MADRAS, India -- Sadly, since Sept. 11, 2001, much of the world, in particular the United States, has equated Islam with violence and death.
U.S. officials have increasingly come to look at Islam not just with deep suspicion but with malice and hatred. The Association of American Universities reported that lengthy security checks kept at least 60 Muslim scholars from reaching the country in time to begin their university sessions.
In 2002, when I was crossing the Canadian-U.S. border with a Canadian citizen and a respected economist, I was subjected to a barrage of totally unnecessary questions that considerably delayed our group's entry into America.