I fear the recent terrorist attacks have triggered an explosion of hate crimes against Muslim and Arab Americans. This is distressing because terrorism is a hate crime. Both rely on a symbolic communicative act of violence intended to terrorize a third party, and both assume guilt by association.

As Americans, we should reflect on the ways that our own Middle East policies and the arrogance by which we deal with "the Arabs" contribute to the radicalization and polarization of Muslims. On the other hand, Muslims - American and otherwise - should reflect upon the ways that their own discourse and symbolism contribute to a belligerent and morally irresponsible attitude toward Western countries.

The vast majority of Muslims will never take part in acts of violence or hate, but there is also little doubt that Muslim and Arab organizations have every reason to be concerned about Islamophobics and the frenzied atmosphere of hate they are capable of generating.

Nevertheless, I feel that the horror of recent terrorist attacks demands serious reflection upon the prevailing moral and ethical structure of contemporary Islam.

The classical culture of Islamic law is uncompromisingly hostile to all acts of terrorism. In fact, the Muslim juristic tradition equated terrorism with the Quranic concept of fitnah (betrayal and oppression), which the Quran describes as a crime against humanity.

But it would be disingenuous to propose that this classical attitude is predominant, or even that familiar, in modern Arab-Muslim culture. I, like many other Muslims, grew up with an unhealthy dose of highly opportunistic, anti-Western and belligerent rhetoric, delivered not only through the official media but also through local mosques. Even in America, it is not unusual to hear such irresponsible and unethical rhetoric repeated in local Islamic centers or university Muslim student organizations.

So what happened to a tolerant Islamic civilization? A lot. It has been wiped out by an aggressive and racist European civilization, colonialism and the expulsion of Palestinians. Furthermore, virulently despotic and exploitative regimes have taken power in nearly every Muslim country, most of which continue to suffer from chronic economic and political problems.

But most importantly, a dogmatic, puritan and ethically oblivious form of Islam has continued to develop and predominate since the 1970s. This brand of contemporary Islam is well-represented today in several Muslim regimes and mass-based Islamic movements.

Nonetheless, the United States has contributed to the emergence of these same extreme trends. We have thrown around the rhetoric of moral imperatives and commitments, but our foreign policy toward Muslim nations remained guided by considerations of real politic and pure self-interest while arrogantly claiming to be the leader of the free world.

The claim of leadership comes with a heavy responsibility. When the leader relies on the logic of unprincipled and pragmatic interest, the lesson taught to others is not a particularly moral one.