Riffing off of the Rashid Khalidi situation, Spencer makes a good point about how ensuring that Muslim Americans are fully engaged and welcome in American society is important to our national security interests. In turn, let me use that as a jumping off point for my increasingly relevant article from earlier in the week:
Many have suggested that Obama's election would be a symbolic victory, both in public diplomacy abroad and here at home, over the forces of discrimination. Muqtedar Kahn, an expert in Muslim Americans at the University of Delaware, wrote in a recent report that Obama seems to be "designed specifically to bridge every divide threatening to tear America apart today." The question remains though, whether Obama has gone far enough in ensuring that his message of hope and inclusiveness includes this community. The Muslim community in the United States is unlike most others outside the Muslim-majority world in that it is not an incubator for extremism. It is unfortunate that a presidential candidate who has shown boldness in addressing the deepest divisions in America -- racism, sexism and partisanship -- can't make a bolder statement in support of a growing community whose engagement in American life isn't just right but critical to beating back militant political Islam worldwide.
"If there is one thing that Muslims really yearn for, it's to feel that they're included in the fabric of America," Amanullah said.
--Tim Fernholz
