Khalid Latif has been instructed to wait in a glass box separated from other passengers in line to board a plane. He has also been repeatedly stopped for random checks by airport security for both domestic and international flights.

During one of his checks, Latif said a security guard explained young male Muslims like Latif were perceived as a security threat.

Latif, executive director of the Islamic Center at New York University, talked about these experiences as he addressed the challenges Muslims face in America on Thursday in Maxwell Auditorium. The Muslim Student Association coordinated the event.

A negative Muslim image has come from the stereotypes created and perpetuated by unqualified figures in positions of power, and also because Muslims are falling short of providing a story to ‘counter’ these misconceptions, Latif said. Politicians who seek free publicity often misinform the ‘huge demographic’ of curious Americans through the media, he said.

This unfavorable representation can alienate many Muslims in America, he said. Some will resort to using drugs and alcohol because they find no other outlets, Latif said.

Latif drew on personal experiences with alienation, recounting how some of the airport security guards asked one another why they were stopping Latif, who is also an American chaplain for the New York City Police Department.

The struggles Muslims have to confront in America are relevant to all of humanity, Latif said. Alienation is a societal problem, he said, and Muslims should not expect anyone to do anything for them until they show more activism.

‘If you see injustice, act against it,’ Latif said, citing a hadith that says acting, rather than praying, is the strongest type of believing. ‘Someone’s in need. You help them because that’s what Muslims are supposed to do.’

Latif stressed a proactive interpretation of Islamic faith, urging Muslims to use their skills and capabilities for the benefit of society and to ‘change the narrative’ that has been formed about Muslims in the United States.

‘Why would anyone think good of Islam based on what you have presented?’ Latif said. ‘Do something for people — that’s how you’re going to keep your faith alive.’

Performing good deeds, such as giving free legal counsel or teaching free classes, is feasible in any career field, he said.

‘Use your skills, use your credentials, use your intellect,’ Latif said. ‘Any of us can do that.’

Azhar Ali, president of MSA, said the event was successful and surpassed his turnout expectation, which was ‘well over’ 100 students and community members. The speech should incite further conversation on the topic, he said in an email.

‘Imam Khalid Latif delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking lecture which will undoubtedly initiate a discourse amongst Muslims and individuals of other faith traditions, which is necessary to change the narrative of Muslims in America,’ Ali said.

Whitt Bell, a senior television, radio and film major, attended the event for a final project for his religion class and said the talk centered on how society could come together.

‘The talk didn’t isolate non-Muslims from Muslims,’ Bell said, ‘but rather focused on how we can overcome our differences for a more unified world.’

chlevin@syr.edu

Published on April 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm