On Sept. 14, Craig Considine gave a presentation about his novel “Muslims in America,” which explores the validity of various ideas about U.S. Muslim culture.
The lecture was sponsored by the Sie Cheou-Kong Center for International Security and Diplomacy. About 40 people attended the event.
Considine addressed five main points during his speech: there has never been an America without Muslims, Muslims have always defended the United States, U.S. Muslims are highly integrated and are similar to mainstream Americans, Anti-Muslim realms misrepresent reality and combating the Islamophobia industry is a major challenge.
First, Considine disproved the claim that Muslims are a new migrant population to the United States. According to his research, Muslims have always called the United States their home, living there even before Columbus. Evidence has shown that 10-30 percent of slaves across the Atlantic were Muslims who practiced their religion during the time of the American Revolution. Additionally, Considine said that the founding fathers welcomed Muslims to American soil and had no intention of the U.S. being a Christian country. A quote from George Washington claims that “[The U.S.] is open to all the oppressed people” and not just those of a particular group.
Not only have Muslims lived in the United States for a long time, but Considine verified Muslims have always defended the United States. They have fought for our country in every major civil war including the Civil War, American Revolution, Korean War and Vietnam War. Muslims are loyal to the U.S. and want to keep it free from harm. Considine said that most Muslim refugees are women and children who fled their country because of violence, so they are less likely than Americans to cause it.
Next, Considine confirmed that Muslims are highly integrated and similar to mainstream Americans. He said that Muslims are one of the most educated groups in the United States behind Hindus and Jews with an average of 14 years of education and 39 percent achieving bachelor’s degrees. A majority of Muslims lean towards the Democratic Party, prefer to be governed by the Constitution versus Islamic law and are strong advocates for free speech.
Considine’s fourth concept was that Anti-Muslim realms misrepresent reality. Americans tend to believe influential leaders such as President Trump and Sarah Palin, so comments such as “true hatred among Muslims is too great” and “Islam puts the ‘I’ in Isis” are taken as fact even if they aren’t backed by significant sources. Considine argued that when we look at Muslim culture represented in the media, we need to be more discerning and ask the Muslim community for answers.
Considine concluded the presentation by noting that combating the Islamophobia industry is a major challenge that can be combated through open discussion. He said, “I can build bridges, but Muslims need to be the ones talking in the media.” Considine suggested that there are likely people who are uninformed about Muslim culture, but to truly know their intentions, just ask questions.
The Sturm College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences hosts numerous lectures throughout the year which community members may sign up for on their events webpage. Considine continues to give similar presentations at universities across Colorado and is in the midst of writing a new novel called “Islam in America: Exploring the Issues” to be released in 2019.
