Jaylani Hussein ’11, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called Feb. 9 for individuals and groups to create a more inclusive St. Cloud.
A leading civil rights advocate for Muslim Minnesotans called for tolerance, called-out fearmongering and challenged St. Cloud to be better.
“Do not let St. Cloud be a victim of our negligence. Let St. Cloud be an opportunity for the world to see inclusion is possible,” said Jaylani Hussein ’11 in his “Islamophobia in Minnesota” presentation to about 700 people Feb. 9 in Ritsche Auditorium.
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Hussein, who is executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), holds an SCSU bachelor’s degree in community development.
Hussein said America’s “more perfect union” demands that all citizens be embraced as equals.
He noted that Muslims suffer the same abuse faced in the past by Catholics, Mormons, Jews and other groups: Housing discrimination, land-use opposition, harassment in schools, denial of public accommodations, property vandalism and hate events.
Remarks directed at Muslims echo the very words once used to oppress African Americans, he said. He quoted an anti-Sharia South Dakota legislator, noting that the words “black men” could be substituted for “Muslim men” in the legislator’s demagoguery: “It is alarming how many of our sisters and daughters who attend American universities are now marrying Muslim men.”
Muslims have lived in America since before the founding of the Republic and were a majority among the Africans brought here in bondage, according to Hussein. About 3.3 million Muslims call the U.S. home and about 60 percent were born here, he said.
Hussein said anti-Muslim speech is big business for some filmmakers, authors, speakers, politicians and hate groups, he said.
Anti-Muslim sentiment has fueled a rise in attacks on mosques. The national CAIR office reported 71 mosque incidents in the U.S. in 2015, including 29 incidents of damage/destruction/vandalism. In December, the Juba Coffee House in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was set ablaze in what law enforcement officials allege was an arson attempt by an East Grand Forks man. In 2013, public resistance killed a mosque planned for a residential area near Clearwater Road in south St. Cloud.
Hussein said St. Cloud has anti-Muslim issues that need to be addressed. He called on community groups to do more.
“I know there is an effort called Create CommUNITY here in St. Cloud,” Hussein said, referring to the anti-racism group founded in 2003. “They have to double down. I went to their website. It’s not where it needs to be. It really is not where it needs to be.”
He asked individuals to learn about Islam and use that knowledge to challenge the negative attitudes and stereotypes of others.
Said Hussein: “We need the good people of St. Cloud to step up.”
He credited the St. Cloud Times for its recent fact-check series that debunks anti-Muslim myths and stereotypes. And, Hussein reminded his audience the changes some people fear will be permanent.
“St. Cloud is a great place to live and a great place to be. And, I’m going to let some people know who don’t like it: If you think the Muslims in St. Cloud are going anywhere — they ain’t going anywhere.”
