muslims in america

Elections are a time-honored tradition and a great blessing. They offer an opportunity that continues to elude millions of people around the world, who are still living in countries where choosing your leader is a concept either anathema to the status quo or limited to a privileged few.

Being an active participant in elections involves more than just registering to vote and voting. Americans, all of us, need to be directly engaged in the process of selecting this kind of a leader. Here are a couple of ways to do that.

t seems America is putting forth its jewels of diversity. More Americans are voting and the concerns for our nation and the world are high. Choosing the right candidate to run the most powerful nation on the planet, three issues are of critical importance for our community.

The climate for Muslims today is very much as it was for Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. Japanese-Americans in the Western states were rounded up and moved to internment camps so they wouldn't aid and abet the enemy. Similarly, Muslims are treated like the enemy and are living in virtual internment camps.

It seems the preachers of peace have fallen short. Although both the Quran and the Bible contain God’s commandment that killing one innocent human being is like killing the whole of humanity, a large number of Americans believe it is justifiable to intentionally attack civilians.

If there is any group of Americans that understands what Muslims have gone through post-9/11 in the United States, it's Japanese-Americans. The parallels are striking.

Isn't it sad that extremists on both sides dominate the news and it is innocent Muslims who have problems traveling because of their skin color, faith and country of origin? Americans are fearful of traveling to most parts of the world. Muslims are afraid of coming back to their own homes.