Stand Up for Muslim Neighbours

[Mari333]

The FBI recently cited a 1,600-percent jump in hate crimes against Muslims in 2002, no doubt an unwarranted backlash to the Sept. 11 tragedy. There is a sense of fear in the Muslim and Arab communities in the United States. This is due not only to the hate crimes and vandalism perpetrated by those who are uninformed and bigoted, but also to new U.S. government policies that have targeted Muslims and Arabs over the past two years. The “special registration” of non-citizen males from mostly Muslim countries, the interrogation of Iraqi citizens and non-citizens, and the possible counting of mosques and request for its membership lists all help to create a certain measure of fear in the Muslim communities of our country...........


http://www.theday.com/eng/web/newstand/re.aspx?reIDx=560D908A-5FA1-4EB2-9FC6-74A2E68F1241

[sistersofmercy]

1. This whole issue literally makes me cry, blaming the innocent..

targeting an easy defenseless target. Here in St.Louis there were a few instances that I heard about, one was actually done to a Buddhist temple that some bigoted knuckleheads assumed was a Muslim mosque. We should stand up! It's unfortunate that for decades our media has portrayed muslims and arabs as anti-american.

[Mari333]

2. The businesses owned in my town by Hindus, Muslims, etc

I always frequent...have to....the knuckleheads around here dont get it and lump them all together..

[alaine]

3. I'll stand up for Arab-Americans.

As people.

But I won't stand up for a Muslim any more than I will stand up for a Fundamentalist Christian who would deny me legal abortion. Oh I could go on.

The crimes against humanity practiced by muslims against women the world over are a separate holocaust, from genital infibulation to honor killings. Honor killings have been reported in England in the last few years and genital mutilation is alive and well although many clerics lie and say it is no longer practiced.

If you embrace a religion that denies women equal civil standing and rationalizes crimes against humanity based on gender then that is your choice. I certainly don't support hate crimes based on the fact that someone is wearing a burka or a turban, which really means based on the anger about 9/11.

And I certainly would do whatever I could to help if I witnessed an innocent person being harassed. But this religion has battered and violated and tortured women so much in the last 30 years that this is just one band-wagon I can't jump onto. Sorry.

[Yupster]

4. If I can suggest a website

www.askimam.com is very interesting.

It's where Muslims and non-muslims can ask eligious leaders about their religion and get real answers. A lot of the questions come from Moslrms in America trying to balance their religious calling with their American life. Take a look and click on the topic that interests you.

[The Stranger]

6. Congratulations, I am disgusted.

I never thought I would read a post like this on the DU, a nice generalization cleverly wrapped in language sounding like progressive women's rights.

Somewhere, somehow every religion "denies women equal civil standing and rationalizes crimes against humanity based on gender<,>" however, scapegoating Muslims seems en vogue and acceptable these days.

[sistersofmercy]

7. Have you ever heard of secular muslims? You are precisely...

what I'm talking about! Decades of jaded biased reporting! Have you ever been to Turkey? about 90-95% muslim most are overwelmingly secular. Women work, speak their minds,dress the same as we do. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It is agreed there are bad ppl in all religions but do not judge the religion basic on the actions of corrupted actions and interprtations of some of the followers.

[Iluvleiberman]

12. You can't be a secular Muslim

To be a Muslim means you follow Islam. Secularist detest religion.

[bodhisattava]

13. Can you be a secular jew?

Or for that matter, can you be an Israeli and believe in equal rights under the law for Muslims and Jews alike?

[Ellen Forradalom]

17. Certainly you can

since Islam is a heritage, as much as one may have a Jewish or Christian heritage. Each individual grapples with his heritage and makes up his own mind; some become fundamentalists, and many don't.

[Malikshah]

23. Thank YOu

What a load of codswollop-- "you can't be a secular Muslim???"

This goes to my point elsewhere in the thread that people need to realize how insidious their biases are against Islam-- these biases are founded upon ignorance an innacuracy.

I've known numerous Muslims who valued secular society-- many of which grew up in the 50's-70's-- the next generation (their children) tended to rebel and become more "conservative" etc. (Gee, has that happened elsewhere in the world in modern history)

To say secularists are against religion is just so very completely and utterly innacurate.

Why must folks still hold Islam to a different standard than the rest of the world? Are your biases so ingrained?

[sistersofmercy]

28. WRONG!

To be secular is to have a division of "church" and state. Uhhhh Just like were suppose to have a secular government! So a secular school is against religion? Don't think so!

[Tinoire]

8. The things one learns on this progressive board! n/t

[Clete]

9. You can't scapegoat a whole group of people

because of what some of them do. You can't beat up a man because he is wearing a turban. You don't know what he believes in. That is the point. And if he did kill his sister for an honor killing then he should be arrested and given a legal trial, not vigilante justice.

[jmm]

14. That's an aweful broad brush you're painting Muslims with.

All Christians aren't fundies and neither are all Muslims.

[PsychoDad]

15. It's not the religion of Islam...

It's not the religion of Islam that oppresses women, It's often the culture or government of these countries.. which themselves are often not following the teachings of Islam.

1400 years ago the teachings of Islam were revolutionary. They forbade infantcide of female babies, stated that men and women were equal and gave women an equal vote to men in choosing their leaders. Islam required both sexes to become litterate and persue knowlege... In fact, many Islamic scholars were women.


Secondly, while many Arab Americans may be muslim, most muslims are not arab, or arab american. The Arab muslim stereotype is just that, a racial stereotype. Malaysia is the largest muslim country on earth, not Saudi Arabia. Your clumping Arabs and muslims together as if they were interchangable is just proof of the medias ability to brainwash anyone

[Yupster]

25. You sure it's Malaysia?

I don't think that's even close to correct

Indonesia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh all have far more Muslims in them than Malaysia.

