Young American Mus lims Dynamics of Identity Nahid Afrose Kabir YOUNG AMERICAN MUSLIMS KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd i 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd iiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 YOUNG AMERICAN MUSLIMS DYNAMICS OF IDENTITY NAHID AFROSE KABIR KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd iiiiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 © Nahid Afrose Kabir, 2013 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LF www.euppublishing.com Typeset in 10/12.5 Sabon by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 6993 6 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 6994 3 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 0 7486 6996 7 (epub) ISBN 978 0 7486 6995 0 (Amazon ebook) The right of Nahid Afrose Kabir to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd iivv 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Contents List of tables and fi gures vi List of abbreviations vii Glossary ix Acknowledgements xi Introduction: my journey and the ‘Muslim question’ 1 1. Identity matters 11 2. The culture debate 42 3. What does it take to be an American? 68 4. Refl ections on the American media 114 5. Barack Hussein Obama and young Muslims’ political awareness 148 6. The Palestinian question 178 7. From here to where? 206 Select bibliography 221 Index 225 KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd v 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Tables and figures Tables 1.1 Participants by state and gender 34 1.2 Participants by age and gender 34 1.3 List of ethnic backgrounds by state 35 1.4 Participants by ethnic background 36 2.1 Employment status of students’ parents 48 2.2 Employment status of ‘non-student’ participants 49 3.1 Patterns of identity 70 3.2 ‘What sport do you support or watch?’ 104 4.1 Key points of responses to question ‘What do you think of the American media?’ 118 5.1 Responses on the topic of President Barack Hussein Obama 152 6.1 Views of American Muslims of Palestinian background 185 Figures 1.1 Five times a day, the call to anger 24 3.1 Racial profi ling 91 3.2 Kobe Bryant 107 4.1 When is someone’s religion relevant and newsworthy? 134 [ vi ] KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd vvii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Abbreviations 610 WIOD Radio station in South Florida ABC American Broadcasting Corporation; Australian Broadcasting Corporation ACLU American Civil Liberties Union AQAP Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CAIR Council on American–Islamic Relations CBS Columbia Broadcasting System CMES Center for Middle Eastern Studies CNBC Consumer News and Business Channel CNN Cable News Network FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation FIS Front Islamique du Salut: Islamic Salvation Front FL Florida GE General Electric IRS Internal Revenue Service MA Massachusetts MAPS Muslims in American Public Square MCT McClatchy Tribune Information Services MD Maryland MI Michigan MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology MPAC Muslim Public Affairs Council MSNBC Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Company NBA National Basketball Association NOI Nation of Islam NPR National Public Radio [ vii ] KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd vviiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 viii ] Young American Muslims NY New York PBS Public Broadcasting Service PBUH Peace Be Upon Him PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate [explosive] PhD Doctor of Philosophy SBS Special Broadcasting Service (Australia) THC Tetrahydrocannabinol UK United Kingdom UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization US United States USA United States of America VA Virginia YMCA Young Men’s Christian Association KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd vviiiiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Glossary Abaya A loose black robe that covers the wearer from head to toe, traditionally worn by Muslim women Alhamdulillah Praise to Allah (God) Allah God Azan Call to prayer Burqa Loose outer garment worn by Muslim women Dabke falasteeny Palestinian folk dance Desi A person from the Indian subcontinent Din Faith Eid-e-Milad-un Nabi Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Eid-ul-Adha Muslim religious celebration Eid-ul-Fitr Muslim religious celebration Fatwa Religious ruling Fiqh Jurisprudence Gurdwara Sikh temple Hadith Teachings or tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Hajj Pilgrimage to Ka’bah performed in the prescribed twelfth month of the Islamic calendar Halal Slaughter of animals in the Islamic way Harram Forbidden in Islam Hawiyya Arabic name for identity card Hijab Headscarf Hookah Water pipe for smoking Hudud Limits set by Allah InshAllah God willing Izzat Honour Jambiya Traditional dagger [ ix ] KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd iixx 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 x ] Young American Muslims