A Message to Arabs and Muslims

By Nidal Sakr

On one humid Florida evening in 2002, a group of community

leaders in Florida met with FBI officials to discuss infringement
on civil rights of Arabs and Muslims. Make-up of the leader
delegation resembled that of the Florida community-at-large,
and the message resonated very clearly: “an attack on Arabs
or Muslims is an attack on all of us.” Not too long afterwards,
Arab and Muslim activists were in the forefront of community-
wide coalitions to reform elections and repeal US Patriot Act in
some of the nation’s largest counties. The highlighted events
are among hundreds of incidents where Muslims and Arabs
continued to pay their dues to America in distinction, and
against all adversities.

Although reports by research centers and media outlets all

testify that the Arab and Muslim community in America is one
of the most highly-educated and qualified communities with
the highest rate of net contribution to society, many still fail to
embrace it as such. When it comes to Arabs and Muslims in America, skepticism goes both ways.
Muslims always strive to make America better and greater, yet always seem to be deprived of being
credited for what they long strive for.
After all, it was Arabs who rolled the first American cars out of assembly lines in Detroit. It was Arab
CEOs who rescued American auto makers out of crises that threatened to shut them down altogether. It
is Arab and Muslim researchers who develop computer technology in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. It is
Arabs and Muslims who wrote software for the whole world to run computers in Bellevue and elsewhere.
It is Arabs and Muslim doctors and researchers who staff medical areas, in Boston, Cambridge,
Minnesota, and elsewhere. It was Arabs and Muslims who took America to the moon and outer space.
And yes, it was Arabs and Muslims who shared the blame when the country went wrong as evidenced by
the likes of Abizaid and Khalilzad.
From cab drivers and restaurant workers, to Speaker of the House and Cabinet Chief of Staff, Arabs and
Muslims have been there and done that. America danced to the tunes of Shakira, Gloria Stephan, Paula
Abdul, and Celine Dion. And it was an Arab Muslim child named Muhammad Al-Durra who made America
and the whole world cry witnessing his slaughter unfolding over the longest 20 minutes ever caught on
tape.

It is election season that brings so much pain and regret when it seems that we are first on the receiving
end when things go wrong, yet pushed to the back of the line when things seem to get better. Arab and
Muslim contribution need not a candidate or one event to be recognized, for your recognition is made in
every minute, day in and day out for being who you are. It is your identity, in striving to perfect all that is
who you are and what you do, that is your best recognition. It is when you embrace your identity and
reach out to your fellow humans with a touch of kindness, a greeting of mercy, or a show of compassion
that you are recognized.

Election is not about fairness and all that is written in the constitution. It is about helping our country heal
one grief at a time. Muslims and Arabs are not about voting for those who tell us what we like to hear and
do what we hate to see. Election is about voting for who is good or at least better for the country, the
country which we all cherish and strive so hard to build. I can understand the frustration and pain that
comes from prejudice, discrimination, and injustice, but hate weighs down on the shoulder of the hater as
well.

This election is barely starting, and Muslims and Arabs need to weigh what is at stake and make their
choices. Every eligible voter must register to vote, learn about the issues and what each candidate
stands for, network with those in the community and elsewhere, and make their most informed
conscientious decision on who to support.

It was Arabs and Muslims who helped seal elections in both 1988 and 2000. Muslims did not do the
nation much favor in supporting the expiring lame presidency, but need not make the same mistake once
again.

Muslims and Arabs should not wait on a candidate for validation, for their validation is by continuing to do
what is best for their country and showing it. Election is not about choosing your own candidate. It is
about supporting who you believe is best for your country, and that is only Islamic.

nidalsakr@gmail.com