THE TERROR OF AUGUST

By Hasan Zillur Rahim

On Tuesday, August 8, I flew to San Francisco from London’s Heathrow
airport. The check-in was a breeze, and with a few hours to spare before
boarding, I had time for some last-minute shopping. Perfume. English
biscuits, toffee and tea.

The Virgin-Atlantic flight took off on time and we arrived at San Francisco
a few minutes ahead of schedule. The only “inconvenience” I suffered was
when I was among about 50 of my fellow-passengers selected at random for
baggage checking.

My annoyance must have shown on my face because the security officer said
almost plaintively as she checked the contents of my suitcases: “We are just
doing our duty, sir!”

Considering the number of times I have flown in and out of the country since
9/11, and this being the first time I had been thus “inconvenienced,” I
apologized for my impatience and assured her of my full cooperation. The
entire process took about 10 minutes.

Little did I know that in less than 48 hours, all hell would break loose at
Heathrow and other British airports and also at major American airports.
British police had apparently broken up a conspiracy to blow up 10 jetliners
over the Atlantic, and over two dozen suspects were taken into custody, all
Muslims living in Britain. Arrests were also made in Pakistan, including
British citizen Rashid Rauf, identified as a key player in the plot.

A nightmare ensued for travelers, particularly those stranded in Britain,
but with a rippling effect throughout the world. I couldn’t thank God enough
for leaving London when I did.

The inevitable backlash against Muslims followed. Many American mosques were
vandalized and Muslim women wearing hijab taunted and threatened. A Reverend
labeled Muslims bloodthirsty barbarians and a radio talk-show host dubbed
Islam “a religion that is designed to cut off your head.”

But there were also hopeful signs. The FBI worked with mosque-goers in major
cities to boost security. Police in San Jose, California, where I live,
proactively began guarding local mosques. San Jose may be unique: Its Police
Chief, Rob Davis, had fasted the entire month of Ramadan in 2004 to show
solidarity with the estimated 15,000 Muslims living in this pluralistic
city.

As details of the terror plot unfold in the coming days, Muslims will be
wondering what continues to lurk in the minds of some of their
co-religionists. Is it the insecurity of their psyche in a modern world? Is
it Islam reduced to a political ideology, instead of being a source of moral
guidance? Is it the clash of utopian fantasies against dystopian realities?

One can only guess.

If indeed certain radical Muslims sought midair martyrdom with horrific
consequences, we have to acknowledge that no amount of Western sins (and
there are many), attributable to foreign policy or racism or such, can
justify such acts or intentions.

Surely, with the memory of last year’s 7/11 bombings still vivid in their
minds, the English can be excused if they feel jittery and angry.

And always, in the wake of atrocities and foiled conspiracies, the bitter
question of societal integration of immigrants, or lack of it, comes up.

While in London, I watched on TV the third cricket Test between Pakistan and
England at Headingley that England won by 167 runs. In the annals of
cricket, this would hardly register a flutter, except that the architect of
English victory was a 24-year-old fast bowler named Sajid Mahmood.

Born in England of a Pakistani-born father, Sajid was heckled by a small
section of the immigrant crowd as a traitor!

Normally, Sajid’s father would have supported the land of his birth against
England but Sajid insisted that must change. “My dad had some split
loyalties, but I told him he had to support England during this series.”

I bring this up because of a provocative reference that the 1998 Economics
Nobel-laureate Amartya Sen made in his recent book called Identity and
Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (pp 153-155).

It is the famous “Cricket test” proposed by Lord Tebbit, a Conservative
political leader. Tebbit contends that British immigrants from the
subcontinent and the Caribbean should support England, not the lands of
their ancestry. Only when that happened could integration into British
society be considered a success!

Tebbit’s test may be considered idiosyncratic by some in the immigrant
community but more and more, it could emerge as a telling divider between
assimilation and retreat, between flexibility and rigidity, and even between
living and delusional martyrdom.

A few days after my return from London, I visited our small San Jose mosque,
nestled against the hills of the Diablo range, to offer the pre-dawn prayer.
Stars bloomed like flowers in the endless California sky. An impossibly
luminous Morning Star rose above the hills, as if to greet early-risers.
Above Venus was Orion and then, wonder of wonders, shooting stars began to
fall like rain!

It felt good to be alive, even if only to thank the Creator for His wondrous
creation.