Editorial: "How to Define a Muslim American Agenda"

December 29, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On December 29, 2001, The New York Times featured an editorial by Dr. Mohammed Ayoob, a professor at Michigan State University. He argues that before September 11, the American Muslim leadership rarely condemned extremist Islam. "Behind this silence lies a mind-set that needs to be drastically reshaped. Muslims, especially first-generation immigrants, need to define themselves as Muslim Americans -- with a focus on issues in this country." He continued, "Unfortunately, the appropriation of the Muslim agenda by special-interest groups focused on politics abroad has made this shift late in coming. It is time that Islamic organizations in this country made efforts to separate their message from divisive foreign issues often peripheral to the community's real concerns."