Not in a long time has the social climate in the United States climaxed into something so disgusting and embarrassing; it is impossible to turn on the news on the TV and not see images of people holding up anti-Muslim signs, or turn on the radio and hear the bantering of Islamophobes.
Sure, stereotyping of Muslims and general Islamophobia is nothing new, but never has it been flaunted so openly and with so much rage, especially by our public officials and mainstream public and cultural leaders: people with positions of responsibility. Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Harry Reid, Rick Lazio, and more have all been willing to throw a whole population of Muslim American under the bridge, whether it's for votes in the upcoming elections or some other unworthy cause. In some cases, some of these individuals may appear to actually believe what they are saying; indeed a rarity for the class of people who I am referring to. And this seems to be one of the only cases I wish that they didn't.
The whole issue really boils down to a basic question: Should we, as a society, have to be sensitive to the feelings of the ignorant whenever we make decisions?
Because the only reason why this is even an issue is because of the ignorant, and frankly bigoted, perception of many that all Muslims are anti-American terrorists, and more importantly, that Islam is a religion that has terrorism, violence, and anti-American sentiment at its core; that the hijackers who brought down the twin towers were following exactly what Islam teaches, and thus having a Islamic community center or house of worship near ground zero is like having a Nazi memorial center near Auschwitz.
Indeed, without these perceptions, this would not even be an issue. And these perceptions are, without doubt, based on ignorance and escalated by propaganda. Nevermind all the communities of peaceful American Muslims citizens in this country, or even those who serve in our military. Nevermind that there are just as many, if not more, promotions and depictions of violence (and misogyny) in the Bible, which is the religious text of choice of the majority of those who hold the perception that Islam is a religion of violence, as there is in the Koran. These are factors and facts that do not matter and are not exposed; thus someone like Pamela Geller can say such things as the type of Islam the 9/11 terrorists practiced is "pure Islam" without any resistance.
To be fair, there are, in the press, some defense of Muslim Americans. But not of Islam. It seems that questioning the validity of statements such as the one Pamela Geller made are excluded in the narrow spectrum of mainstream American discourse. Indeed, if it is acceptable to assume that Islam is a religion of terrorism and violence, then the same has to be said of mostly of all of the world's religions, with Christianity not only included but separated apart from the others as one of the biggest offenders. That is, if we are to be honest and truly contemplative.
The "Ground Zero Mosque" is not like Nazi Memorial near a concentration camp; in fact, if we want to make analogies and comparisons to Nazi Germany, than the more sensible comparisons would be between the propaganda against Muslims and Islam we are hearing now by the likes of Fox News gang and the propaganda and indoctrination that was being heard in Germany regarding the Jews right before the holocaust. That is a real comparison, and it is frightening.
It is telling that there are protests now, not only against the "Ground Zero Mosque", but against many mosques in many completely unrelated communities. It shows that this has nothing to do with historical landmarks or controversial Imams: it has to do with hate and fear, and of course, ignorance.
So the questions stands: Should we have to be sensitive to the ignorant?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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