Church the United States I responded to
the growth of this mom hasn't been any
fpm movement i know i am town birds
bottom or anything that you have some
time to time you do a lot of things
across the Jupiter rev up with the
priests but i just wanted have kind of
reactions
where there's any relationship yeah the
other one going muslim-christian dyro
muslim view is dialogue there is an
annual meeting of the American Muslim
Council and the Conference of Catholic
Bishops in Washington I have attended he
says this is now almost 30 years you
have a group of Muslims who will be lit
represent leaf from the Conference of
Catholic Bishops usually they have their
scholars and the Muslim scholars and let
the leaders of the characters you know
they're promoting is a Italian food with
dialogue in with Muslims dealing with
issues that of common interests they for
example the program of Sudan as he was
trash out very fat bonus be an objective
I mean Muslim spread presented their
position have a seat bottom and of
course the Catholics express their fears
and their concerns about letras now in
into that and you have very flat this
question 23 our meetings so
you have that way and the Conference of
Catholic Bishops arranged for the
Cardinal rinzai to come and meet with
sound emotional leaders
I'll be sure morning so you have things
like that I have been present in this
event so I know and then we have you
have Christian Muslim dialogue initiated
in various localities these are mainly
the initiatives of local Christians and
Muslims like it wasn't the secret of we
have the Interfaith conference of
washington DC you have mormons Jews
Muslims Christians from the bow tested
and Catholic denominations six and now
by eyes just join in the very entrance
and some was a very hot in there right
now I'm the president of the role in
addition so I mean later you have
avoided different booty you know they
are all these groups and then ever you
know Joe have well you have all these
different Christians know moments all of
them as who are keeps all they were
former congressman on utah working with
of this limitation something
us christian denominations president of
the chairman of the interview conference
it's a creative battling prison I mean
you have a nigga's oh yeah okay you are
having Presbyterian Church we have been
making some moves toward their local
Muslims and if without a vote when the
years ago now is almost 10 years ago
Christian Muslim together you know that
it is a whole book describing they would
they do being Christians meaning
Presbyterians about their own good
Muslims there's also there's a lot of
thinking in the country now there's
there's a lot because Christians feel a
little besieged as well by the the
secular you know the secular occurrence
and forces in the country one
interesting things was pointed out to me
by a Christian priest was that
traditionally whenever there were any
new land developments there was always a
segment set aside for a church which is
not happening or a synagogue depending
if it's a Jewish area which is not
happening anymore and what's happening
is in cities that it's all there's
running out there's no place for worship
and so a lot of people are actually
buying warehouses you know office space
and things like that but then you come
up with the zoning laws they're not
zoned because churches have a special
zoning and first is in our area we've
had this problem and and the Christian
leaders have responded in support
because there's a mosque there that is
in an industrial area and there are a
couple of the particularly one lsi logic
in particular who's been fighting this
and put a massive amount of money into
this and its cost the local mosque now
it's gone into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars for legal fees and and other
things and their argument is that it
because there's children there they're
dealing with chemicals they do doping
for it's a semiconductor plant but right
next door there's a Christian Vanguard
where they teach children like
instruments or anything that's been
functioning there for years so one of
the priests came and and set on public
TV that you know this is as far as he's
concerned it's religious discrimination
because if this was a church or a
synagogue he didn't feel it would be
happening and and the Muslims were
impressed you know the Christians came
out and helped I I personally don't
think that there's a there's enough
interaction not so much on the dialogue
no but on on more on you know trying to
to work together for mutual concerns
like youth you gang phenomenon a lot of
the violence in the communities
homelessness you know things in which
really they trans these these issues
trans and religious demarcations we're
dealing with some real basic things that
all of our traditions teach like taking
care of the needy and things like that
and I think it'd be useful to maybe
break down some of those barriers and
and there's there's obviously still a
lot of infant unfamiliarity just going
to ask you since
states on the background of Islamic
history and women were involved in
military companies how American Muslims
feel about women Muslims participating
our military well i mean what i will say
