I have a good friend who grew up in the north but moved to a Bible Belt state 14 years ago. In recent years, I've gotten a few e-mails from her forwarding messages promoting intolerance. Sometimes she seems to be questioning the comments of the person who forwarded it to her. At other times, she's starting to sound fearful and intolerant herself.
This is the latest. She forwarded this message with the comment: "This is VERY worth the listen."
Condell is a British stand-up comedian, but this video isn't comic, it's pure truth, and utterly brilliant.
---------------------------------
So I responded to her: "I have mixed feelings about this. While many of his arguments are true about extremist sects of Islam, I have talked to moderate Muslims who are just as horrified by Al Qaeda, terrorist bombings, and women living restricted lives in conservative Arab countries as we are. A few years ago, I had a Muslim co-worker for a while (post-9/11). We had some interesting conversations about these issues.
There's a growing movement among college students aimed at building bridges between moderate Islam and other religions. A young Jewish friend (30ish) is hosting a pair of college students this summer who are part of an interfaith exchange. One is a Muslim from Jordan, the other is a Jew from northern Israel. I think that's a healthier approach than hiding behind fear and choosing not to learn more about what's on the other side.
I don't believe that the Muslim extremists represent Islam as a whole any more accurately than conservative Christian mega churches represent mainstream Christianity or ultra-conservative Hasidic Jews represent mainstream Judaism.
As far as accuracy, stating that the site of this proposed Islamic center is at Ground Zero isn't quite correct either. It's close enough to upset people, but actually a couple of blocks away.
More links about this story: Huffington Post, a Reuters perspective from India and CNN. The CNN story includes a video with a variety of viewpoints.
Islamization of America? I don't buy it. While the location of this proposed mosque may not be ideal, the idea of interfaith cultural exchange is something we should have more of.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Bob Simpson
Deborah Méndez Wilson
Jimmy Zuma
greenheron
Graham Sale
Ron Robinson
Salon.com
Comments
A friend who is an electrician for the Port Authority was working on equipment on a rooftop across the street when the towers went down. He and his co-workers at that job site were severely traumatized, seeing the bodies fall from the towers, hearing the screams, being surrounded by the ash and smoke, and having a full day's journey to get home in the transportation paralysis that followed the attack. He dealt with PTSD for years after that day, and I've heard about the nightmares he has suffered.
Each our lives, our families, our cultures are made up of many stories. Trying to reduce any of them to a single story is an incomplete view. 9/11 and Al Qaeda reduces Islam to a single narrow story.
Geez, this is almost becoming a theme - friends who have changed in disappointing ways.
I told her politely that this is not the black and white picture that some in the media have painted. I said that I couldn't agree and moved on to another topic.
Here are a few more thoughts on the accuracy of the "Ground Zero mosque" label.
How many of us have met mainstream Muslims who are afraid to be publicly Muslim due to all the hate generated by the acts of fanatical right-wing Muslims? I've known a few, and they hate the nutjobs as much as non-Muslims do.
Are all the people who make blanket condemnations of all Muslims any better than the Nazis 70 years ago?