Americans Discuss Challenges, Solutions for American-Muslim Relations

Young Americans Discuss Challenges, Solutions for Post-9/11 American-Muslim Relations

by Adnaan Wasey
PBS Newshour Online
September 11, 2006

Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, young Americans are tackling a discord between America and the Muslim world.

A 2005 poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that significant numbers of Americans hold negative views about Islam.

Though opinion has become more positive since polls taken soon after the 9/11 attacks, about one-third of Americans think Islam encourages violence and about one-quarter hold an unfavorable opinion of the estimated 1.5 million to 8 million Muslims living in the United States.

"There are terribly unconscionable views being held [about Muslims], but it's not a crazy group," said Seth Green, a 26-year-old Yale law student and founder of Americans for Informed Democracy, a nonprofit group that organizes conferences on world issues for youth.

Green thinks the relationship between America and Muslims around the world has deteriorated not only because of Americans' fears after 9/11 but because many in the Muslim world see the war in Iraq and images of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison as proof that the West is immoral.

"It's a group that sees a very false picture. When that can be overcome, there's a real opportunity for partnership," said Green.

A new role for the 9/11 generation

Young people like Green are emboldening 16-to-26 year olds of what he calls the "9/11 generation" to create a dialogue between cultures and religions, and shatter stereotypes of Muslims as fanatics and opponents of democracy.

"Because our generation interacts so much with the rest of the world, we realize correctly that most of the world is just like us, and [the Muslim world is] as much under threat by terrorism as we are," said Green.

Muslim world feels terror threat

Most of the world's 1 billion Muslims live in the Middle East, South Asia and Northern Africa -- regions that have been victimized by terrorism at higher rates than the rest of the world.

"I think [the Muslim world has] a lot of reason to believe that a partnership is possible if we're willing to put our hand across for the friendship," Green said.

Zeeshan Suhail, a 25-year-old member of Americans for Informed Democracy originally from Pakistan, suggests that students can write blogs and editorials in school newspapers about Muslim culture as ways to create understanding.

"Muslims should reach out to Christians and Jews -- and the contrary as well -- because if they don't start that dialogue on a one-on-one level there's going to be that mistrust and misperception of traditions, of religion, of background, of culture," said Suhail.

He believes the growing number of young people in the Muslim world -- a recent Brookings Institution publication reported that half of Arabs are under the age of 20 -- can affect a change by virtue of their numbers.

The power of exchange programs

Student exchange programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State expect to bring more than 1,000 students from this young Muslim generation to the United States this school year -- including 100 from Iraq -- to learn about American society and to teach other Americans about their culture.

"Now students know that there are Muslims that aren't extremists or terrorists," said Benjamin Gaylord of the American Councils for International Education, a nonprofit group that runs exchange programs.

"When we talk about cultural exchange, it's really about dispelling stereotypes in very practical ways by just having a face rather than an anonymous image."

Can young people change the world?

Still, some young people question the effectiveness of these "grassroots" programs.

"It's 20 percent bottom up, and 80 percent top down," said Ryan Korn, an 18-year-old college freshman from New Jersey who believes the real authority in rebuilding relationships with the Muslim world resides with politicians and policy.

"It's something I believe that government needs to take responsibility for and actually start working on themselves, no matter how many people are clamoring for it," he said.

Young people as ambassadors

Other American students, like Kareem Elbayar, a 23-year-old student of Egyptian heritage from Los Angeles, feel they can do their part at home.

"Muslims should be going back to their home communities and saying 'Well, look, it isn't so bad for us. This image you see of the United States is not the right image,'" he said.

"That's something I will resolve to do more when I go back to Egypt and when I see my family -- just do my part as an ambassador for the other end of this misunderstanding.

"I feel inspired to sit down and write an op-ed. That's something I'm going to try and do."