Half Truths

Growing up in Kerala, I was not even aware of my identity vis-à-vis religion until the advent of 9/11 and the subsequent attrition of Islam’s image in the West in its aftermath. I cringe at the complete misuse of noble words like Jihad by the international media and the highlighting of rogue elements within Islam as if they are the majority. People like me who practice Islam in its entirety are labeled moderates or liberals while terrorists are declared as paragons of Islam. This has led to a mushrooming of Imams and Mullahs who vie with each other to grab the limelight. In truth, the idea of one single leader who can represent all the Muslims in the world is a thought alien to Islam. Many evils prevalent in the Arab culture that predates Islam which the Prophet himself tried to uproot are unjustly and illogically attributed to Islam. With this kind of systematic misinformation that has existed for at least a decade now, it is not surprising that the average American goes ballistic at the mention of Islam. The uproar about Obama's middle name and the response to it is a case in point.