Muslim-American: an Oxymoron

          The Washington Post reported recently on a call for the resignation of Bob FitzSimmonds, a Virginia GOP official, for questioning whether or not Muslims have contributed to American society.   FitzSimmonds had called “pure nonsense” a statement by President Obama that praised Muslim-American contributions to “building the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.”

          “Exactly what part of our nation’s fabric was woven by Muslims?” asked FitzSimmonds.  Rather than castigate him for asking such a politically incorrect question, as did his detractors, I challenge anyone to come up with facts to support Obama’s claim.  Further, I challenge anyone to demonstrate just how Muslims have strengthened the core of our democracy.
          What is the core of our democracy?  The best answer to that question can be found, I think, in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  We need go no further than the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of religion.   Muslims are free to follow the Quran, just as Christians and Jews are free to follow the teachings of their sacred texts.  But there is a big difference between the Quran and the Bible in their treatment of non-believers.  The Quran, I submit, is antithetical to the spirit of freedom and democracy in that it is intolerant of all other religions.  We see examples of Islamic intolerance in the persecution of Copts in Egypt, the expulsion of Christians in Mosul, Boko Haran’s slaughter of Christians in Nigeria, and the unbending commitment of Hamas to the destruction of Israel.  Hardly evidence of a religion of peace.
          To be sure, the majority of Muslims are not jihadists, and there are prominent Muslims who make positive contributions to society.  But even in this country most Muslims would prefer Sharia law to our system of laws and institutions.  We only have to look at how Muslims treat their women to make the point.
          There are no observable Muslim communities in Northeast North Carolina that I know of.  But for twelve years I lived near a large cluster of Muslims in Southfield, Michigan.  I can personally attest to the fact that those Muslims were insulated, by choice, from their neighbors.  They did not participate culturally, socially, or politically in their local community and did not, from what I saw, contribute anything positive to the “fabric of our nation” or the “core of our democracy.”  I would bet that this is the rule rather than the exception in other Muslim communities around this country.
          What troubles me the most about Muslims is what they preach in their mosques and teach in their schools.  Everything I’ve read on the subject tells me that these institutions do not promote freedom of religion and freedom of speech.  In fact, we rarely hear a Muslim-American speak out against Islamic extremism abroad or in favor of assimilation here at home.  Somehow, I would love to be convinced that “Muslim-American” is not an oxymoron.