In a speech before the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated the administration's view, put forth in the new National Security Strategy, that Muslim communities have an important role to play in fighting terrorism, referring to "the crucial, ongoing dialogue between law enforcement and members of the Arab-American community" as "one of our nation’s most important conversations." Holder also recalled an element of the Times Square bombing that went mostly overlooked by the press in the aftermath of Faisal Shahzad's arrest.
Let us not forget, it was a Muslim-American man who first alerted the New York police to a smoking car in Times Square. And his vigilance likely helped to save lives. He did his part to avert tragedy, just as millions of other Arab-Americans are doing their parts and proudly fulfilling the responsibilities of citizenship.
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The era of “us versus them” that some of you have experienced must end. At long last, it is ending. Together, we can make sure it's replaced by a new era – an era that recognizes the truth reflected in this organization's name – that regardless of our faiths, regardless of our backgrounds, we are all Americans.
An admirable sentiment. But as the fight over the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero shows, that era isn't over for everyone, and some people simply don't want it to be.
-- A. Serwer
