American Muslims Contribute to Society: A Response to Joel Greenberg
By Emad Hamdeh
Seminole County
US
Joel Greenberg, the Seminole County Tax Collector, recently posted a question on Facebook: “Very simple question … Name just ONE society in the developed world that has benefited in ANY WAY from the introduction of more Muslims. Just one. Asking for a friend.” His post resulted in many different responses, from condemnation to support, and there is a petition requesting him to resign. His question is problematic, not only because it is offensive and unfitting of an elected official, but because it also excludes the over 50 Muslim majority countries from the “developed world.”
The idea that Muslims do not contribute to society is a tired claim that is regurgitated by Islamophobes with no evidence to support it. Although Greenberg claimed he was asking for a friend, he does have a history of anti-Muslim remarks and retweeted his friend, “There is no such thing as Islamophobia. A phobia is an irrational or unreasonable fear. There's no cancerophobia either. Same reason.”
Comparing Islam to cancer is clearly hatred, and this is an attempt to play with language to deny what the word conveys. Even in victimhood, Greenberg and his friend want to deny the very real suffering of Muslims to be recognized, named and ultimately combated. It seems that he is more concerned with fending off the idea that there is anti-Muslim prejudice than acknowledging its existence.
Greenberg’s post dismisses the contributions of Americans who serve their country each day and implies that they add no value to society. If people cannot see how his question is problematic, then no amount of evidence would satiate their hunger for proof concerning the contributions of Muslims in society. Nevertheless, I will answer his “simple question” with some facts about Muslims in America.
The American Muslim community is highly diverse, with African-Americans making up the largest percentage of the country’s estimated 3 million Muslims. Muslims have always been part of American society. In 1777, Morocco, a Muslim-majority country, was one of the first nations to recognize America as a country. In 1787, the two countries signed a treaty of alliance that is still in effect today. History books often make no mention of the religion of those who were enslaved from Africa. However, approximately 20 percent to 30 percent of these slaves were Muslim. These individuals “contributed” to society by force; their Muslim tears, blood and sweat are what helped build America.
The Founding Fathers had relationships with Muslims. Thomas Jefferson had a copy of the Qur’an. In 1805, to better understand the religion of many of these slaves, he also hosted the first White House iftar dinner during the month of Ramadan.
Muslims fought alongside George Washington against British colonialism; among the famous Muslim soldiers are Bampett Muhammad and Yusuf Ben Ali. This illustrates that there has never been an America without Muslims. Muslims have always been, and always will be, part of American social and cultural fabric. The American landscape would also not look the way it does had it not been for American Muslim Fazlur Rahman Khan, who pioneered new structural systems that resulted in a new generation of skyscrapers, including the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).
If people are in need of medical attention, there is a significant chance they will be treated by a Muslim. According to the American Medical Association and Georgetown University’sBridge Project, Muslims make up 10 percent of the country’s physicians although they are only 3 percent of the population. This statistic includes only physicians, but many Muslims are also emergency medical technicians, nurses and researchers whose contributions have helped the world at large. For instance, Ayub Ommaya was an American Muslim neurosurgeon who invented the Ommaya reservoir, used to provide chemotherapy directly to the tumor site in the brain. Even in Greenberg’s local community, Muslims in Seminole County run free health clinics to serve the ill and less fortunate.
In a recent Pew poll, a quarter of US Muslims are enrolled in college compared to just 13 percent of the general public. Similarly, Gallup finds that 31 percent of Muslims are full-time students, a more than three-fold difference above the US general population.
Mr Greenberg, your post created controversy and caused division in our already-divided society. How does this benefit society? At the present, what we need most is compassion, understanding and bridge building. As such, I invite you to meet with your Muslim neighbors in Seminole County; we would be happy to have a conversation with you and your friend.
(Emad Hamdeh has a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies. He lives in Seminole County. – Orlando Sentinel)
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