SIGNS OF THE TIME

Muslims first arrived in this country while the United States was in its infancy. Thousands of Muslim slaves were brought here from Africa and worked on southern plantations. Today, there are as many as nine million Muslims in the United States, in all parts of the country. We are doctors, lawyers and police officers. We are active participants in cities, towns and villages, sitting on city councils and school boards, volunteering for civic groups and coaching Little League teams. We are of all races. Some of us were born here, others came in search of a better life for our children. We are Americans. As Americans we have the same concerns as our neighbors. We worry about bringing home a paycheck, about raising children and about keeping our families safe. And so we worry about terrorism and have a stake in preventing it and any other kind of violence. We have been at the forefront of preventing terrorism, cooperating with law enforcement and raising a red flag whenever we see or hear