The Apostate (21 page)

“What did you discuss?”

“Nothing about a bomb. What did you discuss in your meetings with him?”

The only way to deal with Tariq was to eschew subtleties, Ray told himself. Fight fire with fire.

Tariq flashed him a dark, ominous look. “What are you suggesting? That I had something to do with this.”

“Not at all. What were you suggesting about my inviting Paul to dinner? We had just met and I though he could use some friends in a new city.”

“Very well,” Tariq said. His face contracted a moment as if seized by a disturbing idea. “I wonder what made the authorities suspicious about Lassi. Do you have any idea?”

“None,” Ray said. “Do you?”

Stalemate!

Tariq issued a tiny smile. What a weird chess game, Ray thought. And Tariq was probably better at it than him.

“This situation has set us back,” Tariq said. “It will be up to you to help us recover.”

“I'll do my best,” Ray promised.

“Any problems about Lassi?”

Perkins' voice over the phone was as curt as ever. But at least he asked, Ray thought.

“Not so far,” Ray said. “I had an interesting discussion with Tariq where we asked each other what we said to Lassi.”

“Must have been interesting,” Perkins observed. “What did he say?”

“Only that he didn't suggest any nefarious deeds to Lassi, and I said that I just invited him to dinner because he seemed lonely and Abra might find him a date or two.”

“And he accepted that?”

“We each accepted, if that's the right word, what we said to each other.”

“And the imam?”

It was like being cross-examined, Ray felt. But Perkins' questions were reasonable enough.

“He was very unhappy that the center might be tarnished as well as all American Muslims.”

“We haven't found any ties to the center, but don't tell him that. We're still investigating.”

“Okay. I take it that Lassi didn't mention me while being interrogated.”

“No,” Perkins said. “You're clear. What's next on your agenda?”

Ray wondered if Perkins was telling him everything. But there wasn't anything he could do to elicit more information. However, there really didn't seem to be a problem.

He had skated through this situation, at least so far. All Lassi could say was that he looked up to him for his work for the complex, town hall meetings, and such. Attacking media and seeking a truth squad. Advancing the prospect of a Muslim Peace Corps. The instigator instigating.

“My maiden television interview,” Ray said.

“No heroics, Ray,” Perkins said. “And no surprises.” When Ray was silent, Perkins added, “Clear?”

“Clear enough,” Ray said. The PAS were eager for him to infiltrate the Islamic community, just not to make any waves doing it. After all his commitment, they were trying to place shackles on him. It was time for him to take a more analytical look at his situation as things had evolved.

Meanwhile, it was also time for another pair of innocent cell phones to bite the dust, Ray thought, promptly doing his share of the shared disposal duty.

“I look forward to the day when an American Muslim is elected president,” Ray said to a national audience on television.

Take that, Perkins! Ray savored his sally, fully aware he was asking for trouble from Perkins and the PAS.

The show's producers wanted attention-getting controversy to generate higher ratings, and he was giving them what they wanted.
America Declare
d, an hour long news show patterned after
60 Minutes
, had three segments and his bit was the first. At the same time he was cementing his role, following several more successful town hall meetings in California, as an advocate of the American Muslim community.
Ummah
, or the Islamic community, had never had such a champion.

“How soon do you think this can happen? Within our life times?”

August Ranch, his grey-haired host, was a famous television journalist extremely adept at extracting meaningful responses to his incisive questions. Few escaped either his original or follow-up questions, all forcefully directed with bull-dog like tenacity.

“Possibly,” Ray said. “We've had a woman and a Jew run for vice president, and a black man become president. Why shouldn't we have a Muslim, sooner rather than later, on a national ticket?”

“How many Muslims are there in America?” Ranch asked as if that were the determining factor in such a candidacy happening.

“There aren't more than perhaps five million approximately, but demographics favor a steady and substantial rise. More to the point, there aren't that many more Jews, but they, of course, have a disproportionate influence and have already had a candidate on a national ticket.”

