Politically Correct to be Anti-Muslim

Assalamu Alaikum:

The easiest way to combat the anti-Muslim hype is for Muslims to get out into the world and publicly be Muslim.  Participate.  Where I live, Muslims hang out mainly with other Muslims... preferably Muslims from the same ethnic background is their own.  That does nothing to help dispell the myths that the Average American holds about Islam.

How many Americans really know a Muslim? As a friend. 

• How many of our masjids are set up to receive non-Muslim visitors?? Talk to your American converts to see just how far your masjid needs to go before a typical American (or American revert) would be comfortable there. 
• Having Sisters in some damp, dusty room with screaming babies is not a way to do dawa.
• Having a khutbah in Arabic or Urdu that visitors cannot understand (and most likely your second and third generation kids have trouble understanding)... won't work
• What about having a visitors session or khutbah on the weekend where everything is in English... so non-Muslims know exactly what we're saying when we pray.

If you have kids, do you volunteer at your kids' school??  What about taking younger kids to Gymboree or Music classes??? Do you go to these things publicly as a Muslim (wearing hijab) so that others know that Muslims care just as much about their kids as non-Muslims do?? (This is a myth that many Americans believe. That we all want our kids to grow up to be suicide bombers.)

Do you encourage your kids to follow their hearts in career paths other than medicine or engineering?? We need Muslim actors, Muslim teachers (in nonMuslim schools!), Muslim newscasters, Muslim artists, Muslim businesspeople, etc.

Do you and others in your community volunteer in the community? How rare is it for somebody to meet a Muslim volunteering at the local soup kitchen, or hospital, or wherever.  Get out there.  Be a public Muslim who cares about the community.

The solution is to stop being so isolated.

Peace.

I have to say - USA-bashing is fairly fashionable at the moment, too.

I might even suggest that this gives Muslims and the USA something in common. 

So - what conclusion(s) might be drawn from this?

Kim...

Oh, I think you misinterpreted me. I didn't mean "Muslims in particular say bad things about the US", I meant that _lots _ of people all over the place abuse Americans/the USA.

Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it isn't and I'm not going to say that I don't indulge in it occasionally. Some of their business decisions and cultural imperialism mean that many of us get extremely angry and frustrated sometimes.

Kim...