Andrew Christian van Gorder

ISLAM AND TEXAS

“Salaam Aleykum y’all.” Amanda Martinez greets her children on this busy Ramadan evening as they scamper through her aromatic kitchen. She is carefully preparing a typical Tex-Mex dinner of enchiladas, beef tacos and guacamole. The table, however, is also graced with a plate of Arabian dates to conclude the Iftar fast because the Martinez family is one of hundreds of Muslim families in Central Texas who are seeking to live out their faith in this primarily conservative Christian context.

Dr. Andrew Christian van Gorder teaches Islamic Studies and World Religions at Baylor University with particular interest on the ways that Muslim communities around the world interact with Christians. His book, No God but God: Path’s to Muslim and Christian Discussions about the Nature of God, is
published by Orbis Books, 2005, and has been translated into a number of different languages.

When imagining the experience of Muslim communities in the United States it is common to think of Arab and Asian immigrants or of African-American Muslims who have converted to the faith. Indeed, most Central Texas Muslims are in these categories. There is also, however, in recent years an increasing number of Latinos and European-Americans who have decided to become Muslims. Regardless of origins, all Muslims in Central Texas face a host of unique and interesting challenges that often relate to misconceptions about their faith and their identity.

There are between 15,000-20,000 Muslims who live within Central Texas.1 They share a fascinating story which includes challenges in the workplace, in public schools and in their inter-relationships with their communities. Frequently this story is characterized by strong efforts on the part of their conservative and evangelical Christian neighbors to bring them into a “saving knowledge of Jesus Christ” and away from the “darkness of Islam”. It is also often a story of members of a faith community who, living in the heart of America’s “Bible-Belt”, have thrived in a context that might not seem readily conducive to their progress and growth.

Perhaps about 25,000 Americans decide to become Muslims every year. These include individual conversions from Christianity, but the large majority of Muslim converts in America, how-ever, have been African-Americans. In Texas, the first predominantly African-American masjid was formed (in Dallas) in 1950 and Islam has a long tradi-tion of gaining a sympathetic audi-ence within the Black community. For many African-Americans, “the viability of Islam as a worldview hinged largely on its primary emphasis on social jus-tice and its ability to provide African Americans with an historical identity independent of slavery.”2

Native Spanish-speaking Texans are also responding to direct appeals targeting their communities that invite them to consider the message of Islamic truth. An article in The Dallas Morning News described the efforts of a mosque in the Dallas area to reach out to their Latino neighbors by distributing Spanish bul-letins in one Mexican neighborhood. Posters were also printed for an open house in one masjid that resulted in over 150 Spanish-speakers attending an informational meeting. One visitor commented at this event that he had brought his entire family to learn about Islam and reported that he was favor-ably impressed: “This is very different from the Catholic Church. So far, I like what I am seeing. I like the emphasis on family life. There is a lot of con-troversy in the Catholic Church. Some priests abusing kids. This is not good for kids...the closeness and families are what reminded me of my culture.”3

Family divisions are often the great-est challenge that these new Muslims face, and this relates to negative and inaccurate conclusions that those in the general pop-ulation have about the nature of Islam. One way to respond to these pressures is for Spanish-speaking Texans to remind their families of the long and profound cultural interactions between Muslims and Christians that helped shape Spanish culture and civilization.

Ethnically, the vast majority of Central Texas Muslims are originally immigrants from South Asia. Most of these new citizens originated in India and Pakistan. There are, however, also a few Muslim immigrants who have settled in Central Texas from their birthplaces in Africa and from the Middle East. What is important to remember is that, prior to coming to Texas, most of these individu-als had little interaction with Christians and their religious ideas and prejudices. South Asian Muslims began to come to Texas in significant numbers after Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Many of these came first as students or business people, and, at the time, may not have been very active in the practice of their religious faith. Islam, for many of them, was often something that they had inher-ited from their parents and was taken for granted to be normative. For many South Asian Muslims, the quest to emigrate revolved around merging successfully into the mainstream of American society. The tragedy of September 11, 2001, however, forced all Muslims in America to recognize that their faith identity was often misrepresented by a large percent-age of average Americans.

