What's What with Islam is What's right with America

What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslim’s and the West by Feisal Abdul Rauf is a book that attempts to bridge the supposed gap that now exists between the United States and the Muslim world. In his book, Rauf outlines what has caused this perceived schism between these two civilizations, highlights the attributes that these civilizations have in common, and offers ways to heal the scars that have been caused by both sides. What’s Right With Islam is the articulation of what so many American Muslims understand to be the joy of being an American Muslim, and the message that American Muslims would like to spread to their brothers and sisters who live outside the United States. Contrary to the messages of authors who project a “clash of civilizations” between the West and the Middle East, Abdul Rauf offers a portrait of America that reflects Muslim values and offers a message that the two sides may be able to appreciate what they share
Abdul Rauf uses the phrase “Abrahamic ethic”. This phrase is a great way to point to the similarities between Jews, Christians, and Muslims and how they can function together in a pluralistic society. Abdul Rauf argues that since all these faiths are based upon Abraham, they all hold the same basic commandments and ethics, thus living under a government that embodies this Abrahamic ethic would not be a hindrance to any one of the Abrahamic faiths, but an environment in which the faiths could grow and prosper while teaching one another. This view of an Abrahamic ethic is a great way of looking at the commonalities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It tears down the walls that separate the religions; however, Abdul Rauf touts pluralism while ignoring the ethical basis of other religions. Abdul Rauf praises the pluralism that is inherent to Islam and America, but he does not carry out as far as finding a common basis for all religions that are represented in American and Islamic societies. In fact, the way in which Abdul Rauf addresses non-Abrahamic religions is almost condescending. He treats them as a misguided Islam rather than a tradition with its own basis for ethical codes. Abdul Rauf seems willing to extend the kind arm of pluralism to those faiths that possess the Abrahamic ethic. Even when speaking of the pluralism that exists in Islam for the other two Abrahamic faiths, Abdul Rauf seems to suggest that these religions are incomplete Islam. This view that Abdul Rauf puts forth of Islam as a pluralistic system seems in actuality to be a high tolerance, since he views the other religions through the assumption that Islam is the more perfected form of these religions.
This Abrahamic ethic is a theme that appears again and again within Abdul Rauf’s book. In one particular instance, Abdul Rauf points out that in some areas, Muslim women have enjoyed more liberties and positions of power than their Western counterparts. Women in Muslim countries have struggles that differ from Western women in the details, but the over arching them for women worldwide is the same.
Just as in America roles have changed dramatically, especially in the last one hundred years as America has implemented the Abrahamic ethic to a greater degree, it is reasonable to expect that Muslim societies implementing the justice called for in Islamic theology will undergo parallel transformations. (220)
This statement regarding women’s rights is dubious. It can be argued that the struggle for women, American and/or Muslim, can be supported using the Abrahamic ethic of equality. Women’s rights in America seem to be making the greater advances during a time in American history when more and more people have divorced themselves from claiming this Abrahamic ethic. While it may fit within the Abrahamic ethic to give women freedom, is not because of this Abrahamic ethic that women have enjoyed equality. This Abrahamic ethic may appeal to those Americans who adhere to an Abrahamic faith, but this ideal may be rejected by the secular humanists to whom Abdul Rauf attempts to attach a religion. If Abdul Rauf hopes to make secular Americans comfortable with a religion that has gotten a bad rep, it may be best for him to go about it in a way to not equate his religion with the secular system of a group that find religion to be anathema.
Abdul Rauf praises the fairness and equality that makes America so great among the nations of the world, and part of this fairness and equality is due to the separation of church and state that exist within the American system. America is ruled by a law that is by the people for the people (a point for which Abdul Rauf holds great respect). The fairness of the American court system is that all citizens are held to the same standard and judged by this equal standard. Abdul Rauf praises the separation of church and state since it allows the free practice of religion from many different traditions; however, Abdul Rauf expresses a desire to see the different religions hold court sessions holding to the teachings and laws of that particular tradition. This sentiment is not so much in keeping with the ideals of the American government. It seems that approach my actually cause more confusion in a pluralistic society. What is to be done when a Jew and Muslim have a dispute but the religious traditions handle the dispute in a different way? Judging Americans by different standards according to differing conditions would not maintain the ideal of equality that is strived for in the US court system.
In the chapter “What’s Right With Islam” Abdul Rauf gives an overview of the Islamic faith that paints a sympathetic portrait of one of the most misunderstood religions of the modern world. Abdul Rauf covers the basic tenets, history, and future of the faith within this chapter. Although this chapter may be dull for the reader who is learned in Islam, for the reader who is new to the faith, this chapter provides an excellent overview. The Islam that Abdul Rauf promotes is in close keeping with the ethics and ideals that have been the basis for American government, and Abdul Rauf does not fail to point this out. Abdul Rauf draws the correlations between American ideals and Islamic ideals into a common ground that helps to bridge the gap. A deeper understanding of Islam would certainly make reparations between Americans and Muslims mush easier and more likely. If Americans who know little about the teachings and ideals of Islam were to learn and see that Islam also strives for equality and freedom of choice even under the law, the thought of negotiating or allying with Islamic nations would not be anathema. If Americans grew more sympathetic towards the Muslim population worldwide by educating themselves about this world religion, perhaps some of the disasters in the Middle East that have been caused by careless US foreign policy could be prevented in the future, thus creating relations between the Muslim world and America that are not built upon resentment and mistrust.
In one of the more interesting sections of this book pertains to the need for an American president to directly address the Muslim people and offer a message of hope. This outreach, according to Abdul Rauf, would be an important and laudable first step towards making amends with the Muslim world that has watched a democratic government take many undemocratic actions. Abdul Rauf cites an instance in which President George W. Bush made a visit to Baghdad, but failed to directly address the Muslim world and its needs. Since 2004, Americans have elected a president who has taken these important first steps to repairing the schism between the Middle East and United States. Barack Obama has made appearances on Arab speaking television stations addressing issues pertinent to Muslim viewers. He has also officially declared that America is not at war with Islam, a sentiment felt by Muslims who have fallen victim to the sometime cruel policies of the US government. This first step to a “weapon of peace” has been taking by Obama, bringing to the forefront of the world’s mind that peace between the Middle East and Untied States may be far into the future, but this thousand mile journey has seen its first step.
Abdul Rauf’s overarching thesis that Islam can fit within the democratic ideals of the American government and that Muslim nations can be reconciled with the US if we take a different approach to understanding each other is perfectly sensible and correct. However, many of his methods and appeals to making this happen seem to miss the mark. Making the courts religiously based, assuming all people adhere to this Abrahamic ethic, and not acknowledging secularists as free from religion as they see themselves are points that hurt Abdul Rauf’s thesis. Abdul keenly draws parallels between the egalitarian ideals of America and Islam. This religion shares many ideal with the nation that is often seen as its enemy amongst followers worldwide, a point from which Abdul Rauf draws many of his arguments and hopes for the future of relations between Muslims and the United States. The responsibility for peace between the Muslim world and the United States must be shouldered by everyone. The American non-Muslim must take the time and effort to educate himself or herself about the truth of Islam and not rely upon the sensationalized reports coming from a capitalist media. The American Muslim must help to educate the American non-Muslim about the tenets of the faith that are in line with American ideals, and share with their Muslim brothers and sisters outside the United States the ideals that compose the United States. The non-American Muslim must be open to listen to the truth about the nation that is often seen as the greatest enemy to Islam, and look past the failings of America and look to the ideals of America that are in common with the ideals of their faith.