Proud to be both Muslim and American

Many of the suspected perpetrators of last year's London transit bombings have a similar profile: they are young, native-born Muslims of Pakistani descent. Some of those accused last month of plotting to blow up transatlantic airliners also share those characteristics.

So does Faisal Anwar .

The 25-year-old software engineer turned public school teacher from Dorchester prays five times a day, obeys Islamic dietary laws and wears a beard that reflects his devotion to Islam.

But Anwar is not only a devout Muslim, he is a proud US citizen, and he will tell you this is one of the important separations between himself and Islamic extremists eager to destroy the fabric of secular society.

``Islam being a way to look at the world, I know the right way to channel my frustrations," he says. ``You have to be in society, you have to work to make society better. You have to contribute."

Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Boston's Muslim community is 40,000 strong, with many young people, says Bilal Kaleem , the 26-year-old associate director of the Boston Chapter of the Muslim American Society, and a graduate of MIT. The local Muslim population is a model of socioeconomic diversity, varying from newly arrived Somalis living in working-class neighborhoods, to well-established Pakistanis living in white-collar suburbs, he says.

``Civic engagement is critical," Kaleem says. If communities don't feel engaged, ``they become increasingly susceptible to feeling marginalized. Those types of antisocial feelings are unhealthy and dangerous for society."

Some Muslims do not become full-fledged followers of their faith until coming to America. This was the case with Insaf Masood , an Indian-born Muslim who lived in Saudi Arabia until age 17.

``People say, `You grew up in a Muslim country, that's why you're a Muslim,' " says the 25-year-old who works in Cambridge. ``But to me, I know what I went through" to connect with Islam.

Integration into American society is not without tension.

For example, Islamic law strictly prohibits the consumption of drugs, pork, and meat slaughtered outside Islamic guidelines.

``I have to worry about if something's made from pork or not. I have to worry about does it have alcohol in it or not. So eating itself is an exercise," Masood says. ``It's just kind of difficult when everybody else is doing something else, and knowing what you have to do is the most important thing in your life."

For others, the religious-secular divide is less pronounced.

Sidra Irqbal , a recent college graduate who works for a biotechnology company in Cambridge, says she simply avoids situations that risk her straying from Islamic principles. For one thing, she won't even go to a party where alcohol will be served.

``It's not a temptation because it's something we can't do," she says, referring to the many practices forbidden by Islam that are common to contemporary secular society.

Actions of the US government, however, often prompt negative reactions.

``I've definitely seen incredible frustration regarding some aspects of our foreign policy," says Kaleem, the MAS-Boston director. What Kaleem says he hasn't seen among mainstream Muslims in the area is a violent response to perceived injustice,

``I can't come here and try to blow up this building," Masood says. ``That is just so stupid. Allah will ask you, `Why did you kill him?' What are you going to say?"

Dunia Ramadan , a 22-year-old Boston University alumna, says Muslims, not just US policy, deserve criticism.

``It's our duty as Muslims to go after these people -- eradicate terrorism. But people sometimes are not bold enough to take a stand against another Muslim," she says. ``It's my responsibility to be with the truth wherever it may be."

Faisal, the Pakistani from Dorchester, voices similar opinions. ``We have a lot of work to do to, number one, educate ourselves," as well as educating the community at large that the terrorists are not representative of true Islam.

Real Islam, Faisal and others say, is about maintaining religious traditions while embracing the opportunities afforded by secular, US society.

``I came here, got my education here, the least I can do is give back something positive," Masood says.

Bill Glucroft can be reached at wglucroft@globe.com.