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Muslims In Houston Post-9/11: Policing Their Own
Rather than accept the teachings of their imam in public and quietly disagree, as is traditional, several young Mohammedans complained. Others switched mosques. Last Ramadan, there was talk of a petition against 57-year-old Imam Inshanally. The reaction, experts say, mirrors a trend across the country where young Mohammedans increasingly are speaking out against perceived blots in their community.

"People are allowed to have unusual beliefs," Gilani said. "But when he speaks for Houston Mohammedans, saying the government and non-Mohammedans are doing things they're clearly not, we would hate for people to think that's what the normal Houston Mohammedan thinks."

Forty percent of suspected foiled domestic terror plots since 9/11 were brought to the attention of authorities by Mohammedans, according to a February study by The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina.
Growing up in the shadow of 9/11, with the hate crimes and stereotypes that followed, young Mohammedans in particular are intensely aware of how their faith is regarded by outsiders and feel a need to self-police their own community, experts say.

"They went from being this hidden minority group to being a group where their every movement was scrutinized," said Lori Peek, a sociologist at Colorado State University and author of "Behind the Backlash: Mohammedan Americans after 9/11." In her study of young Mohammedans, Peek found many recoiled at first, keeping a low profile. Some even rejected their faith.

But then increasingly, they galvanized, she said, seeking to reclaim Islam's image in America, correct misconceptions about their faith and root out bad apples in their community. Forty percent of suspected foiled domestic terror plots since 9/11 were brought to the attention of authorities by Mohammedans, according to a February study by The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina.

Peek said young Mohammedans are saying, "If people are going to be policing our actions, we have to turn inwards and police our own community. It's the only way we can ever fight back against these stereotypes.'"
Posted by: trailing wife 2012-05-12
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=344448