An American Muslim, on Islam

The Soft Bigotry Of Jimmy Kimmel’s Low Muslim Expectations
Jimmy Kimmel says policing Muslim neighborhoods will lead to more violent jihad. What a bigoted idea.

"As a Muslim who has grown up across three continents and in four cultures, I have the unique perspective of both insider and outsider—and essentially outlier. I’ve predicted an American society completely blind-sided by itself. Isolationists at heart, most Americans see radical Islam as a problem central to the Middle East, occasionally splattering onto the West. This sort of categorical approach to the world has made it easy for militant Islam to dominate the headlines while letting graver and more sinuous threats at home go relatively unnoticed because, frankly, there isn’t the expectation of a threat in any other form.

The problem with the national dialogue, as we see from the Kimmel-Cruz exchange, is that, while there is a hyper focus on kinetic terrorism, that focus is an inch deep. American discourse also takes place in a sequestered environment of privilege, comfort, and relative unawareness of an outside world, especially of how the outside world sees it.

Islam sees itself as essentially superior to Judaism and Christianity. It sees an Eastern history in competition with Western history, running parallel up until our recent and inevitable clash of civilizations. That sense of superiority and divine infallibility has obliterated free thought in the Islamic faith, retarded reform efforts that should have been secured centuries prior, and given rise to both militant and political Islam.

So while ISIS has captured the American imagination, we’ve left the back door wide open for Islamist activity, unable to recognize the diplomatic branch of radical Islam as essentially another form of the same threat. The Left’s fear that Muslim-Americans will be radicalized if challenged isn’t just outlandish, it’s dismissive of the fact that these types of Muslims are already politically and culturally radical.

The Islamist agenda isn’t just politically driven, it’s also culturally driven parasite that relies on its host for survival. Last week, host Jimmy Kimmel and his over-exuberant audience did a fantastic job of scoring a win for radical Islam."

Shireen Qudosi, a Sufi Muslim of Afghan and South Asian ancestry, is a writer on Islam.