OVER the past two weeks, millions of Muslims worldwide have repeated the following phrases in Arabic countless times: God is the greater God is the greater There is no God but God God is the greater God is the greater And to God belongs all praise.

Unfortunately, this has been overshadowed by the fact a lone gunman allegedly shouted “Allah-u-Akbar” (God is the greater) during the Nov. 5 murder of 13 people at Fort Hood. If the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s recent report, “Mapping the Global Muslim Population,” is correct, nearly one of four people living on Earth are Muslims.

The overwhelming majority of these approximately 1.57 billion people have spent two weeks either preparing for what has been called the world’s largest peace conference (Hajj or pilgrimage, with 2 million to 3 million people annually) or for Islam’s biggest holiday, Eid-ul-adha. This “festival of sacrifice,” taking place this weekend, commemorates Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his firstborn son, Ishmael. For many Muslims in the United States, holiday preparations and traditional fasting have been tainted by a chorus of politicians and pundits smearing Islam and all Muslims because of the actions of a few.

I feel no need to apologize for things I have not done, or for things that the overwhelming majority of Muslims do not teach or condone. Like other Americans, I am saddened and shocked by incidents such as Fort Hood and the murderous shooting in an Orlando, Fla., office building, which happened the day after.

I view these as a cause for collective positive action, not the group scapegoating that has taken place. As a Muslim and an American, I stand ready to work with anyone willing to reduce the physical and verbal violence that has taken hold of our society. I do so because my faith really matters to me.

Jimmy E. Jones is associate professor of world religions at Manhattanville College and president of Masjid Al-Islam in New Haven. Write to him at 623 George St., New Haven 06511. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .