Yes Weekly is running my LTTE

[justinsb]

I actually only sent it to the Editor, in hopes of influencing the editor, but they are running it as an op-ed

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing today in the hope of gaining your assistance in easing the level of tension between Muslims and ‘the West’. People with whom I have been conversing (some of whom you may hear from) and I are of the belief that media coverage of ‘the War on Terror’ and terrorist acts are inadvertently, partially to blame for the current tension.

Many in the west live in communities that do not have a large Muslim community. As a result they hear little to nothing about Muslims or Islam apart from what they see on the news, and for obvious reasons the War on Terror has dominated news coverage. I believe that continually linking the terms Muslim, Islam, and Arabic with words like terror, extremist, and fundamentalist leads, somewhat subconsciously to an ingrained belief that all Muslims, and Arabs are terrorists and extremists and leads to further distrust, misunderstanding and in some cases even violence (see link below for examples.)

http://www.amperspective.com/html/anti-muslim_hate.html

This, in turn, will inevitably lead to further distrust by Muslims of non-Muslims. As such I am asking that you change your personal writing style, and that your organization change their editorial policy to reduce this problem.

I know, having had this conversation with people, that you may believe that because the members of groups like Al Queda are Muslim that it makes it accurate to label them “Islamic Terrorists” or “Islamic Fundamentalists. However, if you ask most Muslims whether Al Queda represents them most would likely say no.

http://www.islamfortoday.com/60minutes.htm

Further, there is a bit of a double standard here as I don’t recall ever hearing the IRA referred to as Catholic Terrorists, or the KKK as Christian Extremists, although according to the logic used in relation to the ‘War on Terror’ both would be appropriate terms. In fact, if there were a religious designation used in each and every crime; “Baptist robs convenience store”, “Mormon kills 2 in Utah”, “Presbyterian kills woman in drunk driving accident”, I don’t think you’ll deny that religious intolerance would hit new heights.

Al Queda are certainly criminal in their actions, call them a “criminal organization”, call them “murderers”, call them a “Terrorist Organization” but do not do them the favor of giving them a religion to hide behind at the expense of innocent members of that faith.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Justin Beach

[ewagner]

1. Congrats

Nice job :applause:

[justinsb]

2. Thanks!

:toast:

[greekspeak]

3. Thank you! Very much needed. LTTE in Tallahassee Democrat says why

OK...just went to the Democrat site and the letter is gone. Did they pull it? Anyone know? Basically, the letter said that Islam is a religion of hate, and that the Koran is full cover to cover of terror, hate, etc.

If it still existed, it would underscore why letters like yours are so necessary. Thank you for standing up and saying something!

[justinsb]

5. No thanks needed, I live in a city with a huge...huge muslim population

and there are no problems here, none. Islam is not a threat, hate is a threat - regardless of how you package it. I'm happy they're running it, but a little shocked. As I said, it was genuinely only meant for the editor.

[greekspeak]

7. Don't be shocked. Innocent Muslims are being used as scapegoats

And that is flat out WRONG. Regardless of who you intended the letter to go to, your demand for what is right will be heard by many. Kudos!

[justinsb]

8. Thanks

:blush:

[havocmom]

4. Bueno! Bookmarked and Recommended

Masterfully done. :applause: :woohoo: :applause:

Love the bit about what would happen if religious designations were added to each and every crime report! That is fantastic as an illustration of how we incorporate and institutionalize bigotry in our daily communications. Gives many much to chew on. Excellent!

[justinsb]

6. Thanks!

Glad you liked it :blush:

[realFedUp]

9. Congrats. Was that your first one and/or a result of DU's activism forum?

Be interesting to know if the new DU activism
is launching new writers...good letter too.

[justinsb]

11. Thanks!

No, it's not my first though. My first LTTE was published in response to the first gulf war :shrug: and it actually came out of a discussion in my International Politics listserv (see signature).

[schrodingers_cat]

10. Articulate, succinct

and to the point - beautifully done. No doubt this why it is being published. I really appreciate it when people articulate thoughts in a manner better than I could ever do - kudos to you!!!:applause:

[justinsb]

12. Thanks

:blush: I'm sure you could have to. The key I think is to have, friends, co-conspirators etc., proofread and make suggestions. This was about the 5th draft of the letter.

[bunkerbuster1]

13. Every LTE like this cancels out 5 hateful T-shirts

with "the Koran--now available in 2-ply!" scrawled across in bad typography.

(yes, I saw one of those. Worn by a fellow shopper, in the grocery store, this weekend. Par for the course in Red State Merka.)

[justinsb]

14. sorry to hear that

I hope it will convince at least 1 person that maybe fire bombing a mosque is not helpful.

[havocmom]

15. folks, let's get this recommended to the Greatest Pages and keep kicked

for the evening and night shifts around here! :D

[schrodingers_cat]

16. recommended! That's two...anyone else?!? (n/t)