#Current Affairs

Moving Beyond the Single Narrative- The POTUS Visit to an American Mosque

Published

February 5, 2016

Guests

Oped by Khadija Gurnah

Khadija Gurnah is the Founder of Project Ejaba and a White House Champion of Change. She is a public health professional and an advocate for youth who has channeled her passions into Project Ejaba – a platform for Muslim young adults that provides resources and programming, including programming to promote social change, a national campaign to raise awareness on mental health issues and an interfaith program for Muslim artists across the country.

I am honored and humbled to be one of the participants at a roundtable discussion with President Obama when he visited a Baltimore-area masjid. It was a historic moment as it was the first time in his presidency to visit a mosque in the United States. It was also a personally significant moment to have the opportunity to meet and welcome the President to the mosque where I met my husband 14 years ago.

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

Baltimore was the first place I came to in the United States and I still consider it my home base. My friends in Baltimore are apolitical, but all of them were deeply moved by the President’s visit to their community mosque. My dear friend and her daughter were up at 7 am helping me pin my hijab, as I’m the worst when it comes to making sure my hijabs stay in place. I’m usually in a perpetual bad hijab day. My friends were not amongst those attending the President’s speech, so that morning felt very much like what I imagine prom would be, they made sure my hijab was on point, took photos and dropped me off with hugs and well wishes. As I left Baltimore that day, my friend texted me to say the President’s speech had been electrifying and she was thankful for the whole experience.

I’m keenly aware that not everyone in the Muslim community has the same kind of enthusiasm for the mosque visit as my friends and the community members in the mosque. Many of the critiques of the President’s mosque visit say that it was mere symbolism, a political photo opportunity that is too little too late. The Muslim community has a complicated relationship with the President, on one hand he has high approval ratings in the American Muslim community, on the other hand, Muslim activists are deeply critical of the national security framework as it applies to Muslims, particularly of surveillance and the government’s Countering Violent Extremism programs.

I have not had any experience with either of these issues as my work is in the space of domestic public health policy such as healthcare reform, childhood poverty, and obesity prevention and most recently on environmental justice with the current man made disaster in Flint. In my domestic policy organizing, the White House’s work has not only aligned with my goals, but any opportunity I’ve had to partner with them has elevated the quality of my work. The White House staff I work with had been incredibly gracious and has guided me in becoming a more effective community organizer. The Office of Public Engagement at the White House has a diverse staff that has come from grassroots organizing and my work has benefitted from knowing them.

Much of the work I do within the Muslim community is in finding pathways to move beyond the single narrative of having to either condemn or be the targets of terrorism. I am working at creating programming and resources to assist young Muslim adults in transcending this single narrative and being able to live authentically. The conversations surrounding the President’s visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore remind me of the single narrative paradigm. I do understand that for some Muslims this is a complicated time to engage with the President, however we are not homogenous and neither is our work nor our needs.

For many American Muslims, particularly young adults who have grown up in the shadows of 9/11, the mosque visit was much needed and welcomed. On December 15, 2015, senior administration officials had a listening session asking Muslim leaders what they can do to help address the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. Several leaders specifically asked the President to visit a mosque, reiterating a request that had been made before and speaking to the importance of it happening at this time. Just weeks later we were in Baltimore, welcoming the President to the home grown Islamic Society of Baltimore.

At the December meeting, I spoke of creating spaces where young Muslims can transcend the single narratives they wake up to every day. To give them the bandwidth to create art, to work on social justice issues, to live well with compassion and authenticity. At the roundtable, the President spoke of his commitment to the Muslim community beyond his presidency; of making sure he amplified our stories and engaged our work. I hear that in his speeches, in his recognition of diverse groups of Muslims, from champion fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad to the work of Rami Nashashibi.

At the December 15 meeting with senior administration staff, many of us, myself included, spoke of the danger of the single narrative, the importance of recognizing the diversity of the American Muslim community and we asked for engagement outside of the parameters of national security. The roundtable at the mosque was responsive to all these points. It was a diverse group, both in terms of race and experiences. It was made up of many people doing great work on policy issues such as climate change and criminal justice reform, who were able to connect to the administration staff working on those issues.

As the President acknowledged yesterday, problems that were created over decades cannot be easily resolved. I do hear the voices of those who would like to see more resolutions from the administration. What I would like to ask is that we give each other the bandwidth to work on issues that matter to us and ensure we are not creating a single narrative. For those who wanted the mosque visit, for our children and young adults who benefited from hearing messages of inclusion from their President yesterday, for those of us who work on policy issues with the administration, the visit yesterday was not symbolic—it was needed and appreciated.

