More than five years ago, the attacks of September 11 shook America to its core. Many have made the comparison between that attack and one 60 years before — the 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. Of all the tragedies that arose from the event that launched the United States into the Second World War, one was particularly shameful: the systematic discrimination against Japanese-Americans and their guilt by association with "the enemy."
There is no doubt that there are many differences between the current time and that appalling chapter of American history when the mother of a deceased Japanese-American solider was presented with her son's Medal of Honor behind barbed wire. Yet as the University and the nation revisited how each has changed five years after 9/11, there are some disturbing signs that we may again face the threat of assigning guilt to Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent.
While nothing approaching the scale and severity of Japanese internment exists today, a general souring of feelings toward Muslims is cause for concern. There is evidence that even more accepting environments like Princeton have been touched by this trend. The Sept. 13 issue of The Daily Princetonian featured a poll which included questions regarding how students' perceptions of people of Middle Eastern descent and the Islamic faith had changed since 9/11. Approximately 20 percent of students reported they had a less favorable view of people of Middle Eastern descent, while a staggering 36 percent had a more negative perception of Islam.
At a University which views diversity, tolerance and respect as its core values, these responses are disconcerting. The Sept. 13 issue also featured interviews with Muslim students who said they felt safe from discrimination in Princeton's campus but stressed the importance of dialogue in a time when the threat of polarization is increasingly great.
Thus, the University's appointment of its first Muslim chaplain is an event of great importance. With increasing numbers of Muslim students on campus, a Muslim chaplain is vital to addressing the spiritual needs of students. Equally important, however, is the greater potential for interfaith and intercultural dialogue that the appointment of a Muslim chaplain offers to the University.
The University administration and the Office of Religious Life deserve praise for addressing the needs of Muslim students and the broader goal of dialogue at Princeton. It is now up to students to make the most of what is an exciting and important opportunity to broaden and deepen their engagement with the Muslim faith.
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