Is it a Crime to Be a Muslim?
Why the Media is Demonizing the Whole Community?
I have wanted to ask this question for a long time now, Is it a crime to be a Muslim in this world?
Yesterday August 10, 2006 The British officials uncovered a plot to blow up airlines carrying people to from London. All the 21 people apprehended are Muslims and some have Pakistani heritage. After this incident, President Bush declared that "Islamic Fascists" are waging war against the West and democracy. Muslims in and in fear a backlash after this incident, which once again shows the growing hostile attitude towards Islam as whole, not just towards the terrorists.
Why do I have a problem? Well I have a problem with this demonization of Islam and Muslims for crimes committed by some misguided people. This is wrong and violation of basic freedom of religion and freedom of association. If one Christians commits a crime do the media make all the Christians criminals? No. If a Hindu kills someone do the media make all Hindus murderers? No. Not for a Sikh, a Jew, you see that this "collective criminalization is jut for Muslims. One Muslims blows up a building and the media and the government jumps up and down screaming all Muslims are terrorists. Is this fair? Does this make any sense? Are we trying to say, it is a crime on itself to be a Muslim?
I am not a Muslim but I feel bad for the community which has been at the receiving end of the public backlash especially after the event of Sept.11. The terrorists have hijacked a religion and the community to achieve their motive. They have hijacked Islam to achieve their goal of spreading fear and violence. But these are few criminals, the whole Muslims community is not planning to blow up American buildings, kill the British. So why is the media repeating "Islamic" terrorist, why our president is saying "Islamic Fascists?" Islam has nothing to do with the terrorism and the terrorists. It is the religion most of terrorist follow but Islam is not telling them to be terrorist. To blame the whole community and the people is wrong.
So what is the solution? I believe that we should have a confidence building measure to foster understating between Islam and other communities. Learning the true message of Islam and the culture will help us understand why Muslims do what they do and how we can eliminate the fear and suspicion about them.
The fact that many Muslims living in the West, especially in Europe feel marginalized and out of the national main stream prove that we as a community have failed to have a culturally assimilative society. We have created separate "mini-nations", where different culture and religions live among themselves but never mix in the society. There has to be a concentrated effort on all sides, Muslims and the Western world to come closer and put an end to this blaming game which just spreads hate and lies.
Published by Bhumika Ghimire
Bhumika is writer blogger turned activist. Hopes to be a Pharmacist before its too late. Currently training to be a pharmacy technician. View profile
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- This is wrong and violation of basic freedom of religion and freedom of association
4 Comments
Post a CommentLaszlo Gyenes -- you are conveniently forgetting that abortion clinics are routinely targeted and firebombed by fundamentalists who claim it's all in Jesus' name.
Or maybe you'd just prefer to sweep this all under the rug and continue with your little childish game of pot-calling-the-kettle-black, which is all right by me.
Bhumika Ghimire says "If one Christian commits a crime do the media make all the Christians criminals? No."
You are correct Bhumika, and guess what, if one Muslim committed a crime the media would not make all Muslims criminals, and the media does not make all Muslims criminals. The biggest public relations problem Islam has is not the media; it's problem is the Muslims who go around flying jets into buildings, beheading journalists, and blowing up buildings. If you kid yourself about that, the joke is ultimately on you. The mainstream media in fact panders to Islam, and the Muslim community, as does our President. The media is more critical of Christianity than Islam, perhaps in part because it knows it doesn't have to fear the threat of violence for insulting the church of Christ.
If Islam wants to be viewed more favorably by the world, it might consider condemning more strongly acts of terror, having a little more humility, and thanking God it doesn't get the negative media
Bhumika, You are misunderstanding the cause of the backlash. You know why Christians aren't demonized as you say? It's because they don't yell Allah Akbar when blow themselves up. I've never heard a christian yell "this is for you Jesus, I'm going to blow up a supermarket with innocent women and children". That will show them, we mean, it either believe in Christ or we'll saw your head off. Oh, what about the 6 imams who raised a rucus on an airplane and had to be removed? I'm sure it just slipped your mind. Until you police your own, it will always be like this.
You are correct in your analysis-part of the agenda of the right in America is to demonize the Muslim-and I agree that there needs to be more understanding, and more acceptance of other feelings. Ultimately, fundamentalism and extremism need to be marginalized. Not just Muslim, but Christian, Jew, and whoever.