0 Shares

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

Up Next

Narcissism Has No Place in Activism #MyLifeMattersToo

Don't Miss

President Obama’s Speech at Mosque Missed American Families Victimized by State Violence

Guests

6 Comments

cliveey

February 6, 2016 at 1:21 PM

That last paragraph is so good and balanced. Something that is lacking from some quarters. The bandwidth needs to allow time for the administration to evaluate who is trustworthy and who has practiacal sensitive ideas. They need to know they are not supporting or working with a group of people who want everything their way but have no tolerance or care for for others who think or feel differntly or worship within a different branch of Islam or another faith or are atheist. Inclusiveness is a two way process.

Reply
GregAbdul

February 6, 2016 at 7:36 PM

The diversity of the Muslim Ummah is a blessing from Allah. The issue we are having in the West is; what does a civilized society tolerate in the name of freedom? We don’t tolerate murder, while we tolerate many levels of speech that can be seen as inciting violence. I believe, Islam is clear. One of our primary commands is Justice (adl). We are to be just with every single person we can. Allah is against the oppressor.

I would give the Obama speech a 97 out of 100. But when he talks about fear, as he refuses to use US military power to remove a dictator he claims must go, it looks from here like he’s the big coward in the room. We Muslims, we go out, into this hostile America and we do not hide and we are proud of who we are. How bad would things have to get for me to even think my plight is anywhere close to my brothers and sisters in Syria?

Other than a wisp of a tendency that wants to us the words “fear” and “Muslim” in the same context, this was a great speech. For me, the issue is bigotry and the president spoke to this. So the KKK, we don’t give them a pass in the name of tolerance. We don’t sit silent while pseudo Muslim groups hide their bigotry behind Islam. Recently someone tried to teach me about saying something good or being quiet. I thought and thought for maybe a week about this injunction. If my wife or my child or my mother is in danger, if a parasite sits in the black community, pretending to be Muslim as he misleads thousands of young black men, my duty to be quiet is not the order of the moment.

I always see President Obama as a confused person when it comes to religion. He kept mispronouncing the word Muslim. “Muh slim” he kept saying. Can you imagine mispronouncing the word Christian? Those who complain about US foreign policy: this is where we have divergent voices. You need to go to Syria, Palestine and Afghanistan and tell the Muslims there to conduct their business in a way where they does not have to be supervised and ruled by Christians. You hate the Shia, or you hate Abu Bakr so much that you force Christians to come in and rule you and decide who dies.

Insha Allah, we will see Islam in a way that makes us tolerate what Allah commands us tolerate and stay away from the haram. Wednesday was as proud day for American Muslims. The President came to an American mosque and told the world we are full members of the United States of America. He did not speak to us. What he said, most of us already know. He spoke to the huge American ignorance about Muslims and Islam. May Allah guide us away from ignorance and make us people who know and practice true Islam.

Reply
Faisal

February 8, 2016 at 9:20 PM

Great article Khadija, it was nice seeing you at the President’s visit and knowing that you participated in the round table. I think the president challenged us in the speech to participate more in the society and not be apologetic or afraid to do so. He said “you can be Muslim and American” I took from that that we need to support people like your self and others who are doing the necessary work to improve the lives of humankind.

That is what being a Muslim is all about. Our prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us to not full our stomachs while our neighbor is going to sleep hungry. If we do these kinds of things more we become better Muslims and better citizens. We fulfill our obligation as a Muslim as thus an American. Being a better Muslim is essentially being a better American.

Reply
- Khadija
  
  February 8, 2016 at 9:32 PM
  
  Thanks so much. I appreciate your support and thoughtful response. Your family and community was my first experience with American Muslims and I’m truly appreciative of that because I came away with a strong sense of community and feeling supported so that I was able to look for ways to support others. I hope I can provide others with pathways, just as you all created pathways for me.
  
  Reply
Aplikasi Terbaru

February 9, 2016 at 3:00 PM

Keep up the excellent work , I read few articles on this site and I think that your web blog is real interesting and Power to the People of excellent information.

Reply
cliveey

February 29, 2016 at 8:55 PM

What is Haram? Surely what a religon decides it does not like should be a problem for the follwers of taht faith. Your religon Your Problem. Do not go making it other peoples problem. Just because I do not liek something does not mean Ihave aright to stop you enjoying it. Neither should I (or you) be allowed to force things on other poeple. To do that is to be a bully. People in Islamic countries should be bale to decide which branch of Ilsma or any othe rfaith they choos eto follow. They should also largely be able to decide how they dress and whta music they like. Are you a bully. Must everything be done your way – with other peoples lives made miserable?

Reply