在每个民族的历史上，都有决定性的时刻。就美国文化而言，我们正处在一个过渡时期：从同性行为普遍遭到谴责的时代，走向同性行为普遍被接受的时代。将来，我希望回顾自己的一生时能够说：在那个重要的历史时刻，我尽了自己所能。我没有任其流逝，也没有在真理面前保持沉默或漠不关心。如果我生活在二十世纪六十年代的“性革命”时期，我希望自己作为一名穆斯林，也会同样直言不讳地抵制那些即将在物质、经济和精神等各个层面对人类造成负面影响的全面文化变革。

There are defining moments in every culture’s history. As far as American culture is concerned, we are in a transition period from an era where same-sex behavior was universally condemned to an era where it is universally accepted. In the future, I want to be able to look back on my life and say, in that important historical moment, I did what I could. I didn’t let that moment slip by while remaining silent or indifferent with regards to the truth. If I had been alive during the 1960s during the “Sexual Revolution,” I would like to think that as a Muslim, I would have been equally vocal in resisting those sweeping cultural changes that were going to negatively impact humanity on every level: materially, economically, spiritually.

今天，穆斯林已被压制到不敢发出任何抗议之声（那些尚未加入LGBT欢庆的穆斯林也不例外）。诚然，有人说反对这场文化革命就是“恐同”，就是不敏感，但我们不必接受这种叙事，也不必任由它来定义我们。我们应当坚决反对它，并申明穆斯林在这个问题上完全可以坚持原则。 对于那些不断宣讲“美国伊斯兰”的重要性、强调伊斯兰需要与美国更广泛的文化对话相关联、穆斯林需要为所有人发出先知式声音的人来说，现在正是最好的机会，一个具有重大历史意义的时刻。然而他们却找尽各种蹩脚的借口，继续保持不作为和沉默。其中最主要的借口包括：我们是少数群体；这里大多数人都不是穆斯林；我们不能指望别人接受我们的道德价值观；如果我们发声，就会招致反弹；这个问题并不是优先事项，诸如此类。 我已反复说过，穆斯林唯一明确表示关心的公共议题，就是“伊斯兰恐惧症”和种族主义，因为这是唯一直接影响穆斯林舒适度的社会议题，而且它恰好契合一种非常流行的全国性叙事。我并不是说这项事业不值得去做，但还有其他议题，就毁坏生命的绝对数量而言，其危害要严重得多，无论穆斯林还是非穆斯林都深受其害，然而许多穆斯林对此保持沉默，不予倡导，甚至根本没有将其纳入视野。上一次你在全国层面听到美国穆斯林以穆斯林的身份抗议通奸（zina）和普遍的无神论，是什么时候？又是什么时候听到他们抗议监控国家和国内间谍活动？华尔街的腐败呢？酗酒和吸毒呢？单亲家庭和堕胎呢？高利贷式的银行和金融结构呢？警察力量的军事化呢？稳定家庭的瓦解，以及机构收容和辅助护理的泛滥呢？泛滥的消费主义呢？ 穆斯林是否认为某些议题“重要”到需要站出来表态“我们穆斯林不支持这些”？还是说，穆斯林群体只有在为某起大规模枪击事件道歉、致哀时才会发出集体声音，而且只是为了避免引发反弹？

Today, Muslims have been so beaten down that they are too afraid to let out even a peep of protest (i.e., those Muslims who haven’t already joined in the LGBT jubilation). Sure, people say that to oppose this cultural revolution is to be “homophobic” and insensitive, but we don’t have to accept that narrative or let it define us. We should forcefully oppose it and assert that Muslims can be principled about this issue. For those who are constantly preaching the importance of “American Islam” and how Islam needs to be relevant and part of the wider American cultural conversation and how Muslims needs to be a prophetic voice for all, now is the perfect opportunity—a historical moment of great significance. Yet they make every lame excuse to remain inactive and silent. Chief among those excuses: Look we are a minority. Most people here aren’t Muslims. We can’t expect others to accept our moral values. If we speak out, there will be backlash. This issue is not a priority, etc., etc. As I have said over and over again, the only public issue Muslims have proven to care about is “Islamophobia” and racism because that’s the only social issue that directly impacts Muslim comfort levels and it fits in with a very popular national narrative. And I’m not saying that that isn’t a worthwhile cause but there are other issues that are far more negative in terms of sheer number of lives destroyed, both Muslim and non-Muslim, that many Muslims don’t speak out on, or advocate for, or even have on the radar. When was the last time you heard American Muslims on a national level, as Muslims, protest zina and rampant atheism? Or the surveillance state and domestic spying? How about Wall Street corruption? How about alcoholism and drug use? How about single parenthood and abortion? Usurious banking and financial structures? Militarization of the police force? The dissolution of stable families and the epidemic of institutionalization and assisted care? Rampant consumerism? Are any of these issues “important” enough for Muslims to come out and say, “We as Muslims do not stand for this”? Or is the only time we find a collective voice is when we are apologizing and offering condolences for some mass shooting, and only then because we want to avoid backlash?

既然如此，一些穆斯林又一次选择袖手旁观，也就不足为奇了。但下次我再听到某位穆斯林“领袖”对我说教，强调要有原则、要效法麦尔肯·艾克斯或穆罕默德·阿里的脚步，我就会明白这些慷慨陈词到底是什么意思。你们想把麦尔肯·艾克斯和穆罕默德·阿里据为己有，却不愿承受他们所面对的不受欢迎、艰难困苦和反对浪潮？好吧。

So, it’s not really a surprise that some Muslims have decided to sit back and watch things from the sidelines yet again. But next time I get lectured at by a Muslim “leader” on the importance of being principled and following in the footsteps of Malcolm X or Muhammad Ali, I will know what all the bluster really amounts to. You want to claim Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali for yourself, but you don’t want to face the unpopularity, the hardship, the backlash that they faced? Ok.