is right now there are a few muslim
woman in the military never saw guitar
it's random violence as it has a favor
Monica because Gadhafi where do you stay
over in the military that I was the
woman in the military and now the US
military has recognized Muslim chaplains
so you go out Muslim chaplains who are
now safe I either by KFC among comes
from all emo boy bahama so they Queen
and their work is like the Christian
champions or the rabbi's so the way I
will respond to the question really is
if you go by Islamic history I mean some
of the Muslim woman were not in the US
military they would say that well this
is a job for them because the army is
not a trap I'm is a voluntary am and
many of the Africa woman see the Army
has an opportunity for them to have
upward mobility and Tory good job
because you see if you gotta get out of
it and you going or you had one kid but
you keep custody with your brother and
you go into the military you can laugh
skills and many of our guns all you want
to call them after for 50 years 60 did
you come out if you know electronics and
you now begin to have you won't stop
playing under the earth TVs and radios
we need to better stay in the inner city
and you don't have anything so yeah I
mean in the eyes are many of you have
random and is applied for male and
female to extend wide oceans have all
chicken o Muslims location who suicided
military I don't know because this is
what maybe we are not working for but
what we do know is that the military has
spoken up to so many bishops water in
Denali and I usually see she will be
callable by people i factor would be
they have instead investigating Leary
said and so the true will be asking Phil
questions on decisions I think the whole
issue of women in art forms and is a
tricky right away what nervously what
happen was them because I won't have to
take quite a bit that if a man was
fighting in the field next to a woman
soldier our sources natural instincts
will either to protect him towards our
soldier if you were generally are that
you
that's female soldiers a weak link in
your thoughts and they'd be totally
wrong on that one but seven in my
generation certainly I think there was
not feeling that women as armed
combatants will be more handy having
help as mothers rei readers are here
we've just had all these kind of sexual
problems you know there's all this
court-martial I going on for four men
been abused there you know they use
their stare authority over people on the
other problem from Muslim point of view
again anytime any situation where a male
will be alone with a female is
completely prohibited the problem is
when you enter into the army or you're
entering the into a situation in which
you are subordinating your beliefs to
you don't join the army if you don't
believe for instance in killing people
from any reason that you don't agree
with whereas in Islamic law you cannot
find unless you have a valid Chettiar
reason you can't gamble hamid ali refuse
to enter into the armed services he lost
his title and was barred from boxing for
a few years because you know you said on
a promise to be account this is not i
don't have any problem with them you
know so and and really i think that
would be consistent with a Muslim
thorough thorough said that an educated
soldier is usually called a deserter you
know if you really know what people are
fighting about he'll tend not to I mean
the idea that the Kuwaiti war was about
defending democracy or anything I
thought I think came out as absurd to
even most Americans you know and there
was a there was a cartoon somebody do
that the Bosnian thing happened and
nobody's helping the Bosnians and one of
the Bosnians in the cartoon said you
know what we need to do is discover
loyal and then you'd have a lot of
people coming over there to defend them
right but the idea of defending the you
know the Kuwaitis or something like that
so I don't know I think it's a main
problem you know the military just in
general not just the American military
with military everywhere you know
because it gets part of a state
apparatus and we have to question what
what is being defended right what do we
defend you here are we defending the
interests of the people or are we
defending the interest of a global elite
army defending interest to burn cheap
oil I mean these are issues that you
don't want them not really dealt with it
you know any time
level and and yet people are being put
on the on the front lines and
perspective to die if called to do so
and so for me personally I think some
real very serious philosophical things i
get rid I mean I would not feel
comfortable being in any of the armies
of the world not any country in the
world right now I really would not
whether Muslim or non-muslim I would not
feel comfortable being in the Egyptian
army right because I don't think they're
defending anything honorable you know
and that's just as my own personal
belief that's not you know that's not
i'm not speaking for the Muslims I'm
just speaking for myself at that point I
just I'm very wary of modern military
apparatus you know I really am and I'm
certainly aware of this this country's
you know because I just died I don't
think that they're they're defending