Ranch's face tightened a bit. His close-knit blue eyes, visible beneath bushy eyebrows, had a combative glint.

“I don't mean to offend anyone,” Ray went on, though he knew he did. “But this is a fact that's hardly contestable. American Muslims have hardly the clout of the Jewish community. Creating a more level playing field is a realistic goal.”

“Do you foresee, then, the Muslims catching up?”

“Demographically, yes. With governors, senators, and members of Congress, that's already happened. Financially, I'm not so sure. And money, as the saying goes, is the mother's milk of politics.”

“Would American Muslims vote for a Jewish candidate for president?”

Another great opening, Ray thought, trying to think quickly. Politics was the big game in the U.S., not religion, though the far right fundamentalists would disagree, especially as they mixed the two. People like the imam, with all their good intentions, might not fully realize this no matter how long they lived in America. Tariq probably did, but for all the wrong reasons. But the instigator was hard at work to defend and represent the growing
ummah
and put it on a positive path.

“Certainly. We're no more of a monolithic voting group than American Catholics or any minority. Would all women vote for a female candidate? Unlikely. For that matter, not all Muslims would necessarily vote for a Muslim candidate.”

Bunch nodded, apparently accepting this comment. “If there were to be a Muslim candidate for president, would he have to…separate himself from some of the teachings of Islam? After all, doesn't the Koran combine religion and government? John F. Kennedy, when he ran, made it clear he wasn't beholden to the Pope and Rome.”

Here was a chance to strike another blow for his fellow Muslims, Ray thought. Rather than apologize for Paul Lassi and a few other homegrown terrorists like him, he was taking the high road.

“This is the message I've been trying to deliver,” Ray said with emphasis, “American Muslims are true-blue, apple pie, and motherhood Americans. We salute the flag, sing the national anthem, and serve in the armed forces. Our allegiance is to the U.S. and to no one else.”

“Commendable,” Ranch said. “But what about young Muslim Americans willing to do acts of terrorism? As the recent incident at Los Angeles showed all too well.”

“This was an isolated incident, and a very regrettable one,” Ray said, seeing that Ranch had saved this inevitable question, “It was quite uncommon. And what about the Oklahoma City bombing? The Unibomber? The Arizona crazy who shot a congresswoman? And all the neo-fascists holed up in the boondocks of Idaho? They're homegrown, too.”

“But the Muslim acts of terrorism are part of worldwide
jihadism
, aren't they? Not like our domestic variety?”

Ranch had him in his sights, but Ray felt he could turn this one-dimensional scrutiny to his advantage. This was more like a debate than an interview, but he felt he was holding his own thus far. One misstatement or verbal stumbling, however, could undo months now of planting seeds of controversy.

“The world is flat when it comes to intolerance as well as commerce,” Ray said. “No one has a monopoly on violence. In the last forty or fifty years the country most responsible for deaths from military actions, a great deal of them to children and other civilians in so called collateral damage, is the U.S.”

“Are Muslims against the wars we've been involved in?” Ranch asked as if ready to launch a charge of a lack of patriotism.

This was a negatively framed question, Ray thought, and a really unfair one. Hitting below the interview belt. But he had to deal with it coolly and intelligently.

“No more or less than any other Americans,” Ray counter-attacked. “Singling out one group of Americans is itself intrinsically un-American.”

Ranch's face blanched, but he quickly recovered. “And do you still call for a Muslim Peace Corps to go around the world to Muslim countries?”
“Absolutely,” Ray said quickly, ready for this question. “Who better than American Muslims, in the true battle of ideas, to show that we're not an arrogant, overbearing nation believing itself exceptional while practicing economic colonialism? Who better to show that a country built on diversity hasn't backtracked to allow Islamophobia to flourish?”

Ranch's face billowed as his eyes widened. Ray wondered what the viewing public thought about his outburst. He felt like some Rubicon had been crossed. He was no Caesar, but he was still bellowing at the republic.

