“To say it has nothing to do with the faith of that individual would be dishonest,” [Irfan] Nourredine said. “It may not represent the faith of Muslims around the world or American Muslims, but it does represent his faith and probably people of like mind — the fringe of the community, people who are on the outskirts, who we may not pay as much attention as we need to.”
There are extremist Islamist elements in America, he says. And he wishes Muslims would accept that and begin dealing with it. For too long, some Muslims have stayed silent about radical beliefs they may not endorse because they don’t want to appear un-Islamic, he says. For some Muslims in the government or in the military, that’s a battle that can’t be won.
“You’re looked at as a suspect in your own society,” he said. “Then you’re looked at as a hypocrite in your community.”
