Jasser: Muslims must stop separating themselves from American culture

On Saturday's "Reform This!" Dr. Zhudi Jasser explored Muslim separatism and what he described as the "ghettoization" of the Muslim mind in America. Jasser believes it is the greatest obstacle to the genuine reform and modernization of Islam.

Ghettoization is the phenomenon whereby a group of people isolates another group from the main community, or, in this instance, a smaller group isolates themselves from the main community.

He points to the enclosed social network and consciousness of mosque communities in the United States whose identity remains tied to "the motherland." They describe those who are not Muslim simply as Americans, as though people who engage in behaviors outside the conservative Islamic norms are behaving as all Americans do.

The idea that all things American are anti-Islam and that "we need to stand up for our faith" causes the kids and the community to become more ghettoized.

Jasser said they see "Islam not as a diverse ideology but as a unifying, not only faith, but collectivized mindset," a suffocating "ghettoization of consciousness" that prevents young people from becoming leaders and finding their own success in America.

Listen to more episodes of “Reform This!” with Dr. Zuhdi Jasser on TheBlaze Contributors.