Jihad Religious struggle of Muslims Jihadi An individual who participates in a jihad Jilbab Long coat Ka’bah An important shrine of the Islamic world in Mecca Kalima First Islamic declaration of belief Kar sevak Hindu volunteer Khalifah Caliph Khilafah Caliphate Kufi Cap Madrasah Islamic school Masjid Mosque Muharram First month of Islamic calendar Musalla Prayer room Mushaira Urdu poetic symposium Nasheed Devotional Islamic song Niqab Face veil Nowruz Iranian New Year Ramadan Month of fasting Ramadan kareem ‘Ramadan is generous’ (saying) Rasul Messenger or prophet sent by Allah with divine ordinance Salaam Muslim greeting Salat Muslim prayer Sari Indian women’s clothing Sawm Fasting Shahada First Islamic declaration of belief. Another term for kalima Sharam Shame Shariah Islamic way Shariah law The code of law derived from the teachings of the Quran and the teachings and tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Sunnah Teachings or tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Taliban Students Tasreeh Permit Thob Full-length Arab traditional dress Topi Muslim men’s cap Ummah Islamic community transcending all national boundaries Umrah Hajj Pilgrimage to Ka’bah performed any time of the year (other than the prescribed time of the Hajj) Zakat Alms giving KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd x 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Acknowledgements I express my sincere gratitude to Professor Jocelyne Cesari, director of the Islam and the West Program at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, USA for inviting me to conduct this research. For the information contained in this book I am indebted to the Muslims who most generously agreed to be interviewed. I sincerely thank the students and staff of the Islamic, public and charter schools who helped me to make this study a success. The various youth centres in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Florida and Michigan have also been very supportive. Thanks to the Muslim leaders who participated in this survey. I am also grate- ful to the members and leaders of the Council of American–Islamic Relations who participated in this study. In the USA, I express my grateful thanks to Imam Shamsi Ali, Imam Achmat Salie, Belal Kaleem, Dawud Walid, Muhammed Malik, Harun al Rasheed, Ahmed Hamid, Nasreen Rahman, Saiful Huq, Khojesta Huq, Shagir Ahmed, Rumana Ahmed, Razia Pothiawala, Quazi S. al-Tariq MD, Zarin Huq, Khadija Enayet, Humayun Khan, Rehana Khan, Mrs Rowshan Chowdhury, Samina Hossain, Zeenat Ara, Tasmina Rahman and Roohi Rahman. Many thanks to Barbara Puleau for appreciating the merit of this research. Gina Soos always maintained that this study was important. Thanks Gina, for your kind support. I am also thankful to cartoonist Khalil Bendib for allowing me to publish his cartoons in my book. In the UK, I express my thanks to Edinburgh University Press, Ms Nicola Ramsay and Mr Eddie Clark for assisting me in the publication process. In Australia, I express my sincere gratitude to Dr Mary Kooyman, who dedicated many hours to editing my drafts and making constructive com- ments. Many thanks to Professor Lelia Green for her kind support, and to Dr John Hall for his valuable advice. I am grateful to Ms Kate Leeson of [ xi ] KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd xxii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 xii ] Young American Muslims the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding at the Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia for copyediting the manuscript. I extend my warm appreciation for the constant support of my family, especially my husband, Dr Mohammad Ismat Kabir, and our three sons, Sakhawat, Naoshad and Mahtab Kabir, for allowing me to stay in the United States and carry out my research project while they looked after each other in my absence. Of course, the caring nature of my husband helped me concentrate on my research work and write this book. In Bangladesh, special thanks to my brother, Faiz Matin, for providing me with contacts in the USA. KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd xxiiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 To my family KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd xxiiiiii 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 KKABIRABIR AAMERICANMERICAN 99780748669936780748669936 PPRINT.inddRINT.indd xxiviv 112/11/20122/11/2012 008:268:26 Introduction: my journey and the ‘Muslim question’ My acquaintance with American society has been developed on three occasions: fi rst, as a spouse (and a student) when my husband was a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, second, as a conference speaker/attendee, and fi nally, as a visiting fellow at Harvard University. I now provide a thumbnail sketch of my life journey from my childhood to my present circumstances. I was born and raised in a Muslim family in the predominantly Muslim country of Bangladesh, but I spent several years of my childhood in Pakistan.