FESTIVALS

One of the most important ways that Muslims strengthen their commu-nities, and, particularly, the faith of their children, is through the observance of the various Islamic holidays. At fes-tival times, the children enjoy special foods and are able to become increas-ingly proud of their distinct cultural identity. It is during these ceremonies that Muslims also seek to reach out to their Muslim neighbors in the hopes of diminishing misconceptions and, even perhaps, potential hostilities. The Islamic Society of Waco and the Masjid al-Siddiqi, for example, hosted a meal every evening during Ramadan. They invited students from Baylor University and a number of church groups from their community. These observers sat with them and were able, over some delicious food and warm chai, to learn more about the faith of Islam.

The Austin Islamic community invited area non-Muslims to join them in their Eid al Fitr celebration. A local rabbi said of this experience that his participation reflected his desire to promote religious pluralism and respect among various American faith traditions.

It is also true that these religious festivals create unique challenges for chil-dren in school, workers and friends who find themselves in awkward social set-tings with those who may not understand their practices. Children may be asked why they are fasting and face scorn or bewilderment from their classmates. The same is true in the workplace or in other social settings where people have little experience or interest in learning about the faith of their coworkers or classmates. One way to respond to these intercultural problems is to rely on those Muslims within the community who have previ-ously come from Christian cultural back-grounds before becoming Muslims.

POST 9/11

The Muslims of Central Texas face a host of unique challenges in the area of interfaith engagement. Many of these relate to the political climate since 9/11 and the general widespread support in much of Texas for President Bush’s poli-cies in the Middle East. In fact, 9/11 has actually served to dramatically increase the community engagement that most Muslims in Central Texas have had with their neighbors. Recent events may also be raising the internal commitment that nominal Muslims have toward their faith. Of course, it is difficult to gauge the levels of involvement that various Muslims have with their own faith. One estimate claims that only between 10-20% of American Muslims are active in attendance in their masjids. People have responded in different ways to an increasing awareness in America about Islam. One 17-year old Texan described his feelings about not being able to answer questions about his faith after 9/11: “I felt ashamed for myself because I did not know how to answer. It was like if any of my friends talked about sports right then I would know but about my own religion, I did not know.”4

PROSELYTIZATION VERSUS PROJECTS FOR JUSTICE

Since Central Texas Muslims live in the heart of conservative and largely Christian (often evangelical) communi-ties, they also have to respond to scores of evangelistic efforts which seek their
;conversion. These efforts are often framed in the context of sincere friendships and this fact creates a host of troubling inter-relational dynamics for Muslims. One evangelical book, The Changing Face of Islam in America: Understanding and Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor, explains, “Let us resolve to do good to the Muslims that we meet, helping them to adapt and adjust to American culture, aiding them in learn-ing our worldview, customs and lan-guage. In the process of teaching and serving them we can do what will ulti-mately prove to be the greatest good we can possibly perform for them: sharing the good news of salvation available to them as a free gift from the One True God.”5 These Christian efforts at proselytization parallel attempts, such as the open-house meals for Muslims described earlier, where friendships and programs are described as being simply of efforts of mutual understanding when in fact they are actually initiated in the hopes that individuals will convert from one faith to another faith.

On the other hand, Muslim-Christian interaction has expressed itself in a host of other less-intrusive ways, including mutual projects for social justice or intercultural education. Al Siddiqi, a mechanic in Waco, has led his masjid to be actively involved in the Waco Habitat for Humanity and has been a frequent guest speaker about the nature of Islam in countless classrooms at the faith-based Baylor University. In these presentations Mr. Siddiqi often deals with stereotypes about terrorism, sexism and loyalty by stressing his own military career in the United States Army while being stationed in Korea. This theme of American patriotism and service is a common refrain among Muslims in Central Texas who are trying to communicate to non-Muslims their own loyalty and appreciation for the United States. One Muslim presenter at Georgetown University began his remarks by stating: “This is my country. I am going to live here and die here and be buried here.”6

MUSLIMS REACHING OUT

The Muslim imams and leaders from the various masjids in Austin carry on a very busy schedule of community education activities in area churches, youth groups, high schools, colleges and in other venues such as the Optimists and Lions Club. Responses to these initiatives by non-Muslims have generally been warm and positive. The Jewish community of Austin, for example, has been a visible presence at functions sponsored by the North Austin Community Muslim Center. One Austin Muslim, Safdar Razi, has attempted in these educational venues to accentuate Islam’s contribution to Central Texas. Razi often uses in these presentations the metaphor of a healthy society being like an interfaith “fruit cocktail” which “is blended with different fruits but which makes for a beautiful taste...we have one heart”. The leader of the Muslim Youth Group of the North Austin Muslim Community Center explained in an interview for the local newspaper that the goal of Muslims in Central Texas is to begin to “build a social bond of friendship so that we can build upon that”.7 The prevailing sentiment is that when non-Muslims come to see that the Muslims in their midst are not a threat, then there will be opportunities for increased mutual respect, and, perhaps, even for interfaith partnerships or discussions.

