As Sept. 11th approaches, many people in the media, and in various religious organizations are stoking the embers of bigotry and racism. As members of the Hip Hop community I hope that we will be wise enough, and compassionate enough to do homework for ourselves. I hope that we will grow to have more compassion for others than our parents generation. As I relax, listening to "My People" from the "Prophets VS. Profits" LP by KRS ONE, I sit inspired to reach out to the intelligent, and disciplined youth in the Hip Hop global family.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently reported that "Evangelist Franklin Graham said yesterday that Muslims had not sufficiently apologized for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and that they should help compensate victims' families... He further stated "The silence of the clerics around the world is frightening to me," he said. "How come they haven't come to this country, how come they haven't apologized to the American people, how come they haven't reassured the American people that this is not true Islam and that these people are not acting in the name of Allah, they're not acting in the name of Islam?"

Franklin Grahams speech is not unlike many of the things one might hear on almost any American media outlet. But the truth is that many American Muslims, and foreign Muslims have spoken out against the 9/11 attacks. Here in the Bay Area they had several Islamic rallies that brought thousands to the streets for peace.

But these rallies do not get as much coverage as a suicide bombing by Islamic Jihad or Hamas. The peace loving Muslims cannot compete for air time with the violent misguided souls who claim Islam.

As many white Christians in U.S. history that have hung, lynched and raped African Americans, or threw bricks at Dr. MLK Jr., and so on, we still know better than to think that behavior is inherently Christian. But if a Muslim does a violent act people say "Well you know, it’s part of their religion to do that. They are all crazy."

Also, I have yet to see an outpouring of Christian ministers go into Africa and into the ghettos of America telling them that the sancioned slavery of Black people, and the destruction of their homeland was not true Chrisitan action. When was the last time Mr. Graham was in the ghetto, explaining away the devious actions of the colonial era Christians? The ghettos still feel the ripple effects of those actions 400 years back. So where is his heart when he lashes out towards the Muslim community? Is it rooted in true concern or, is it rooted in anger and miseducation? All of the worlds religions have blood on their hands. What’s more important, is that we put more effort into washing our hands of violent aggression on all sides.

If one would only take the time to visit www.zaytuna.org, and go the features section, they could read what I think is one of the best speeches ever given about 9/11 from a Muslim. At the site you’ll find a portion of a speech called America’s Tragedy, "an edited transcript of the talk that Shaykh Hamza Yusuf gave on Sunday, Sept. 30th, 2001 at Zaytuna Academy and Institute in Hayward, California regarding his reflections on the Sept. 11th tragedy and his trip to the White House from which he had just returned. In this talk, he distinguishes what the terrorists did from what Islam teaches, addressing several important issues in regards to the tragedy such as the Islamic concept of jihad and martyrdom. Anyone wanting to gain a clear understanding of what the religion of Islam has to say about the calamitous event is sure to find this talk beneficial." Hamza Yusef was a consultant to the President when 9/11 happened. He is one of Americas most renowned scholars of Islamic theology.

The true problem is, these kind of events, and speeches are never enough for the practitioners of what one Christian minister called "pornographic patriotism." They do not want an apology, they want Muslims to convert, they want them to condemn the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the Qu’ran. They want them to revise their Holy scriptures. Nothing will ever be enough.

They want you to ignore the fact that Ghandi, when speaking on the character of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in 'Young India' " I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind ... I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

Now that does not sound like a book about a man that had a life filled with rage and hate? Has Mr. Graham read a book like "Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Stories" by Martin Lings? I bet you he has not. If he did, he could have never made the statements he did about the Islamic faith. I pray that he will soften his heart and open his mind enough to learn about Islam beyond the headlines.

But he and many others like him are of those who need to keep Islam evil in the eyes of the American people. This is because much of the American media needs to keep Islam a demonized faith, for their ratings. They need to give so many of these racist, right wing republicans, POSING as journalists a reason to spew their venom in the name of "balanced" reporting. So you won’t see Hamza Yusef, Zaid Shakir and other knowledgeable Muslims of good repute on the screen.

They just keep playing the planes going into the buildings, the people covered in ash and remind you of the death toll. All it does is harden American hearts towards Islam and further demonize a truly peaceful spiritual path for more than a billion of the worlds inhabitants, composed of all races.

Meanwhile, the forgotten souls of the 9/11 tragedy still do not get mentioned. They are the families of the Muslim victims of 9/11.

In the October 2001 issue of QNews, there is an article by Usman Farman. He is a Pakistani Muslim who worked at the WTC. In his story "The Day I Survived", he talks in great detail about how he escaped a fate thousands would come to meet. He tells about how after Tower number one fell, he was knocked to his back. Lost in the darkness a Hassidic Jew reached down and helped him out of the debris saying "Brother, if you don’t mind, there is a cloud of glass coming at us, grab my hand, lets get the hell out of here."

Another story is about 41 year old Mohammed Shajahan, who was not as lucky as Usman. He died in the attacks. At least 600 Pakistanis died in the WTC, and the number of Muslims who died has been estimated to be into the 1,000’s. Mr. Shajahan was seen often at the masjid (Muslim house of worship) located in the WTC, on the second floor of what was Tower one. Few still know that there was a masjid in the WTC. It was the only Islamic Jumah prayer facility in the immediate area. He is remembered as a loving, peaceful man. But you’ll never see people like him remembered on the mainstream news.

Not only are people like him, and many others forgotten....But their faith is deemed a religion of criminals. No one talks about the Muslim widows and widowers of 9/11. Daily they have to face another day without their soulmate, and in that same day they have to defend why they keep their faith to the world. I’m sure this only compounds their pain. The Muslim victims of 9/11 are victims two times. Once by the tragedy itself, and again by the criminalization of their spiritual path.

When the candles burn this September 11th, please try to remember all of the WTC victims. Not just the ones born here in the U.S., not just the Christians, but please remember all of the victims. There were Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, African, Latino, European and Persian victims. The truth is that we all lost that day. And none of us will truly win, until we can get past the rage and wash it away with compassion for all human beings. That way hopefully, everywhere we walk, we look we can say with conviction "those are my people."

"There is nothing noble about being superior to your fellow man. True nobility comes from being superior to your old self."

-Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)