“That's quite a statement,” Ranch said at last. “Would that be in the platform of any American Muslim who ran for president?”

“It would be if I was one of his speech writers,” Ray said, with a hint of a smile. He had taken the measure of Ranch and evidently survived a tough interview thus far.

And so it went for the few minutes left in the segment. Ranch trying to elicit meaningful responses and then reacting sharply to Ray's calculated answers.

Afterwards, before leaving the studio, Ray was told the network had been swamped with phone calls, email messages, and faxes which were about 90 percent against him.

Not bad, Ray thought, quite pleased. But there was always a downside, too, and he wondered what that might be.

The imam was satisfied with Ray's maiden television interview, which pleased Ray greatly. He was afraid he had overstepped his mandate. But the imam was complimentary.

“Ray, you gave good answers to difficult questions,” the imam said in admiration. “Your presence was steadfast.”

“Allah inspired me,” Ray said.

“Surely. But you have a quick-thinking mind, and now it's clear that you've become famous.”

“This is not my goal,” Ray said. His motivation must not seem egotistical, but it was so difficult to evade credit for his own momentous statements.

“Yes, but you must now put this fame to good use. Continue along the same path, but temper your comments with less fire and vitriol.”

Less instigation, too, Ray thought. It was ironic, but the imam and Perkins were of one mind on at least one issue. But he could still defend the mantra he had created.

“Yes, imam,” he said obediently. “This is what I'll do.”

***

When media response continued to be overwhelmingly negative, Ray wondered even more if he had gone too far. Surprisingly, Tariq's comments were uncharacteristically positive. “Many in our community will feel bolstered by your words,” Tariq predicted.

Abra also said he had showed presence, which Ray took as a compliment. Lately, she had been regarding him with a measure of concern. Ray wasn't sure if she was disturbed by his emergence as a staunch Islamic advocate, or suspicious of his motive. Or was he imagining this undercurrent?

“Do you really think there can be a Muslim president in our lifetime?” Abra asked the following morning after he had already spoken separately to the imam and Tariq.

“Probably not,” Ray said, “but it was a good sound bite.”

Abra nodded. “It certainly was. So was your criticism of official Islamophobia. You certainly got a lot of space in newspapers.”

“Too bad the complex doesn't have a clipping service. I'd like to read the stories.”

Abra let out a tiny laugh. “You might not enjoy that. Judging from the
LA Times
article you're a gadfly trying to make up for the Paul Lassi arrest. Unfortunately, the article references the complex, and labels you as a recent convert to Islam.”

“All that without my photo,” Ray joked, but in his mind he was not one bit regretful at not having his photo in the paper. Having loonies know what he looked like was a bad idea.

“Not funny, Ray. Maybe you should tone down the rhetoric a bit.”

The score was three to nothing now with Perkins, the imam, and now Abra suggesting a more moderate approach. The very people whose support he most needed were cautioning him to slow down.

“The imam seemed reasonably pleased, though he also asked me to be…more even tempered.”

“Is that how he put it?”

“Not exactly, but close enough.” Ray hesitated a beat. “Even Tariq said it went well.”

“The imam was being polite,” Abra said. “I don't know about Tariq. But, Ray, I'm really afraid you're making yourself into a target.”

Abra was in her analytical mode. She could probably give someone like August Ranch a run for his money.

“A target? A target for what?”

Abra pouted. “You know very well what I mean.”

Ray came over and embraced Abra. She slipped her arms around his waist. “I'll be careful,” Ray promised. But, in reality, he knew she hadn't seen anything yet.

The one who was clearly displeased over his television appearance, and the storm in the media that followed, was Kindred Publishing. Before he even entered Benson's office Ray knew the likely outcome.

“Ray, I have to inform you—”

Ray broke in. “Bruce, it's okay. My Islamic persona, so to speak, has made it impossible for me to continue here.”