well I served recently a very critical
humanitarian missions that otherwise
couldn't have provided relief so like
Somalia hit like Somalia when I think
operation provide comfort to the curs
why heartily okay part of the problem is
I mean for me Mary Kay with all with all
respect for the problem is why do we
have a Kurdish problem in the first
place it's one thing when you going /
somebody and then you start offering the
band-aids do you know I mean the
Somalian situation is is so money it's a
classic example of a cold war victim
right some writings were very important
to the Americans and there was they we
kept this petty little dictate
in power for several years right 30
years who in order to maintain his power
took introduced rise and just play them
against one another constantly divide
and conquer you learnt very well from
his masters and then when they're no
longer any significance you know to the
global one of the British used to call
the great game when they lost their
significance in the great game of global
civilizations that all of that support
was pulled up in the next new has a type
of anarchy in the country and then we go
in for the photo opportunity well I
don't mean again into the individual
campaigns them I guess it was a more
generic question because there are
Muslims serving in the military all over
the world in other countries and I just
wondered how my first felt about women
in since non Muslim women serve in our
military
give you have several positions seem
mentioned to you good a few having
wouldn't win again but the baby hook
Olivia some of the Muslim countries
women al-hajjaj yes sometimes only son
who support is in Egypt yes subsidies
you will not find anywhere in this
saturday i mean is eros able to traffic
as oh so many easy days a matter of
national choice and of course you have
scholars religious scholars to give them
fuck was to rationalize yeah i can't
step 4 yes because it's part of this
like in the Indian Indian football or
seven overall you have to play football
Aggies you know in reality progress on
theirs from yes you see that way anyone
communica yes now we're questions event
regarding Syria time soon it's my
pressure than emotional stereotypes in
this area are not so much these are the
Islamic that so much as error or is I
think a lot of Americans they see an
error and then think of their field
stereotypes and now we know thinking a
lot of relating to Islam's just like an
errand and i was wondering in the only
our community itself in the united
states how many are actually Muslims and
of those how many are really devout
muslims to where they're really crowds
in the heirs of this come here of
Christians yes that's a good question
for these mythical realize I'm like
Ralph Nader is probably the most famous
terror of America right and he's a
Christian yeah and then how was Africa
was a congressman another very welcome
is also Christian can they lose your
honor because if you know most people
are from there with the book the
strongness and things like this not
chasing cases Jack Johnson who is
another Krishna arab-american died about
what was really kind of Shelah then it
owns shall that us shut up on the
economic the cabinet with and these are
all appreciate before more citrusy
investment Danny Thomas was that is a
question of the guy on Nash I camera was
always dressing
Lebanese Christian martyrs just go for a
lot for a lot of Americans over the Arab
that they see does the Arab alone for
gas station especially in California are
you see around and just spend I know
they're immigrants now if are they
Iranians perhaps yeah so there's a shirt
I really semester George how much is a
Christian era also Terry Collins pursue
peaceful and I think generally the most
Americans don't even know their search
terms so I'm as a true this most
American this guy they think most of
they think era yeah I think they think
and then you'll get a whole spectrum and
there was an interesting film done
called the the Hollywood Arab what the
meaty Vieira and and the point of this
guy it goes right from the Sheik of
Araby with Rudolph Valentino when Aaron
wants a woman he just takes her that was
one of the famous lines from that film
and he was a romantic character right i
mean he was he was a romantic character
and there was a lot of women that you
know became a kind of fantasy there you
know getting seduced by the Arab Sheik
but then you get into the 70s where you
get the hook nosed the OPEC Arab right
with the form the four wives with all
wearing veils driving in the rolls-royce
obnoxious I think there was a Disney
film that caused some problems where the
Habib's were the next door neighbors to
a family and they were very obnoxious
that was a recent that's the class of
stereotype is also getting to do right I
mean the missile the aeros game
I think it's interesting but if you if
you studied prop again faces of the
enemy it's a brilliant book on
propaganda and how you know how faces
are distorted one of the things that the
National then the New Republic did
during the Gulf War is that you had a
picture of Saddam Hussein and they
literally clipped off his mustache in a
way that you would not notice right they
