Muslims in the Greater Lansing area are hoping that out of the tragedy of Sept. 11 will come a better understanding of who they are and what they stand for.
"Bin Laden and his group are such a small minority of all the Muslims around the world," says Jameel Aftab, president of the Michigan State University Muslim Student’s Association. "They are an extremist group, and what they do and what they say or what they interpret Islam to be is not what Islam and Muslims are all about."
"Islam says that to kill anyone including yourself is forbidden, obviously to kill innocent people is forbidden and this is wrong in Islam and condemned," adds Aftab, a senior majoring in Physiology from Flint with Pakistani roots.
Individuals taken to be of Arab descent have had to walk carefully in the Lansing area since Sept. 11. Two off-campus shootings and several incidents of physical and verbal abuse are still under investigation by the MSU and East Lansing police departments.

"I would prefer to be called Muslim-American as opposed to Arab-American because I’m from Pakistan," says Salman Ateequi, an MSU sophomore from Chicago majoring in finance. "Arabs are a minority in the Islamic world. A Muslim is not an Arab and an Arab is not a Muslim. The media pointed its finger at the Muslims and started portraying us a part of the terrorists."
Ateequi thinks America is starting to understand the stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslims.
"We are trying to educate the media and the public that the recent terroristic acts have nothing to do with Islam," Ateequi said. "Islam, in its root sense, is derived from the word peace."
According to CNN.com, several hundred people of Arab descent, including 200 Pakistani citizens, are still missing in the attack on the World Trade Center.

"Don’t call it Islamic terrorism, because it’s just terrorism," says Omar Soubani, the religious adviser and trustees chairman at the Islamic Society of Greater Lansing. "There is no association between Islam and terrorism," says Soubani an American citizen who was born in Jordan.Many Arab-Americans who are not Muslim have lived in the Mid-Michigan area for generations and are outraged by the Sept. 11 attack.

Kelly Eyde, a professional mother of a young daughter and a Christian, has deep roots in the Lansing area.
"Many of my relatives, including both sets of grand parents immigrated from Syria through Detroit, Canada, New York and New Jersey," Eyde said. "Our family has been here for more than 60 years, I’m as American as an American can get."Eyde says her family has felt the wrath of prejudice in social and business arenas long before Sept. 11. Terrorism just brings prejudice into the light.

"If people are going to lash out on racial bias, that’s a terroristic act," Eyde said. "We have to leave it up to the authorities to take care of the terrorists. "The ignorance that causes prejudice has got to be eliminated because it’s just a bunch of bull."

Kevin Hansen, a 44-year old Christian father of two sons and a human resources manager from Gaylord, has Lansing roots.
"My situ (grandmother) and her two sisters came to Lansing from Lebanon," said Hansen, a Ferris State University graduate. "They would tell me how beautiful Beruit was before the wars, but they really love this area too," Hansen said. "We can’t negotiate with these radical terrorists. If they really want to meet Allah, we need to our military to help them."

"The Koran says that no person has the right to kill another person, not matter what," says Mahmoud Mousa, president of the Greater Lansing Islamic Society, an American citizen and native of Egypt. "The law has to be followed and the authorities have to perform the punishment, not individuals or organizations."

"Muslims must obey, accept and submit, that’s the name of the game." adds Soubani. "Muslims must obey the law and not change the scripture. "We will endure prejudice if we must, but I feel this situation will improve as people are educated and when those who have committed these acts have been brought to justice," Soubani said.
Soubani thinks the solution for ending terrorism is simple.
"Terrorism comes from a lack of communication and a lack of justice. "Force fuels terrorists, justice eliminate terrorists," Soubani said.