GUEST COLUMN: I Am Muslim
I am Muslim.
A whole plethora of emotions may have suddenly entered your head; from the positive (interest and intrigue) to the negative (suspicion, fear, even hate).
And although you may not verbalize these emotions, I can see them in your facial expression and your posture as you walk by. You wonder if I’m covertly radical, dangerous or an inappropriate influence on your children. To you, I am an embodiment of a religion you have been taught to treat with distrust, distain or caution.
Now here I am, a possible existential threat to the solvency of your community.
Some of you may have seen me around Chardon Square … sporting a decent size fuzzy beard, wearing an Islamic head covering, performing my mid-day prayers, or simply having a bowl of tomato soup at a local restaurant.
I can tell you that I am a good person with a good heart, with a humorous bent to my personality that often counters the stress associated with daily life. I am also religious, but not radical. I respect all those I encounter and personally strive to hear everyone’s unique story — stories of excitement, of despair, of beauty or of fear.
Now with that introduction established, I will share with you my emotions during this turbulent election season. Regrettably, I must say that I am worried about the direction of the local community. The hateful rhetoric being volleyed by politicians against Muslims is moving, slowly creeping into communities I once thought immune to Washington’s bluster, including ours.
Let me be clear, I have deep respect for both sides and their respective political philosophies. I appreciate constructive dialogue that is often associated with disagreement. In particular, I appreciate the interchange on how to combat terrorism, both abroad and inside this great country.
Believe me, ISIS scares all of us, including Muslims. We all want to be a resource on how to combat this hate group’s dangerous and unpredictable nature.
However, this election season has been different. This dialogue of solutions has morphed into one where politicians have vehemently lied, attacked and threated Muslim’s civil liberties. Allusions of curtailed liberties have included covert surveillance of our sacred mosques and ID badges for Muslim-American citizens.
Muslims such as me have watched with concern, wondering if these threats might be the new American norm, both nationally and locally. Unfortunately, I have experienced Muslim slurs walking down Cherry Avenue. I was sitting on the square when a group of four to five people gawked, pointed and crossed the street as they approached me.
A person refused to order from me at a previous job in Chardon because I was an “ISIS sympathizer”. These incidents hurt me, but did not deter me from loving this beautiful community. It was my fervent hope that these incidents were only a temporary condition for many.
Now, as the election season winds down, I wonder if this will be the new community norm for me. A city’s character is defined by how well it deals with the diversity of its community members.
Will I continue to feel welcome in this community? Or will the national discourse mar my acceptance in the very community I grew up in.
Anthony (Mohammed) Sadler
Chardon
