Truly Muslim, fully American

But I wonder if - given the fearful environment - that would be enough of an "unequivocal" condemnation.

What would people think if I told them that I did not ride the subway for one month after our faux pas at Abu Ghraib out of fear that retaliation against the US would be directed at our subway systems?

I, too, am vulnerable as an American. The terrorists in London didn't care about Shahara Islam, a young Muslim woman killed in the attacks. Do Americans not recognize the dark irony of Shahara's last name? They didn't care about her. And I'm no different: Terrorists intent on blowing up the train I'm riding will not care that I'm a Muslim. They won't be deterred by the sight of me on a subway seat with my Arabic-printedbags from a halal meat market, as I try to keep close to Islamic dietary prescriptions.

And that is the point: Terrorism is not about Islam; it is about a perverse agenda being paraded through the Muslim world under the banner of my faith. Why then should Muslims in America have to condemn it all the time?

Just because we don't wear T-shirts that say "Muslims condemn terrorism" doesn't mean we don't abhor such acts. Yes, there's an increased obligation for Arabs and Muslims to fulfill their responsibility as American citizens to integrate with the broader community, and most undoubtedly have.

But I believe the role we play should be characterized by positive rather than negative resonance. I've chosen to live by this philosophy: It's not my job to tell you what I am not, but rather what I am. I offer others not what I hate, but what I love, such as what America stands for, in principle. And most important, I choose not to tell but to show others what I represent as a Muslim. It is essential that our discussions as Americans break out of the skewed dialectic on Islam.

Of course not everybody reacts to Muslims this way. But I'm convinced it's the reality - not my paranoid view - that many do. I'm optimistic that as a nation we can move beyond stereotypes and embrace the millions of Muslims in America - that we can break down the crazy expectation that someone like me who wears hijab cannot possibly be "fully" American.

The thought of a veiled woman listening to rock and roll on an iPod mini, jogging near the Charles River at night, or playing the guitar need not be far-fetched. I do all of the above.

I categorically condemn terrorism. Now, will my fellow citizens in America hear more of what I have to say? Will America embrace me for who I am - a practicing Muslim, an ardent debater, and an aspiring public servant?

Most important, will they recognize that I'm fully American?

• Fatina Abdrabboh, born and raised in Dearborn Mich., is a student at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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