Dear Mr. Maher,
On April 25th you asked, “If ISIS is so anathema to moderate Muslims, how come zero have gone to fight them?” My question to you is this, sir: How do you define “moderate Muslims”? And how exactly do you propose that they go fight ISIS?
I read your comments about Islam and wonder why you often pose provocative and oversimplified questions to non-Muslim guests, seemingly ignorant of the numerous statements from both Muslim public figures and ordinary Muslims against extremism. Why, I wonder, are you asking the editor of the Weekly Standard about the perceived inactions of “moderate Muslims”? Why not ask actual experts who study this issue and who have spoken to Muslims about their views? Better yet, why not ask an actual Muslim?
My mother, a practicing Muslim who quietly fights against ISIS’s ideology every single day by simply rejecting extremism and teaching her children and grandchildren to do the same, still counts herself among your fans. Do you realize how hurtful it is for her to watch you deride her faith, likening it to a diseased orchard filled with bad apples when she is as disturbed as you are about the rise of extremism? Do you propose that she instead buy a one-way ticket to Syria, pick up a weapon, and face ISIS on the battlefield? Would you actually label her more “moderate” if she had an AK-47 in her hands?
What about my first-generation American Muslim friend who served in the U.S. military to defend you, our Constitution, and our way of life—a way of life that is threatened by ISIS and that prizes freedom and respect, two concepts that he holds dear both as an American and a Muslim? Or the destitute Iraqi mother whose husband was killed by ISIS and who risked her life to move her children to Jordan, where a life of poverty and hardship awaits them, in order to save them from ISIS—does she count as “moderate” if she wears a headscarf and might not share many of your liberal views? What about the American Muslims like myself who have served in various capacities in the U.S. government, both as civil servants and political appointees, striving every day to advance U.S. interests and values at home and abroad?
If you took the time to learn all of this, would you still be asking why “moderate Muslims” are not fighting ISIS and its bankrupt ideology?
When I was 21, I served as a translator between U.S. forces and Iraqi citizens during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Even at that age, regardless of what I thought about the war, I understood the importance of civil and honest communication. It did us no good to accuse and intimidate; we achieved the most when we asked and discussed.
Mr. Maher, the questions you raise are worthy of asking. But instead of being provocative and antagonizing, what if you were to invite Muslims on your show to debate these issues in a respectful and thoughtful manner alongside people like Ben Affleck and Sam Harris? Wouldn’t we all be better off in a society where reasoned discourse, rather than one-sided fear mongering, guides our discussions?
Immediately after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, Time published an article where I challenged the views of the radical British Imam Anjem Choudary and asked him not to speak for the millions of Muslims he did not represent. I also pleaded with non-Muslims not to fall into the same trap—the trap that ISIS has so deftly set for us. This is not about “us versus them” and it’s not about what moderate Muslims are doing or not doing. It is about what we as a community of concerned citizens are doing together to combat extremism of all kinds.
As you continue to discuss this issue, I implore you to include Muslims in your conversations. I’m confident that many others besides me would be thankful for that opportunity.
Respectfully,
An American Muslim
Jasmine El-Gamal is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and a civil servant in the U.S. Government. She holds a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Views expressed are her own.
