In his letter to the editor, CAIR-CA’s Hussam Ayloush responds to writer Samuel Short’s and actor James Woods’ attempts to vilify Islam and normalize anti-Muslim rhetoric in public discourse.
“The overt bigotry expressed by contributing writer Samuel Short in his recent commentary, where he claims to speak on behalf of ‘Western civilization,’ is an appalling and downright dangerous continuation of the blatant anti-Muslim rhetoric that has made its way back into the political and societal norm.
He echoes the words of actor James Woods on social media, labeling Islam a ‘plague’ and blaming the faith for the unjustifiable killing of 15 people in Australia’s Bondi Beach.
Both Short’s and Woods’ lazy, unoriginal arguments rely on the tired and harmful stereotype that Muslims are inherently tied to violence and terrorism simply because of their faith—a sentiment deeply rooted in the dehumanization and fearmongering that Muslims have had to endure for decades—while ignoring both facts and history.
The horrific terrorist attack targeting Australia’s Jewish community, and its perpetrators, have been rightfully condemned by every mainstream Muslim organization and authority in Australia, the U.S., and the world.
Even more telling is that these Islamophobic commentators refuse to acknowledge that one of the brave people who risked their own lives to stop the attackers was, in fact, a Muslim man, Ahmed Al Ahmed.
It bears asking the question: why are the violent actions of a few cherry-picked to condemn a faith, while compassion, courage, and protection of innocent life—values held by the overwhelming majority of the world’s Muslims—are diminished, dismissed, or ignored altogether? Perpetrators of violence are viewed as a representation of the faith, despite being few and far between, while nearly two billion peaceful worshippers are labeled as the exception.
While Muslims are vilified for crimes they neither committed nor condone, Israel and its Anglo-imperialist allies have engaged in barbaric attacks on Palestine, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Qatar, murdering more than 70,000 innocent civilians, including more than 20,000 children, in the past two years alone.
Western powers have largely stayed silent—or worse, justified and supported the Israeli government’s brutal campaign of genocide, illegal occupation, and ethnic cleansing. There is no comparable outrage from those who claim to speak on behalf of Western civilization’s morality, including Short and Woods.
Intentionally omitting these facts makes it undeniably clear where bigots like them stand; violence only offends them when the perpetrators are Muslim and when Islam can be used as a political scapegoat.”
About the Author
Hussam Ayloush is the CEO of CAIR California, a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and a lifelong advocate for human rights and democracy both here and abroad.
