'Muslim' shouldn't be a slur.
from the LA Times
an excellent article that denounces the Islamaphobia
seen in McCain's campaign.
Excuse me, but when did the words "Muslim" and "Arab" become acceptable epithets?
I'm not a Muslim, and perhaps I was slow to see this coming. Four months ago, I blithely advised a group at a local mosque not to obsess over the anti-Muslim undertones of the presidential campaign. At that point, Barack Obama was defending his Christian bona fides against "accusations" of "being a Muslim" (as if it had suddenly become a Class-D felony), but was doing so without condemning the implicit slurs against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
In a "don't worry, be happy" tone, I breezily noted that although the stoking of racial fear and xenophobia was a cherished tradition of American politics, I really didn't think that this time around the candidates would permit the wholesale slander of Islam or Muslims.
Apparently, I was wrong. The undertones have become screaming overtones. And it is past time to object.
If it wasn't clear before, it became crystal clear last week in the aftermath of Republican rallies. Fomenting fear to shore up drooping support, Republicans sadly used heated demagoguery about "palling around with terrorists," about "Barack Hussein Obama" and about how Obama doesn't "see America like you and I," words that mixed subliminally to conflate "terror" with "Muslim" and to whip crowds into xenophobic anger. After his enraged supporters were recorded uttering death threats and racial slurs, McCain was forced on several occasions to try to tamp down the anger in the audience and to defend his opponent.
That was a good step one -- until McCain blew it. A woman stood up in the audience and said that she just couldn't trust Obama because, as she put it, "he's an Arab." McCain shook his head, took the microphone and said: "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues."
So, what is he saying? Arabs aren't decent family men? They can't be citizens?
Read more at link above.
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A sad state of affairs.
Christians, Muslims and Jews all worship the same god jehovah. Jesus and Abraham are both mentioned in the Quran. Wouldn't be nice if these three groups could get over there hatred of the "other religion". Besides just the facts that the constitution protects freedom of religion.
Demonizing others because they don't look like us. Don't dress like us. guess what whey are us and its time to get over this crap, once and for all.
Only the eradication of Ignorance will eliminate such behavior
You are correct in pointing out the fact that Abraham is the father of all 3 faiths(Islam,chrisianity & Judaism),but does the average Christian know what the word "Islam even means? Do they know that Jesus is described as the prince of PEACE?Do they know what a true Muslim is what one must do to be recognized as a TRUE MUSLIM?If Abraham is described in the Bible as "THE FRIEND OF GOD" and he is the father of our faiths, then it seems logical to me that we must first be friends of one another, if we are to be able to establish or forge any type of meaningful relationships.The word Islam means PEACE! and Jesus greeted all of his followers by saying "PEACE BE UNTO YOU MY BRETHREN, did he not?Interesting to know that the very first word out his mouth was PEACE!!-THINK ABOUT THAT!!and he left them with the same greeting, which in arabic means AS-SALAAM-ALAIKUM. and in Hebrew, Shalom-alaikum.it seems to me those of us who have these differences with someone elses faith, need to begin to study the one we say we believe in first, seek friendship with someone who practices differently than you and see how much you can accomplish by just be friendly and civilized.IF YOU SAY GOD IS LOVE, THEN HOW CAN YOU PROFESS TO BELIEVE IN THE HIGHER POWER KNOWN AS GOD WHEN YOU EXEMPLIFY OTHER THAN LOVE.MORESO, HOW CAN YOU LOVE, IF YOU CAN'T EVEN BE FRIENDLY AND CIVIL TO ONE ANOTHER.?
Thanks conneckt19
Thanks for pointing out even more similarities and shared past histories.
As-Salaam-alaikum.
Thanks for posting this
Thanks for posting this Karin. It is obvious that the last remnants of the "White Christian America" bigoted crowd are venting their frustration at being marginalized.
For generations these sheet-wearing, hate-mongering, rednecked bigots have been teaching their offspring to hate as fiercely as their parents taught them. And their hate was not confined to any particular race, religion, or ethnicity -- they hate fellow citizens who not "pure" white, not "pure" fundamentalist Christian, were not born on "their" American soil, or do not share "their" fear of individual freedoms. This was the same Aryan supremacy thought-process that allowed Hitler to feed on the emotion of hate and use it for his own ends of total domination.
Today's young Americans, by and large, are seeing through this brainwashing of generations, and are refusing to fall for the "faux-Christian" religion of hate, as practiced by their bigoted ancestors. They are beginning to understand that ALL humans are one race, and of equal value. The same transition is occuring throughout the world, and the Jewish and Islamic hate-mongers are also being marginalized by their offspring.
We still have a ways to go to rid our society of hate and bigotry, but we are making progress with each generation. In my lifetime alone (about two generations) I have seen tremendous progress towards these goals, and I am confident that the curve is ever increasing towards true enlightenment.
Thanks, Bill and Ole.
This needs to come out and be discussed.
It's a form of discrimination that has taken hold in US politics
and culture.
And Bill, you are right. I work with young people everyday who are
rejecting bigotry and hate towards others.
It is very encouraging to see.
:-)