"Student with dynamite on plane released"???

I'm back. This has been quite a summer, but the kids are in school now and I think everything will slow down a little.

There has been so much going on that I have a hard time knowing where to start. But I think I'll go with the double standards.

After 9/11, hundreds of Muslim men were arrested. Some were deported the following spring. Others were quietly released. The last was just released this month.

Of all the terrorism arrests, only a handful have stood up in court. Time after time, Muslims are publicly arrested, amidst a flurry of terrorist scares, and quietly released. In a recent case, the most incriminating evidence against the men was that they conversed in Arabic while on an airplane.

In all the excitement, there have been other arrests--such as the young man from Connecticutt who brought dynamite on board a plane. Not nail clippers or hair gel. Dynamite.

But it wasn't terrorism. He's not a Muslim. I assume his parents are rich. It was all just a simple misunderstanding. He bought the dynamite while traveling in Bolivia and brought it home as a souvenir. No big deal.

So the next time Ahmad or Ali is caught carrying explosives into the U.S., he can claim they are souvenirs. I'm sure Homeland Security will believe him.

Overwhelmed

As I read the headlines during my morning surfing, I imagine all the things I will write about in my blog later in the day. There is a great deal of material, especially these days.

But. . .we're moving to a different house in two weeks, we have an exchange student coming to live with us in less than a week, I'm trying to get my kids ready for the new school year, I have a few writing assignments, I'm getting ready for the ISNA Convention, and so on and so on. Not to mention a general sense of helplessness over the travesty in the Middle East.

So I don't think I will get a decent blog written this week. Maybe not until we get into our new house.

I love the month of August--many good things have happened to me, including being born--but I can't wait until September. We'll be settled (well, more or less) into the new house, my kids will be back in school and I'll have regained some control over my life.

But I don't have much hope for the Middle East.

Is there a conflict of values?

The British philosopher, John Locke, stated there are three basic rights to which all are entitled: life, liberty, and property.

In the Declaration of Independence, the three basic rights expressed were: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Centuries before either John Locke or Thomas Jefferson, Muhammad listed three rights which must not be violated: life, property, and honor.

Tell me where the conflict of values is.

All--the British, the American, and the Muslim--value life. Life should never be regarded recklessly. The taking of life may be required in rare circumstances, such as self-defense, but the right to life must always be considered.

On the other rights there is some slight variation. Muhammad didn't mention libery or pursuit of happiness. John Locke or Thomas Jefferson didn't mention honor. But could these differences be called a conflict?

The Islamic approach to society emphasizes the community over the individual. This would explain why honor, a communal value, is rated over pursuit of happiness. But is this a conflict? Or is it simply a different perspective?

These are the basic rights from the British, American, and Islamic points of view. There is much more commonality than difference. So why did Mr. Blair talk about a global clash of values?

Too busy

I really want to talk about values. I believe the supposed conflicr over values lies at the center of the current controversies.

But I was very tired last night, after a busy day, and I needed to sleep.

The same thing is happening tonight.

Tune in tomorrow. I promise I'll write early enough. Before I fall asleep.

A Battle of Values

Today Tony Blair said, "Whatever the outward manifestation at any one time -- in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iraq, and add to that in Afghanistan, in Kashmir, in a host of other nations, including now some in Africa -- this everywhere is a global fight about global values.

"It's about modernization within Islam and out of it. It's about whether our value system can be shown to be sufficiently robust, true, principled and appealing that it beats theirs."

According to Blair, the Muslims the West is fighting base their actions "on a presumed sense of grievance that can motivate people to divide against each other. Our answer has to be a set of values strong enough to unite people with each other.

"And this is not just about security or military tactics -- it is about hearts and minds."

Hearts and minds. Where have we heard that before?

If I could address Mr. Blair, I would tell him about my own experience. Growing up in a typical American family. Attending church and Sunday School every week. Enrolling in a seminary with the intention of becoming a minister. Becoming disillusioned with the church, for a variety of reasons. Studying Islam, along with several other religions. Converting to Islam after a hot and sleepless night of prayer and meditation. Learning to submit to my Creator.

Along with thousands of other converts who grew up with Western values, I could clarify the difference to Mr. Blair. I think he would be surprised, if he was actually willing to listen.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the values--the ones I grew up with, and the ones I follow now as a Muslim. The similarities and the differences.

Tony Blair and his friends make many assumptions about Muslims and Islam. But they have no experience. All they do is talk.