Ground-zero fear

The first time I taught an introductory
world religions class, one of the students was a quiet Afghan named
Mohammed. When it came time for oral presentations, Mohammed talked
about Jesus. As a devout Muslim, he knew a lot about his subject.

This was a few years before 9/11 — before ”Islamic extremism” and
“jihad” entered the cultural lexicon; before conservative media began
regularly exploiting their audiences’ ignorance of orthodox
Islam; before suspicion of all things Muslim became the order of the
day in America.

The world religions class was part of a night-school curriculum for
professional adults working on a first or second bachelor’s degree. The
students were IBMers and local police officers, insurance agents and
small-business owners. They ranged in age from mid-20s to late-50s.