7. “What do you think is the future of Islam in America?”
Azzi:
Oh, I’m very hopeful. Yes, I have my worries — I do recognize that there is a powerful campaign being waged against us. I once described myself, at a low moment, as feeling that I had a crescent on my front and a target on my back! You know as well as I do that people are deliberately being made fearful about this Sharia supposedly taking over from our Constitution, and instead of “the Russians are coming” of the Cold War, we now have “the Muslims are coming” of the War on Terror, a fear of fifty million Muslims suddenly appearing on our doorstep, and so on and so forth. It’s all ridiculous, of course, but the scary thing is that such fears can spread so easily. It’s that need to create “the Other” that has been the curse of Western civilization. And that’s the reason I’ve decided to devote so much of my time to holding these Muslim town halls, to encourage people to literally “ask me anything.” And just in case you’re wondering about that bogeyman, the Sharia, I would be the first to defend the Constitution if anyone tried to touch a hair on its magnificent 231-year-old head. As for the Sharia, that can safely be left to Saudi Arabia and Iran and Pakistan. They’re welcome to it. But it’s not for America. American Muslims count themselves blessed to be ruled by the Constitution and will accept no substitutes.
I think we — Muslims and those who defend them from the Islamophobes — are starting to win the information war. All over this country we’ve seen a groundswell of support whenever there is an attack on Muslims. We’re especially pleased with how our Jewish and Christian brothers, and not just the progressive clergy, have been eager to stand with us against the haters. So have mayors and governors. And more people are coming to these Ask-A-Muslim events and finding out what the mainstream Muslims think. And they’re starting to shut down the venues of the Islamophobes, who are no longer being permitted to spread their hate quite as easily as they did before. Twitter and Google and Facebook are doing their best to direct traffic away from the Islamophobes and other hate groups. I applaud them for it. And I’ve noticed — have you? — more and more of those signs, in English, Spanish, and Arabic, that people put on their front lawns, and that say “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor.” It’s nice to see them showing up all over. After that terrible shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, Muslims got busy raising funds online for the victims and their families. They raised $150,000 for their Jewish brothers and sisters. That should mean something. Those were the real Muslims — not the terrorists– speaking.
Not only do I think the future is bright for Islam, that is the real, mainstream Islam, that if we just keep on spreading the truth and pushing back against the lies, I admit I wouldn’t be surprised if others found in Islam the same source of peace and strength that I find in it — a spiritual refuge from the frenetic pace of our often too-worldly existence. I’m not about to be a missionary for Islam — I think everyone should decide spiritual matters for himself — but I am a witness to the peace that Islam has brought me. My task, even my responsibility, tonight, and on other nights, is to answer questions about the faith of Islam. That’s enough for me. You deserve answers about anything that’s been unclear about Islam or, on the face of it, disturbing. The Qur’an wisely says — it’s 2:256 for those of you who want to look it up — “there shall be no compulsion in religion.” I agree with that — religion is a very personal choice. And I want you to know as much about Islam as you can, so you can make an informed choice.
8. “Mr. Azzi, you are a convert to Islam, as I understand it.”
Azzi: “Yes. My parents were Lebanese Christians.”
Question #8A: “And in your younger days, in the early and mid-70s, didn’t you spend a lot of time in Saudi Arabia, and even published a ‘Saudi Arabian Portfolio’ with an introduction by his Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal, in 1978?”
Azzi: “Yes. It’s a fascinating country, and I was privileged to be allowed to shoot almost everywhere. The Saudi royals I met were actually salt of the earth types. I was just amazed at how down-to-earth and hospitable and generous they were. I think they’ve done a good job in holding that country together, when you compare it to the upheavals all around it, in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Egypt. The Al-Saud family must be doing something right.
Question #8B: “Well, did your doing all this work in Saudi Arabia, and becoming friendly with members of the Saudi royal family, have anything to do with your converting to Islam? That would surely have pleased them.”
Azzi:
No, not at all, I converted to Islam before working in Saudi Arabia. It’s true, that the Saudi royals were wonderful to me, gracious hosts, and they extended to me every courtesy in making available parts of the country that no Westerner had seen — those are in my portfolio of Saudi photographs. I’m still in touch with some of the royals today. But I just thought Islam as I saw it practiced, and not just in Saudi Arabia, seemed to provide people with such inner peace, such a sense of security and community — there was one fellow in particular, a friend of mine, and a Muslim, whose example made me want to look into Islam, and the more I looked into it, the more I studied its teachings, the more I felt it was the right choice for me, and it certainly has been.