First, the above video from attn.com is heartbreaking. It’s sad that Americans, any Americans have to deal with this in 2017. When I came across this video on Facebook I saw some pretty insane comments. I know that YouTube/Facebook comments in general aren’t really the best examples of human decency, but the logic, or lack thereof in this case that was on display shocked me (I’m pretty naive, right?)
I read everything from hijabs being the reason they are treated like outsiders (you know, all that scary fabric) to the holy texts of Islam are violent and preach hate. One of these people even had the nerve to say that the Westboro Baptist Church is not a a valid counter point because everyone “knows” those aren’t the real teachings of Jesus Christ. And, my favorite, the insistence that moderate/peaceful Muslims should be doing all that they can to stop Jihadism. You can read my unedited (minus some bold font here and there) response below:
Respectfully, I couldn’t disagree more. I personally don’t see how an article of clothing can be the very essence of what it means to be foreign in the U.S. Particularly if there is no universally understood custom or practice when it comes to clothing…we don’t even have an official language in this country, let alone uniform standards of acceptable personal appearance. This would be akin to considering a Yamaka or Turban foreign. They are just clothes. In my opinion what makes them feel that way (foreignized) is the way they are treated. I don’t think that said treatment is justified because they dress differently than other people, or because we may have never heard them speak up about Muslim extremists. I must say that what I disagree with most is the assertion that moderate and peaceful Muslims don’t do enough to speak out against “radical Islam.”
—– It is never the responsibly of the many to speak up in defense of themselves, simply because they are being compared to the few.
In my view it is never the responsibly of the many to speak up in defense of themselves, simply because they are being compared to the few. Following this logic every White Christian has a responsibility to denounce the Westboro Baptist Church. You have just done that, and I applaud you for it, honestly. However I don’t think it was your responsibility to do so. There are 2 billion Christians on earth. It is not their job or responsibility to make sure the rest of know that they do not interpret the bible in the same extremist, hateful fashion that the Westboro Baptist Church does. Furthermore, I would hesitate to judge any Christians that have not denounced them “on the record” or made sure to take a public stance against what WBC believes. But, continuing that logic I have seen Muslims speak out against terrorism and the radicalization of their faith many times. Particular after any attack on the West. But like I said, they are not responsible for the acts of the zealots and the extremists. In my view this would be like holding every Black person like myself responsible to speak out against every black militant group that espouses hate for “white devils” and whatever other garage they spew. They exist, I acknowledged their existence. But I certainly don’t go out of my way to convince people that I am not one of them…not should I have to. Likewise, it isn’t the responsibility of every white person to speak up against white supremacy. Many of them do, but I would contend that the majority of them don’t. At least not in such a way that demands attention. But that’s okay to me.
To your last points: There are multiple passages in the New Testament that can, and have, been interpreted in extreme ways to justify what most of us would consider appalling behavior. TO BE CLEAR, I am not saying that his is the way that you interpret the bible, I am simply saying that saying the teachings of Jesus could never be interpreted in a violent way is not accurate. Here are some examples–
**Matthew 10: 33-34– But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
**Matthew 18:23-35 justifications for slavery
**Mark 7:9-10 Jesus criticizes the Jews for not killing their disobedient children as required by Old Testament law. (See Ex 21:15, Lev 20:9, Dt 21:18-21)
**Luke 3:9 Those who fail to bear “good fruit” will be “hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
** John3:23. Peter claims that Dt 18:18-19 refers to Jesus, saying that those who refuse to follow him (all non-Christians) must be killed.
**Romans1:31-32. Homosexuals (those “without natural affection”) and their supporters (those “that have pleasure in them”) are “worthy of death” — along with gossips, boasters, and disobedient children.
And in regards to your request for historical references, I take an issue with this argument. First, it is well documented in historical research, sociological research, and comparative political science that homogenized populations experience less violence, and that when minorities represent a very small (think 10 percent or less) discrimination is even more apparent and sometimes more drastic. Discrimination, violent or otherwise, in and of itself is predicated on the fact that there is a minority of people whose rights are being infringed upon. This happens to ethnic, religious, and gender minorities in all populations. There is no population on earth that is free from this phenomenon. This is not a function of religious interpretation; it’s a reflection of human behavior on a broad scale. Fear of the other.
But, in an effort to address your concerns more directly, I would point you to some research published a few years ago, “The Price of Religious Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the Twenty-First Century” – Grim and Finke show that 78 percent of Muslim-majority countries have high levels of government restrictions on religious freedom, compared with 43 percent of all other countries and 10 percent of Christian countries. So, that being said, is there more suppression of religious freedom in Muslim Majority Countries. Perhaps. However, the same is true of 43 percent of other countries. But I repeat that is not a reflection of their beliefs as the research also shows that 12 out of 47 Muslim-majority states fall into the category of “low restrictions on religious freedom,” which is the same category that the United States falls under when held to the same standards of the study. Also, their study was primarily based on government standards and actions. But if you need an example of religious violence, you need not look any further than what just happened in Canada. My point is that identifying religion as the problem is always a slippery slope. I think it’s best to always consider extremists what they are…extremists. The vast majority of the rest of us, Muslims included, just want to live peacefully, and none of us should be expected to say it out loud for all to hear on regular basis.
