AMERICAN MUSLIMS AT THE CROSSROADS

Abstract

Following the tragic events of the September 11, a myriad of symposiums, conferences and round tables have been organized with the purpose of shedding some light onto the position American Muslims now find themselves in, while making the rest of Americans more aware of their existence. As all those academic gatherings emphasized, the September 11 attacks not only committed violence against the United States and dealt a severe blow to the entire American society, but, were, at the same time, intended to stigmatize and isolate American Muslims from the rest of American society. It has been no secret that American Muslims are pro-active, well-off, pious and - what’s particularly interesting – the most diversified American community, made up of 60 different ethnic groups with a variety of races, colors, cultures and languages. American Muslims have never had – and the question remains if they ever will – a joint organization and a leadership headed by a Mufti. As a consequence, the Muslims living in the only remaining Superpower of the World, do not have anyone who would act as their legitimate representative, speaking on their behalf with competence and religious authority, nor do they have their own, domestic clerics for there are no Islamic theological schools that would generate the clerics who would meet the specific needs, practices and aspirations of American Muslims. Certain progress has only been made in the publishing area where readings of dubious ideology have been finally tossed aside, while the requests for new imams are still being met by importing ‘inexpensive clergy’ with modest education, mainly from Middle Eastern countries, India or Pakistan.