[PsychoDad]

26. My bad

Indonesia...

Mia Culpa

[Malikshah]

21. GET AN EDUCATION

Please-- prior to generalizing about a religious belief system and its people-- actually study the belief system and its people

There are too many things to refute in your post--this is the main problem

So many people think they are educated on Islam, its beliefs and the reality of its practices-- THEY ARE NOT.

This runs across the political spectrum-- GET A CLUE FOLKS.

BTW-- going beyond my name--I'm not Muslim. (Though I do "play" (read "teach/study") one on TV (read "classroom")

I'm sick to death of would be progressives spouting the same old tired mantra against Islam.
Is Islam perfect? Are Muslims? Of course not. We're all human.

The gender issue is tied more to a patriarchal society than to a belief system
Feminism should be understood as being plural (i.e. there are numerous views on womens issues from around the world--the Western feminists got an earful when they tried to dicated a one-world feminism in the region)

Just read about it first before you denounce from on high--your (collective) biases are showing

[Clete]

5. They are being scapegoated by the fascist elements in

our society like the Jews were in Eastern Europe during the Nazi regime. Be worried if your neighbors start disappearing without explanation.

[Tinoire]

10. Thanks for posting this!

Now I'm really late for my rally but I just wanted to say thank you. I have every intention of standing up for them.

Never would I have thought I'd see a group be so vilified and demonized in the US. I won't stand for it and am grateful you're making people aware of this. Thanks

[Tinoire]

11. You're an Arab; Imagine That

You Are an Arab; Imagine That

Tuesday, July 01 2003 @ 06:43 PM GMT

By Ramzy Baroud

<snip>

Imagine for a moment that you are an Arab.

<snip>

You are an Arab and have been watching Iraq being invaded under the pretext that it possesses weapons of mass destruction, enough to annihilate civilization, as we know it. You are gripped by fear, not fearing the harm of the alleged weapons, but the disastrous attack and occupation of a battered country, one that you often called the center of your civilization.

Then, since you are still an Arab, you watch giant multinational corporations flood Iraq, to buy and sell its oil without the consent of its people. In fact, you witness Israelis flooding the “center of your civilization”, seeking cheap oil and demanding pipelines that would go through their ports.

<snip>

You watch thousands of right wing missionaries flooding the weakened Iraq, vowing to convert your people to a religion that is not theirs. Others call your prophet a “devil” and your religion “evil” and demand that your school curriculum change to fit the agenda of some think-tank 15,000 miles away from your home, alien to your culture, language and heritage.

You learn of occupation soldiers mass raping your brothers and sisters in Iraq. The British daily mirror tells you that soldiers enjoyed themselves to the point that they took photos of raped men to commemorate the occasion, and were only uncovered by a chance.

<snip>

http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20030701184316755

Also at (with other great stuff):
http://www.stop-fascism.org/june_29_-_july_5.htm

[Ellen Forradalom]

16. One of my mother's best friends

an Arab-American, served as Arabic interpreter during the trial of the first World Trade Center bombers. By that extended, difficult service alone, he did more for this country than all of the Chickenhawks put together did, and I am grateful to call him an American.

[Blue_Chill]

18. The "special registration" is a "oh shit we don't know who we let in"

As a hispanic immigrant I know who got it easy thru immigration and who didn't. Arabs have long been rubber stamped into this country and the US realised that they had no idea who they had let in. It's not racism it's the goverment playing 'catch up'. It's a horrible example of what the mismanagment of immigration has caused.

BTW - any asshat that tries to assualt a muslim should be tried for hate crimes and thrown in prison.

[NNN0LHI]

19. The owners of a Dunkin Donuts shop near me are from India

They are not Muslims or Arab. My wife and I went in a couple of weeks ago to get a suger fix. The following day something was bothering me, but I was not sure what. After thinking for a while I realized they were acting scared. I asked my wife about it and she said she noticed too. She thought it was very obvious. This is so sad to me. Yes. We need to do our best at making these people feel safe in America again. We need to go out of our way to do so. Thank you for this post Mari333. I hope everyone can see what is happening to these poor people. It is criminal what is going on in this country right now.

Don

[Mari333]

20. I agree..I have seen a redneck hassle an Indian man here

He owns a small business...he said he was terrified....these morans have no idea who is Muslim, Hindu, etc...I told my Indian friend to call 911 asap if someone hassles him...
Its horrible what is happening.

[Iluvleiberman]

22. 911 won't help him

I called it once. About 40 min for the cops to arrive. By that time your friend would be dead.

[Mari333]

24. Its a small town

They get there pretty quick.

[ScotTissue]

27. I'd like to see the numbers

I'd like to see the numbers behind the 1600% rise before the article moves on to how the Puritans burned witches. Because if you are conducting a witch hunt, the witches can be Muslims but they can also be anti-Muslims. Unless you have the numbers and unless you think seriously about this issue. For instance, don't burn me at the stake for this, but I believe more Jews get harrassed in France than Muslims do in the USA, and I'll put it even more starkly: more synagogues get attacked in France than Muslims are harrassed in the USA. I mean does a 1600% rise mean much if we begin with a base number of dozens in a country the size of our own?

[InkAddict]

29. When You Care Enough to send the very best

http://www.byregion.net/rumi/

[Sweetpea]

30. Timothy Mc Veigh and Eric Rudolph

2 domestic terrorists. Yet white christian males are not targets...Nor should they be.