I've been watching the reactions to
this attack. I don't mean the reactions by governments or even media.
But the reactions of some of my connections in social media. There is
a lot of sympathy. Some natural human anger and desire to act and not
just watch. But there is also some terrifying rhetoric going on.
ISIL has now taken credit for the
attack and there is an outpouring of hatred for this group. But where
it upsets me is when the hatred of extremists becomes a hatred of all
Muslims or all inhabitants of the Middle East.
Do Americans (even some that I know) honestly believe all Muslims
want only jihad and death? Do Americans honestly believe that the Koran
tells them to kill Christians and Jews? Have any of them read the Koran?
Because I would like to know where that passage is. In fact, Muhammad
called Christians and Jews fellow people of the book, because they
worshiped the same god as he did. The problems between Islam and
Judaism developed in the 20th century, more or less along
with the development of Israel as a country.
One post I saw on Facebook showed a map
of Asia Minor with a huge circle of ocean where Egypt, Israel,
Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia should be. In
the middle it read “Ground Zero”. And the caption read “Problem
solved.” Really? Who would propose killing millions of completely
innocent civilians as fair recompense for the work of extremists? Wouldn't that make us just as vicious a group of killers of innocent people as
them?
A couple of days ago, similar attacks
were carried out in Beirut. Why didn't that attack get as much press?
Why didn't I see any similar reactions on social media? Is it because
the victims of those attacks were brown, or because they were
Muslims, or most likely, both?
What about the millions of Muslims and
others who have been forced out of their homes in Syria and the
nearby region? They are making dangerous journeys to get away from
extremism. They are sleeping in tents, if they're lucky enough to
have tents. They are walking away from everything they had to find a
safer life for themselves and their families. Are they to blame? Or
aren't they victims just like those in Paris?
I don't believe that all Muslims want
our way of life to end. I don't believe that any broad group of
people is evil or inherently bad. Our family is traveling the world
for the next two years exactly for this reason, so that we can learn
about other cultures, see how they live, understand their way of
life. Because it is just as wrong for us to to want their way of life
to end as it would be for them to feel that way.
Muslims are just like you and me. They
want to leave a better world for their children than they had
themselves. They want to be able to go to and from work and worship
and leisure in safety. They want to be able to practice their
religion with the same freedom that the rest of us enjoy.
Yes, there are extremists. And they do
hideous things. There are Muslim extremists. There are Christian
extremists. There are Jewish extremists. There are even extremists
who have no religious affiliation at all. And extremists are
dangerous. Let's fight the conditions that foment extremism. And when
we have to, let's fight the already existing extremists. But let's
not apply that wrath to entire groups based on their color, religion,
or geographical location.
Not even in our rhetoric.
Thanks Erich. I have been reading your blog a lot, I really think it is amazing with what you are doing with your family. We are having a similar experience to yours but on a more limited scope. It was great that you and Alrica kept Ami company on 9/11. In Paris there was a movement called #PorteOuverte, or open door. Slightly funny as many doors in Paris actually have a voice that says "la porte est ouverte" when you open the door.
ReplyDeleteI think your comments about the reaction are also very well stated. It truly is very sad when those think the reaction to this is simply to hate or attack Muslims. I have really studied this a lot, including the negative fallout from the Arab Spring. I think that while we need to focus on the extremists, and make sure not to isolate the larger, peaceful and productive Muslim community; there is a very dangerous in between, that is not dangerous in its own right, but creates an environment that brings forth these extrmemists. Closing on that point the anti-Muslim rhetoric does in fact feed this in-between.
I agree Bryan. I think we do need to stop the rhetoric or we are only adding ingredients for more extremism. But the rhetoric won't stop if people keep honestly believing that Islam is a religion of war on the infidel rather than a religion of peace.
DeleteIt is interesting how much more open South Africans are to Muslims, despite the similar statistics to the States, than the US is. Far less intentional and unintentional discrimination.
ReplyDelete