This week an important  study was published that shows Muslims ‘well integrated’ in US . As a Moslem this really only reinforces my experience from the past four years as an active member of the American Moslem community, but it its great to see it in print.

People here in the U.S. have a number of misconceptions about what the Moslems are like in this country, and it is worth noting here that the Moslem experience and perspectives here in the US are not only vastly different from those in Europe, but also the rest of the Islamic world as well.

It’s worth keeping in mind that the majority of Moslems here are still immigrants, and that there are reasons why they left their old countries to come to America. For all but the tiniest fraction, these generally have little, if anything, to do with any notion of spreading Islam, and more to do with the pursuit of the same freedoms and opportunities that have inspired generations of immigrants to come here since this nation was founded.

As a native born American who chose the Islamic path as an adult, I’ve come to understand that there is no inherent conflict between the two.  I “officially” gave my first shahada (proclamation of Islamic faith ) in 2003 after years of personal study. Within the texts and histories of Islam, I discovered a universal message of compassion, faith, and tolerance. What came to recognize was that the clash we’re experiencing is driven by neither the core principles of either America or Islam but the result of extremist ideologies who twist the meaning of faith and scripture on the one side, and those who twist what it means to be an American on the other.

When I chose to become a Moslem, it occurred to me that the best testament I could give would be to live as American born into this society and comfortable with its culture harmoniously with an Islamic heart. The foolish course of ideological, religious, and cultural extremism that we see in conflict now every day has nothing to do with the values that allow humanity to thrive and prosper. Had either the nation of America or the Faith of Islam been founded on the self-serving, hateful beliefs the most vile and extreme self-proclaimed champions of each put into action every day both would have self-destructed long ago.

That’s one of the reasons why I fee it’s so important to run for office: to help demonstrate the folly of the extremists with practical, democratic proof. Now how a Moslem congressional candidate will be accepted here in Southwest Florida remains to be seen. I expect that this aspect may cause some controversy with some, but by and large I’m sure most people won’t have a problem with it once they understand more about the American Moslem community. 

An important part of what we’re setting out to do is to bring more exposure to the Islamic experience here in the US. I believe that once more Americans see what we’re really like, it will help to put the dangers of the “war on terror” and religious and political extremism in better perspective. And, for Moslems in the rest of the world, I believe it will be an opportunity to see that the principles of democracy, tolerance, and integration can serve not only for the material betterment of all, but also enrich their faith as Moslems.