just clipped it off enough not to make
it look like Hitler but enough to in the
subconscious for there to kind of have
some kind of anchoring or identification
there so you think you're going to get a
lot of different type of stereotypes
going on but generally most most
Americans my own experience is that they
really do associate Arab with Muslim
right they and the word is either Muslim
Arab they worship Allah this type of
thing you you'd be surprised yeah I
think you'd be surprised California you
would be amazed I'm yes I'm really
serious because I'm there in California
I'm always amazed at you know actually
San Francisco's Southern California
think it might be a little different
maybe but you're dealing with it huh
Sesame Street has st street and the they
have worked as word association thanks
with the letters coming up and they have
14
danger an era they have different things
this worked out rotisserie and those not
danger and it was a male handed white
crochet looking in writing but an era
and then at book was printed recently
which meant well it was grossing so it
were to go to all the shoulders to
children include us between services as
well as well and the book was published
with about a child saying something that
was showing a drummer sometimes I wish
he'd go back home yet sometimes maybe
thanks Carrie and as lots of things that
frighten me and the part about being
pregnant depicting him like his bed with
in herriman closet this horrible scholar
one abandoned dagger between this is
really will you see this also the Asians
got the brunt of this the fu-manchu's
syndrome which is an interesting book
also the oriental menace which was how
Hollywood kind of perpetrated because
and that was at the time when China and
Japan there was a lot of problems right
and and the Asian got the brunt of a lot
of these stereotypes and they're still
dealing right the the inscrutable asian
and you know they're still dealing the
Asian community so I think every
community that comes to this country
that is not from the dominant
anglo-saxon grouping there's a wonderful
book now just came out a little while
ago call when the Irish became white
which is just letting people know that
the Irish used to be at the bottom of
the totem pole right I mean Irish people
in this country a lot of people don't
know the history of the iris and what
and what they went through to establish
their rights and their I mean even 1960
John F Kennedy that was a big debate you
know and although it was partly because
Roman Catholic but part of it was an
Irishman you know becoming president
united states was still a big shock you
know the mick syndrome and things like
that and people from the east coast
probably are more familiar with this
because of the so i think the Arabs are
just a new
ooh group the indo-pak people these are
new immigrants to this country they're
going to have to deal with the same
stuff that everybody else had to deal
with and the problem is is that we do
have Islam it's not they don't only have
their indo-pak pneus or their Arab pneus
but they have a religious because it's
not just the color that's alien the
accent is alien it's also some
subconscious problems that we're dealing
with with religion unless we forget the
the the Muslims to the European
Christian West was the evil empire for
several hundred years you know Russia
lasted you know 45 50 years the Muslims
you know children were scared to go to
bed by telling him about Turks and
things like that in Europe so that's
part of our collective consciousness is
that there is a deep-seated fear of the
Saracen the Turks at the Viennese gates
you know the the Barbary Coast from the
from the shores of Montezuma to the
halls of Tripoli I Triple E was was
Barbara they were called the Barbary
pirates who according to the Muslims
were actually the Navy right they were
the ottoman navy right so you know you
got you've got a lot of problems and I
think that you know people have if you
want to come to this country it's sink
or swim that's the nature of America you
got to deal with it hopefully that there
will always be sympathetic people that
stand up you know for you know for
what's right and there have been in this
country there have been people from the
dominant culture that have recognized
this is wrong there are people that did
stand by the Jews as they were asserting
their rights or people that stood by the
african-american and and that's all that
that has been part and parcel of art of
the American experience that there are
good people within the dominant culture
and I think Paulo Ferraris point is
well-taken that in the oppressor
oppressed cycle the cycle can really
only be broken from from
within the the oppressive group right
because the oppressed it's it's it's not
possible for them the cycle has to come
is it's our children you know that that
have two from this dominant culture that
have to we have to transmit we can break
the cycle that it is possible but it's a
human condition as well so we're going
to have a lot of problems on the way you
know and we're hoping all of you are
going to go out and help please do some
of the work you know of breaking down
the stereotypes and you know and and
educating some people