Islamophobia and the other

[nadinbrzezinski]

This latest round of Other creation is as American as apple pie. But... how can you say that? Simple. Across American History we have had distrust of that which we don't understand, or that which has hurt us. In the colonial period, colonists went to colonies mostly set for their "type." That is why Quakers went mostly to Pennsylvania, Catholics to Maryland, and of course Puritans to New England. OF course this was a mostly, a few strayed across colonial borders and did not fare very well. After all they were seen as the other if they made the mistake of landing in the wrong place, or if they were Indentures, they left that colony to the one others who were more like them...

After independence we had quite a bit of immigration from Europe. You know the story... hell this started BEFORE independence. After all, we had a few Germans come to this place... and why we almost ended making German the official language. Well, we all know the story, and oh the Scott Irish were the first popular target. Then after the civil war, really, the Irish, then the Italians, the Chinese (The first who actually were denied well like citizenship and thrown across the border to oh Mexico, back in the 1880s)... the Jews, The Poles, the Russians, dirty Europeans... you know the story.

SO fast forwards to today.

We still have all those tensions under the surface. Yep, plenty of hate to some of the others... but now we have a new Other... and this other is harder to pin down... after all, Muslim, scary folks they are... come from all over the world. Yes, there are European Muslims, (From Bosnia mostly), and South Eastern Muslim... Arabs, (that is expected), and of course all those sub groups, Suni, Shia, Suffi, orthodox, moderate, not so much... so let's throw all this confusion into one OTHER.

So when today one reporter asked another, is the Country Islamophobic... I wanted to hear YES, yes we are... no not you or me necessarily, but we are as a country definitely are. But NO... that was not the answer. SO time we face our latest OTHER. That is the first step to get OVER the creation of the OTHER, admitting that indeed we have a problem. And yes... there are people who are very responsible for this, but in the end Americans have always been easy to manipulate into fearing the other. Oh and I forgot, our very unique version of Islam in the Nation of Islam, very American and in some ways very unhelpful.

Oh and of course this also includes the original inhabitants, who have been the other for like since the early days.

[dkf]

1. We aren't phobic as much as agnostic.

All we know are simple sound bites. This entire debate has done nothing but show how shallow discussion is. I dare say there are very few who can begin to explain anything to us. What a waste of an opportunity.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. As I said, this goes FAR BACK in US History

so it is not just lack of explanation. Granted if people did silly shit like explain things like oh simply what is a Shia, what is a sunni and what is a suffi. the three major groups. As well as some of the Quoran, it would go a long way.

No I am not Muslim, nor do I presently am a friend of one. But years ago, another lifetime almost, one of my work companions was Palestinian. I am Jewish. So we came with the usual things into the discussion. Shall we say he learned a lot from me and me from him? One thing I did learn though was... never judge a book and yes there are extremist in ALL groups.

[dkf]

3. Well you could not be more right about that.

[Turborama]

4. Thank you for this well enunciated historical perspective!

:kick: I only wish I'd read this in time to rec.