The Muslims of Central Texas have been active in developing progressively stronger relationships with institutions of higher learning in the region. Baylor University in Waco and the University of Texas in Austin have, to varying degrees, sought to help Muslim students in their midst feel welcome, and for non-Muslim students to better appreci-ate Islam. From time to time, both insti-tutions have had to deal with complaints from Muslim students about incidents of harassment. The recent furor over -the Danish cartoons that depicted the Prophet Muhammad led to a forum on the Baylor campus where one student told of being spat upon, and having things thrown at her and her head-covering being pulled by classmates. These incidents led to a spirited discussion on campus and in the Baylor newspaper.

On a more positive note, the Baylor administration has expressed a clear desire to address these issues and foster a positive and hospitable learning environment for all of its students. Muslim students have become active in the Center for Jewish Studies on campus and that Center has discussed the need for the University to provide dedicated space for people of other faith traditions to pray. The University of Texas and Austin College both have Muslim student organizations.

CHALLENGE OF RACISM AND HATE

Unfortunately, interreligious tensions in Central Texas have, in the past, taken the form of violent attacks and other hate crimes against Muslims. A number of threats and incidents have resulted in police in various jurisdictions (such as Austin and Waco) monitoring masjid parking lots at certain times of the year to reassure Muslim worshippers. Further south, San Antonio experienced a series of hate-related arson attacks against Pakistani business properties which resulted in over a quarter of a million dollars in damages. In western Texas, vandals have spray-painted derogatory terms on the Lubbock masjid, home to about 700 Muslims. In North Texas, a Pakistani convenience store clerk was killed in Mesquite and a mosque in Denton was firebombed. Bullets were fired into the Islamic Center of Irving. Across the state since 9/11 a host of convenience stores operated by Pakistani immigrants have been targets of arson and vandalism and authorities have determined a number of these attacks to be hate-crimes.8 In El Paso, Antonio Flores will serve 14 years for attempting to bomb the mosque in that city.9 Another bomb exploded outside a mosque in Houston.10 One of the most vivid incidents in Central Texas occurred when a vandal left a number of severed rams’-heads at The Islamic Center of Greater Austin in East Austin after the facility was burglarized.11 In addition to these actual attacks, there are a number of racist hate groups with followings across the state which publish on their websites and promote in their gatherings acrid diatribes against Islam in general and against Muslims and immigrants to the United States in particular.

While these dramatic cases are appalling, Muslims in Central Texas often experience harassment of a much more pervasive and ubiquitous nature. Exactly how is this extensive harassment experienced by the Muslims of Central Texas in their interactions with non-Muslims? The Austin Area Interreligious Ministry cites four main dimensions to the trend of Islamaphobia.

• First, Muslims have complained of experiencing significant racial profiling as they have flown in and out of area airports.

• Second, Muslims have worried about possible incidents of surveillance and a perceived sense of suspicion in their daily and professional interactions.

• Third, Muslims in Central Texas have felt that some employers in the region have been hesitant to hire them.

• Fourth, Muslims have cited tense and inappropriate interactions with local civil authorities in
the region.

Each of these areas has received attention in the program. Speaking of the need for such a program in the region, Jim Harrington of the Texas Civil Rights Project observed:

There is Islamaphobia here in Austin. I don’t think there is any doubt about that...but its sort of indirect words, sort of indirect pressure, unwelcome suspicion, remarks that make people feel very uncomfortable. When you put that together with government policy, people would rather go somewhere else and that is a loss to us.12

WOMEN AND ISLAM

A particular point of tension between Muslims and their Central Texas neighbors have revolved around issues relating to the perception that non-Muslims have about the treatment of women in Islam and negative reactions that Muslim women have experienced as they have tried to carry out their daily lives. Muslim women in Central Texas who wear the hijab (head scarf) describe frequent experiences of harass-ment or suspicion. This has led Central Texas Muslim women to respond to these vexations in a variety of different ways. Some women have chosen not to talk about the problem or address it at all because, according to Nahid Khataw, “some women are embarrassed to ask for help”.13 Others decide that it is easi-est and wisest to take the path of least intercultural resistance. Nahid Khataw stopped wearing the hijab after her child was mocked in an Austin public school:

