IN THE NAME OF ISLAM

August 2005
		The July 2005 suicide bombings in London's transit system and attacks in a resort town in Egypt have stoked the debate within the Muslim community about why so many perpetrators of terrorist attacks are Muslims and what ordinary believers in Islam can do to keep people from killing in the name of their religion. Four Muslim thinkers answer your questions.

Forum Introduction Does Islam ever justify the killing of innocents? Why don't Muslims who commit terrorist acts see that violence is counterproductive? Does U.S. foreign policy take the correct approach to influencing the rise of democracy in Muslim nations? Do most young Muslims in the U.S. feel they are integrated into U.S. society? On the NewsHour, did you read from the Quran or an interpretation? How can one foster dialogue with the broader religious community? How can we stop terrorism at its source? Why do militant young Muslims obey someone with no official clerical standing, like Osama bin Laden? What literature can I read to better understand the teachings of Islam? Is there a theological authority that is recognized by all or a great majority of Muslims? What's the difference between Islam and Muslim?	The Rev. Harsh J. Brown of Columbia, Mo. asks: What suggestions do you have for a local community to foster dialogue with the broader religious community? We have an Interfaith Council but it is primarily made up of Christian groups. Thank you. Imam Shaker Elsayed responds: In the Islamic and Christian traditions there is an understanding that breaking bread together is a life-long commitment of brotherhood and friendship. We do this all the time within our communities and we need to practice the same with others as well. Also working on joint projects should help, homeless shelters, feeding the poor, standing against what we jointly see as immoral and destructive, like drugs, premarital sex, bad books and bad movies, violence, etc. Professor Salim Mansur responds: Interfaith dialogue is useful. But it has a limited value since participants are usually eager to project the positive, and seek the commonalities of the faiths under discussion while censoring themselves to ask hard questions of each other, especially of Muslims. And when they do the discussions primarily tend to apologetics or polemics. Hence, what is required is for communities to adopt some format of what took place on the PBS NewsHour, to arrange for public town hall meetings with Muslims where Muslims engage each other publicly on matters of deepest concern to everyone with full audience participation. Only in such formats will exponents of militant Islam will get caught and be exposed for what they think and preach. Author Asra Nomani responds: We must engage Muslims. We must gently nudge them out of the self-imposed immigrant ghettos in which so many have chosen to live. Why? The future of our world depends on dismantling enemy images between our faith communities. The only way we can do that is to meet, greet and talk. Seek out the Muslims who are ready to engage. Don't be frustrated if it's just one or two. Work with them and create new opportunities. Food is always a connector.