{"id":9256,"date":"2017-05-28T19:28:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-28T19:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=9256"},"modified":"2017-05-28T19:28:57","modified_gmt":"2017-05-28T19:28:57","slug":"what-trump-missed-in-his-address-on-tolerance-american-muslims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-trump-missed-in-his-address-on-tolerance-american-muslims\/","title":{"rendered":"What Trump missed in his address on tolerance – American Muslims"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Mislin<\/a>, Temple University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

President Donald Trump, like his predecessors before him, has discovered<\/a> the potent language of religious tolerance and interfaith unity when discussing Islam, as he demonstrated in his speech in Saudi Arabia to leaders of some 50 Muslim nations. But unlike previous presidents, he has not linked that rhetoric with recognition of the large, vibrant Muslim community in the U.S. \"The<\/p>\n

As a historian who has studied efforts in the past<\/a> to build acceptance of religious pluralism in the United States, I am concerned by Trump\u2019s departure from historical precedent. <\/p>\n

Can a message of tolerance to Islam abroad be persuasive without a corresponding affirmation of American Muslims at home?<\/p>\n

Toned-down Trump<\/h2>\n

In his widely anticipated remarks on Islam and terrorism, President Trump avoided many of the missteps his critics feared<\/a>. He notably abandoned the harsh rhetoric that characterized descriptions of Islam during his 2016 campaign. Trump has set aside his insistence on the use of the phrase \u201cradical Islamic terrorism.\u201d<\/a> He has also rejected the broad generalizations of Islam that marked his demand for a \u201ctotal and complete shutdown\u201d<\/a> of Muslim immigration because their hatred was \u201cbeyond comprehension.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the exception of one apparent reference to \u201cIslamic terror\u201d \u2013 present in his spoken words but not in the written text of the speech \u2013 Trump otherwise struck a tolerant, inclusive tone. In his declaration that he was \u201cnot here to lecture\u201d was the promise that the U.S. would not tell others \u201chow to worship.\u201d <\/p>\n

More notable than the language of tolerance was Trump\u2019s new emphasis on interfaith commonality. He declared the campaign against terrorism not \u201ca battle between different faiths\u201d but rather a fight that encompassed them all. He noted that a terrorist who \u201cfalsely invokes the name of God\u201d should be considered \u201can insult to every person of faith.\u201d <\/p>\n

He used the language of a shared humanity and common God in his powerful \u2013 albeit macabre \u2013 description of victims of terrorism, noting,<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cwhen we look upon the streams of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims \u2013 we see only that they were Children of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Echoes of past presidents<\/h2>\n

In proclaiming tolerance and highlighting commonality with Muslims, Trump walked a well-worn path. <\/p>\n

In 1980, during the Iran hostage crisis, Jimmy Carter noted<\/a> the many \u201chuman and moral values\u201d which all Americans shared with Islam. These included a \u201cdeep faith in the one supreme being\u201d and a shared respect for \u201cthe family and the home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty-one years later, George W. Bush, in his speech to Congress<\/a> in the aftermath of the 9\/11 attacks, emphasized a spirit of tolerance. Addressing \u201cMuslims throughout the world,\u201d Bush proclaimed, \u201cwe respect your faith.\u201d Of Islam, he added: \u201cits teachings are good and peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Likewise, in a speech given at Cairo University<\/a> shortly after taking office, Barack Obama affirmed that Islam \u201chas a proud tradition of tolerance.\u201d He also pointed to interreligious commonality. The principle \u201cthat we do unto others as we would have them do unto us\u201d was a value that \u201ctranscends nations and peoples\u201d and was not limited to \u201cChristian, or Muslim or Jew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missing: Muslims in America<\/h2>\n

This was one thing that was strikingly absent from Trump\u2019s speech, though. The Saudi speech lacked any acknowledgment of the large Muslim population in the United States or discussion of its contribution to American society. <\/p>\n

This absence, I argue, suggests an important limit to the evolution of Trump\u2019s views on Islam.<\/p>\n

In the speech, Trump made little mention of the U.S., except for a brief litany of terrorist attacks on American soil, including 9\/11, San Bernardino and Orlando. The millions of Muslims who live in the U.S.<\/a> and are integral parts of American society went unmentioned. <\/p>\n

On this crucial point, the contrast between Trump and his predecessors is striking.<\/p>\n

In 1980, President Carter noted<\/a> that the U.S.\u2019 \u201ckaleidoscopic population includes a vigorous Islamic community.\u201d After 9\/11, President Bush reminded<\/a> the nation that the Muslim faith was \u201cpracticed freely by many millions of Americans.\u201d And, in 2009, President Obama forcefully emphasized<\/a> that \u201cIslam is a part of America.\u201d <\/p>\n

Obama described<\/a> his personal experience \u201cin Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.\u201d Obama reached back into history as well. Islam was not merely a part of the American present but also its past. \u201cSince our founding,\u201d Obama noted<\/a>, \u201cAmerican Muslims have enriched the United States.\u201d <\/p>\n

Islam as foreign<\/h2>\n

For Trump, I argue, Islam remains something foreign. It is something that belongs in what he describes as \u201cthe Muslim world\u201d rather than a religion integrated into American society. It seemingly did not occur to Trump\u2019s speechwriters that a discussion of Islam should make some mention of American Muslims. <\/p>\n

Until Trump stops presenting Islam as something distinct from American society, speeches like this one will do little to change perceptions of him. The president appeared admirably tolerant abroad. But he did nothing to acknowledge Muslims in the U.S.<\/p>\n

David Mislin<\/a>, Assistant Professor, Intellectual Heritage Program, Temple University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a>. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Mislin, Temple University President Donald Trump, like his predecessors before him, has discovered the potent language of religious tolerance and interfaith unity when discussing Islam, as he demonstrated in his speech in Saudi Arabia to leaders of some 50 Muslim nations. But unlike previous presidents, he has not linked that rhetoric with recognition of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":9257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36],"tags":[710,479,712,1828,988,1553,2422,2442,2441,1233,2440],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9258,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9256\/revisions\/9258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}