I was scared. I heard so many cases that people were being harassed because they were wearing hijab. Children were pulling the hijab off and hurting them. I thought it would be better for me and my family not to wear it. They would be portrayed as a terrorist if they’re wearing it-Muslims who wear a hijab – they are not bad.14

In contrast, other Muslim women have taken the opposite approach. Annia Rajia, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, began to wear the veil after 9/11:

I live with 11 other girls and I am the only Muslim...I pray in random buildings on the UT campus...In college towns like Austin it is easier (to be a Muslim) because people are more open-minded.

Clothing is only one expression of the tensions that all Muslim women in America face as they deal with their non-Muslim neighbors. A host of wide-spread cultural customs became points of stress: conservative Muslim women will not shake hands with men, while issues revolving around dating practices for Muslim youth are further cause for concern in some Muslim families. This last anxiety relates to cautions about intermarriage between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Since 9/11 Muslims in Central Texas have complained of scrutiny and suspi-cion being directed against them by local civil authorities. International students at Central Texas colleges and universi-ties as well as local Muslim businessmen have been the focus on FBI scrutiny. A full-time member of the University of Texas Police Department has been assigned to a task force to identify “potential terrorists”. The United States Patriot Act has led to students at UT Austin having their records scrutinized, as well as the arrest, and later release of Tahir Ibrihim Aletewi, a 30 year old stu-dent at the University of Texas. Each of these incidents adds further fuel to the fires of mutual suspicion.

The political opinions of a few Muslims are often superimposed on even the most politically apathetic of Muslims living in Central Texas. Muslims cited one particular incident that received extensive news coverage as being indicative of this tendency. One charity that had been heavily supported financially by Central Texas Muslims, The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, was closed down by federal authorities after it was charged with funneling more than 12 million dollars to the Palestinian political orga-nization Hamas over a 6-year period. This situation fueled suspicions, and a number of Central Texas Muslims claimed that they were alarmed by the publicity that this incident generated against their number. Muslims are often linked to terrorism in the psyche of their Central Texas neighbors. Because of the state’s long and porous border with Mexico the newspapers and talk -15shows are brimming over, perhaps not without merit, with warnings about the problems surrounding illegal immigration. This affected Texas Muslims significantly when Farkuhl Islam, a Bangladeshi, was arrested December 4, 2004, because of the claim that he may have had extensive ties with the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

BETWEEN ASSIMILATION AND SEPARATISM

It is true that many Central Texas Muslims are very critical of the for-eign policy initiatives of President Bush. Particular scorn is reserved for Bush’s support for Israel and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The war in Iraq is a frequent point in Muslim-Christian interactions. In one forum, Imam Saddar Razi of the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association in North Austin (Shiite) who grew up in Iraq explained to the predominantly Christian audience that he loved both Iraq and his adopted country, the United States.

Some Muslims seek to assimilate into the larger community’s mainstream while others choose to maintain a safe distance from their neighbors in order to protect and guard their own self-interests. Still other Muslims assert their own uniqueness and specific perspectives in relation to the larger American society. Increasingly, Muslims are seeking to become more “American”, and participation in the political arena is an ideal setting to express that commitment and desire.

Central Texas Muslims have expressed their commitment to civic par-ticipation in a number of ways beyond political activism and participation in elections. Muslims were very active in relief efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the American Gulf Coast. They also raised significant funds when the tsunami struck South Asia in December, 2004. Their responses to these events were both visible and appre-ciated by their fellow Texans who saw in their actions the clear commitment by Muslims to affirm their rootedness in the community. Masjid al-Siddiqi in Waco hosted countless hurricane refugees as did the masjids throughout the region.

In contrast to the tsunami and hurricane catastrophes, many Pakistani Muslims who live in Central Texas feel the Pakistani earthquake crisis in a very personal way. This expressed itself in the generosity that Muslims expressed in their fundraising efforts for earthquake relief. Unfortunately, this effusive support was also in stark contrast to the relative lack of financial support that other Central Texans showed in responding to pleas for assisting the victims of the Pakistani earthquake. The Red Cross of Central Texas raised $6 million after the tsunami but has only received $2,810 toward assistance for the victims of the Pakistani earthquake.16

Instead of focusing on differences and problems, a paper of this nature could just as easily present the Muslims of Central Texas as average citizens. Indeed, they come from all walks of life and economic situations and, in terms of their religious affiliation, the vast majority of them are nominal and well ensconced on the road to acculturation and social conformity. The fact is that their non-Muslim neighbors often do not allow them simply to be Central Texans or Americans. While they are soccer moms, physicians, office workers, lawyers, mechanics, teachers and students who know where to eat good barbeque and cheer for the Dallas Cowboys, they have also been forced by their non-Muslim neighbors to struggle with issues about how to relate to “Islamic terrorism” and a host of other complicated social and religious issues. Social conversations might call upon Muslims to explain to non-Muslims how the Islamic view of women relates to something that they saw or heard on the television or radio. Recent converts to Islam, on the other side, often look to lifelong Muslims to help them understand their new faith only to discover that their seasoned elders are oftentimes themselves ignorant of the riches and commands of their own faith tradition. These are just a few of the many multifaceted challenges that the Muslims of Central Texas face as they seek to practice their faith in the context of a society that is often unsupportive, ignorant, or even hostile to their cherished ideals, beliefs, and values.

FINAL REMARKS

The long journey from social mar-ginalization and harassment is a dif-ficult one, but the work now being done in this regard will have lasting benefit not only for their children and grand-children, but also for non-Muslims. The latter, because of these efforts and sacri-fices, will be better able to understand the beauties of the Islamic heritage and faith. Perhaps it is too much to hope for that the Muslims in Central Texas will soon lead normal lives enjoying the acceptance and enthusiastic support of their non-Muslim neighbors. Relations between Muslims, Jews and Christians in Central Texas may continue to be improving at only a glacial pace. There are hopeful signs, however, that these various communities are taking increas-ing steps toward understanding and appreciating each other’s faith and life.

NOTES

1Central Texas will be defined as the Austin, Killeen, Fort Hood, Temple and Waco area. The number 15,000-20,000 is widely held and is cited in the Austin News 8 report of November 28, 2004.

2Aminah Beverly McCloud, African American Islam (Routledge: New York, 1995), 166.

3Ira J. Hadnot, “Muslims Make Effort to Welcome Hispanic ‘Revert,’” The Dallas Morning News, October 25, 2003.

4Shomial Ahmad, “Awakening Islam,” The Fort Worth Weekly, November 9, 2005.

5Larry A. Poston with Carl F. Ellis, Jr., The Changing Face of Islam in America: Understanding and Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor (Camp Hill, PA: Horizon Books, 2000), 270.

6Dick Stanley and Mary Ann Roser, “Muslim Fears,” Austin American
Statesman, September 21, 2001.

7Kim Sue Lia Perkes, “Looking for Answers: Area Students Bring Tough Questions on Faith, Bias, Safety to Religious Forum,” Austin American Statesman, October 30, 2001.

8T. A. Badger, “Police Say Arson Fires At Business Likely Hate Crimes Against Muslims,” The Daily Texan, April 8, 2004.

9Muslim Public Affairs Council, http://www.mpac.org/community_article_display.aspx?ITEM=785

10Council of American-Islamic Relations Statement, July 7, 2004, www.notinourname.net

11Kim Sue Lia Perkes, “Islamic Worshippers Uneasy After Four Severed Rams Heads Left on Grounds,” Austin American Statesman, May 30, 1998. The ICGA is on 1906 Nueces Street, Austin, TX 78705, phone: 512-476-2563. They also maintain the main Islamic cemetery for members of the local communities.

12Jiti Hingorani, “Islam Post 9/11: Islamophobia in Austin,” News 8 Explores, November 30, 2004.

13Kim Sue Lia Perkes, “Minister Explores Abuses in Name of Religion,” Austin American Statesman, October 7, 2001.

14Jitin Hingorani, “Islam Post 9/11: Islamophobia in Austin.”

15Sergio Chapa, “Bangladeshi’s Arrest Prompts Concern Over Border Security,” The Brownsville Herald, December 11, 2004.

16Delany Hall, “Continuous Disasters Slow Donations for Pakistan,” The Daily Texan, October 27, 2005.