leaders in our community. They were concerned that this attack by radical Islamic extremists, which killed nearly 3,000, would breed prejudice against American Muslims.

They urged the media to brand Osama Bin Laden a criminal who used religion for political ends, not a Muslim terrorist. They also feared their children and grandchildren would not grow up in America with the community’s love and respect solely because of their ethnicity and religious beliefs.

Ten years later, those fears have not been realized locally, but they still exist in some parts of our country. I talked to three leaders in the Muslim community and this is what they had to say about how the terrorists’ attacks have affected them personally and Muslims in general.

“Generally speaking, Muslims in America are under the microscope. They are being vilified, not by the government, but by the right wing extremist Republicans, clergy and talk show hosts. They are on a smear campaign and Islamaphobia is sweeping the country,” said Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, a professor emeritus at the University of Toledo and a columnist with the Toledo Blade.

Dr. Hussain points to New York City and Murfreesboro, Tennessee where residents vocally oppose the building of Islamic community centers and to the nonsense of Florida Pastor Terry Jones who publically burned the Koran.

On a personal level, Dr. Hussain, as well as other members of his family who frequently travel to other countries, are usually detained when reentering the United States. “It’s become so common, I almost expect it.”

On the other hand, he said Northwest Ohio has not succumbed to the hysteria. “Toledo really does not represent a cross section of America. There has been a lot of hard work done by different religions, churches and mosques to create an environment that is really accepting of others.”

Cherrefe Kadri, spokesperson for the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo and an Oregon resident, agrees. “In Northwest Ohio we’re perfectly situated in a diverse cultural environment. Everybody has festivals and everyone goes to everyone’s festival so you’re not looked at as an outsider. We understand each other. The community around here does a great job of mixing and not being afraid of different cultures and backgrounds. We’re very fortunate.”

Kadri says this cultural mixing as well as the work of local interfaith groups also helps create an environment of tolerance. “The only way to knock down barriers and walls is familiarity. If people have questions, the best way to get those answered is by being there and being involved.”

Hussein Shousher, former director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Toledo and also an Oregon resident, said fears of Muslim solidarity for radical Islamists are unfounded. “We’re trying to get people to understand that it was a fringe group of terrorists from outside the country that did something terrible. It shouldn’t reflect on Muslims who have lived here for centuries. We had no problems before 9-11, why all of a sudden now we’ve become pariahs to certain individuals in this country?”

Shousher said his father emigrated here from Lebanon in 1911. He and his brother, John, operated a vending business in East Toledo for more than 40 years. He says his family is “very fortunate” to live in Northwest Ohio. The community, in general, has been very accepting and sympathetic to local Muslims since the 9-11 attacks.

This is how it should be. “We chose to come here. We consider ourselves Americans,” he said.

All three cautioned about using a verse out of context from the Koran to paint Islam as a violent religion. Dr. Hussain said, “Ignorance is the biggest hurdle in mutual acceptance and understanding. Anyone can cherry-pick passages in both The Bible and The Koran to vilify someone else’s religion.”

Just as we shouldn’t use one passage to tar a whole religion, we shouldn’t use the actions of one man to tar an ethnic group. Kadri, who was the first female president of the Islamic Center and served when the 9-11 attacks occurred, said, “We can’t take the voice of one like Osama Bin Laden, before he was killed, or whoever, and say that’s what all Muslims believe. That’s unfair. If that’s the only news coverage someone hears then that’s the only conclusion they can come to.”

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