Six Degrees of Terrorism:  the Internet, Islam and Islamophobia

Ingrid Mattson

The internet is a great source of information, but it is also a profound source of disinformation.  At the beginning of the twenty-first century, teachers and professors struggle to find useful ways to use internet sources in their classes (http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/evaluate/evalbiblio.html) and to help students understand the need to scrutinize their sources of information.  For many educated Americans, the internet has expanded their horizons, allowing them quick access to useful information and a context for current events that have a real impact on their lives. 

Since September 11, 2001, many Americans have turned to the internet to provide them with information on Islam and Muslims, and to provide them with some context for terrorism and militant extremism.  Unfortunately, on these topics, the internet is as much a source of disinformation as it is a source of truth.  The reality is that there are a number of different groups who are devoted to spreading misinformation because they are ideologically opposed to Muslims and Islam.  Some of these groups are racist, some are motivated by an exclusivist Christian theological agenda, and many are politically motivated.  These politically motivated groups fear a challenge to their own narrow agendas if Muslims are accepted as part of the American mosaic or melting-pot.  Although these groups claim to be concerned about national security, in fact, they are only concerned about the narrow issues for which they lobby. Of course, the American Muslim and Arab communities have their share of criminals, rejectionists, exclusivists and other unsavory characters.  These individuals, like Abdurrahman al-Amoudi, are responsible for their actions and if they have committed crimes, they deserve their punishment, and if they advocate intolerance, they should never hold leadership positions in the Muslim and Arab communities.  However, those groups who want to marginalize, detain, deport or dismiss all American Muslim and Arab leaders not only undermine civil discourse and civil liberties, but also the ability of this nation to promote its interests.  This is because, of all Americans, Muslims and Christians of Arab descent are generally best placed to provide the linguistic and cultural expertise that is so needed for national security. 

The most common technique special interest groups use to undermine the credibility of American Muslim and Arab intellectuals, academics and religious leaders is to play the “linking game”.  Like the trivia game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon), the attempt to link all prominent American Muslims and American Muslim organizations to militant-extremist, Wahhabi or Islamic terrorist organizations and agendas is a game that yields no meaningful results.  Further, both games allow the unscientific practice of both forward and back linking in order to connect unrelated individuals.  This technique makes it possible to show a “link” between virtually any two individuals in the world. 

Let me give an example:  Adolf Hitler was a great admirer of the anti-Semitic German musician Richard Wagner to the extent that Wagner’s original scores kept him company in the bunker in which he killed himself (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wagner ).  For his part, one of Wagner’s earliest and foundational influences was Ludwig van Beethoven (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven ).  Now, who was one of the twentieth-century’s most influential conductors of Beethoven’s music?  None other than Leonard Bernstein! (http://www.leonardbernstein.com/ ). With the linking game, we have just been able to show an ideological connection between the twentieth-century’s most vicious enemy of the Jewish people, Adolf Hitler,  and one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished and beloved Jewish composers and friends of Israel Leonard Bernstein. 

To make such a link is revolting, and that is how I feel when there is an attempt to link me and other Muslim scholars and leaders who have proven their commitment to academic excellence and ethical principles to terrorist or extremist militant organizations and ideology.  In a desperate attempt to undermine prominent American Muslims, some “experts” don’t even bother to go to the trouble of looking for links.  Instead, these individuals place the name of a scholar like Khaled Abou El Fadl (http://www.scholarofthehouse.org/abdrabelfad.html ) within an article in which they mention various terrorists, militant groups or opponents of the United States like Osama Bin Laden and Ayatollah Khomeini.  The result they are aiming for is to create a negative association that will last long after the article has been read. 

Remember the episode of the Cosby Show (http://www.tvland.com/nickatnite/cosby_show/ ) when Vanessa told her family that she was marrying Dabnis Brickey?  Dr. Huxtable told Dabnis that he reacted negatively to him only because of the way in which he had been first introduced—like a delicious steak being served on a garbage can lid.  The “garbage lid” attack on respectable Muslim and non-Muslim scholars of Islam is all too common and should be given no credence by intelligent individuals.

Finally, the easiest and most common way to attack Muslim scholars and activists, as well as Christians and Jews working for interfaith engagement and understanding is by distorting their statements or taking them out of context.  A number of special interest groups have been working hard to undermine my credibility as an American Muslim scholar and leader by twisting my words.  Fortunately, their efforts fail because my own statements and writings are readily available on the internet for any individual to read and form an opinion for him or herself (See:  http://macdonald.hartsem.edu/articles.htm#mattson and an article written in September 2001:  http://www.beliefnet.com/story/89/story_8987_1.html).

At Hartford Seminary (http://www.hartsem.edu) I am fortunate to teach and work among colleagues who are engaged in educating students and the public on many different ethical issues:  women’s rights, environmental ethics, interfaith relations, business ethics etc.  There is so much to do, so much to learn, and none of us will be able to understand and address all these complex issues.  What we can do is support and encourage those who are working to educate themselves and others on these important issues, and to advocate for peaceful and just relations between individuals and societies. 

My academic focus is Islamic Studies, but it is my privilege to work regularly with my colleague Yehezkel Landau (http://www.hartsem.edu/faculty/landau.htm ) on the Building Abrahamic Partnerships program.  I am astonished at the courage this devoted Jewish man exhibits when he sustains regular vicious attacks by members of his own faith for trying to further understanding between Muslims and Jews and Palestinians and Israelis.  The internet is the preferred weapon of attack and there is no way we can prevent sophisticated uses of the internet to propagate hateful and false information.  We can only trust in the fairness and intelligence of the average reader and trust in God to give us the strength to continue our work of furthering understanding and building peace.

Originally published at http://macdonald.hartsem.edu/mattsonart5.htm and reprinted in TAM with permission of the author.