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St. Louis Post-Dispatch – July 7, 2007
Muslim doctors here condemn UK attacks
Kim Bell
Muslim doctors here say they are trying to be more vocal in denouncing terrorism. They condemned the "crazies" who are "misguided" and did those acts.
"If we keep quiet, we become kind of a silent supporter of that, although we are not," said Dr. Ghazala Hayat, a professor of neurology at St. Louis University. "This is actually sickening and shocking to doctors, that this would happen.". . .
On Friday, about 20 Muslim doctors who practice medicine in the St. Louis area gathered for a news conference in the lecture hall at the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, 517 Weidman Road. The turnout represented about 10 percent of the 200 or so local Muslim doctors.
"I just hope to appeal to the general public, not to develop into a mob tendency, having received these messages from abroad," said Dr. Noor Ahmed, a plastic surgeon.
Ahmed is president of the St. Louis chapter of the Islamic Medical Association of North America. If the public is fearful or distrustful of all Muslim physicians, the terrorists will have won, Ahmed said. . .
The local chapter of a Muslim civil liberties group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, helped coordinate the news conference. Some other council chapters across the country have made similar denouncements, but Friday's news conference here was not timed as part of a national effort to speak out, organizers say.
British Muslim communities have taken out newspaper ads condemning the bomb plots.
Dr. Khaled Hamid, an allergist who has offices in St. Charles and Des Peres, said Muslims have felt a backlash before - and now he hopes being a physician won't be a "double whammy," of sorts.
"As a community, we are in pain. As a physician, we are in twice the pain," said Hamid, who is a board member for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
In an interview, Hamid added: "We are tired of being labeled because of a few idiots among us who do these things." What's going on in Britain demonstrates that bad people can be found in health care, just like any other job, Hamid said…..
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – July 9, 2007
Milwaukee Islamic leader decries U.K. terror attacks
Tom Heinen
Disturbed by terrorist bombing attempts in England and Scotland, the head of Milwaukee's Islamic Society has decried supporters of such violence and endorsed a task force report by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs that cautions against marginalizing Muslims in the United States.
Othman Atta, a Milwaukee attorney and president of the society, had strong words for radical Muslim clerics in England who have justified bombings of civilians. "To be frank, if I was in England and I was in control of the laws, I would deport someone who came out with those kind of statements," Atta said. "I don't believe there is any place for that kind of rhetoric in any society. I really don't."
The Chicago report, "Strengthening America: The Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans," was released last month. The national task force was co-chaired by Lynn Martin, a former Illinois congresswoman and former U.S. secretary of labor, and Farooq Kathwari of New Rochelle, N.Y., president and chief executive of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., one of the largest U.S. furniture chains.
It cites independent studies that say that, unlike in Europe, there is little, if any, publicly available evidence here of widespread or entrenched extremist activity with links to global terrorist organizations. Yet it notes that the voices of Muslim-American leaders and organizations are not being heard by the American public, some of whom continue to view Muslim-Americans with suspicion and question the compatibility of Islam with American values.
"The gathering climate of suspicion and mutual mistrust, exacerbated by the lack of engagement and dialogue, threatens to marginalize and alienate some Muslim Americans to the point where the danger of radicalization of a small minority could become a real possibility," the report's executive summary says.
"It would take only a single, significant act of terrorism in the United States involving Muslim Americans to cement the impression that rampant radicalism has taken root in the community.
"Therefore, the task force believes that creating full and equal opportunities for civic and political participation of Muslim Americans is an urgent national need. It is vital that Muslim Americans find ways to demonstrate visibly their commitment to America, its institutions and its values," the report says.
Muslims in the United States are more integrated into the middle class and have higher educational levels than Muslims in Europe, Atta said. But he fears that those gains could be lost amid a stream of negative views and stereotypes of Islam by bloggers and some conservative talk shows and right-wing groups with agendas…...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=629718
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