Like most American Muslims, [Fawaz] Ismail, who is a buff and hale 50, is not particularly religious. He likes to listen to tapes of Koranic chants at night to relax. But in the past few years, he has struggled with the reality that some Americans take one look at him and think, “Hmm, is he really one of us?”
“I pay my taxes. I love this country. You want to talk about patriotic? I am the definition,” says Ismail, who became an American citizen as a teenager. “I sell the best flags, made in the United States, not in China like a lot of stores sell. I’m all about moderation ”” man, I like Fleetwood Mac.”
Late at night, Ismail has a cup of chamomile tea with anise seed to try to get to sleep. It can be a struggle, just as it is for many of his Muslim friends.
[blockquote]We know we have to emulate the prophet, but does that mean we have to have a long beard? Do we have to look like him or is it more important to understand him?â€[/blockquote]
Cute comments like these avoid the more important questions about the political implications of Islam. Can Islam coexist with freedom of speech and freedom of religion? When a Muslim friend of mine says he “admires sharia law” he needs to spell out which parts he supports and which traditional interpretations he rejects.
Chistianity and Judaism have been influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment. I don’t see how these have affected Islam. It is about 700 years younger and stuck in its 13th century.