Jaded

Ignorant and unfounded finger-pointing on the part of private citizens, and some politicians, has lead to bitter protests against a proposed Islamic Mosque near (not on, as some would believe) Ground Zero in New York, and in the process makes a mockery of this country’s so-called religious freedoms.

While following the progress of this mind-boggling controversy, I keep noticing people lumping all Muslims into one mold and hence the finger pointing. In true Islam’s defense, I’d like to point out something that people seem to either remain completely unaware of for some reason, or are indeed aware of it, but are choosing to ignore it. News flash people! The terrorists who attacked us, the terrorists who continue their so-called Jihad, are the by-products of a very perverted and very distorted version of Islam. They are in no way, shape, or form true followers of this faith!

While researching this oft-misconstrued faith and talking with some of its adherents, I have found that true Islam is not at all the violent, volatile religion some politicians and religious zealots (including the terrorists) would have you believe. If more people would take the time to learn more about it, perhaps some of this controversy could have been avoided.

Why do we insist on punishing the followers of Islam because of the actions of extremists?

We get upset at them because of their intolerance of our predominantly Christian belief system, yet we are showing intolerance to them as well.

Hypocritical? Very.

Also, this country was founded by people who were fleeing religious persecution, people who simply wanted the freedom to worship God they way they felt was right and desired to. Our Constitution (the First Amendment specifically) is supposed to guarantee religious freedom, yet I keep hearing about so-called patriots and politicians, the very same people who are supposed to help uphold the Constitution, wanting to deny that constitutional right to Muslims simply because the terrorists purported themselves to be Muslims when in reality, their actions are an abomination to Allah’s name.

I would like to ask this question, and yes I know the scenario may be a bit far-fetched, but bear with me here: What if it was a group of extremist Christians, or even Jews that attacked us? Would we deny them the right to build a Church or Synagogue near the site of the attack because they claimed to do it in the name of God and twisted religious beliefs?

Side note: Let’s not forget the Crusades or the Protestant-Catholic Conflicts, people. Christianity has seen more than its share of bloodshed in the name of God, too. Yet, we tend to turn a blind eye to it do we not? Yes, these examples took place on foreign soil, but I would encourage you to look into the acts of brutality carried out for the sake of religion on our soil, too. Manifest Destiny, anyone?

As I am sure you have already noticed, I am appalled by the heavy-handed intolerance and sheer ignorance my fellow citizens have displayed; disgusted and disappointed by the hypocrisy (and failure) of certain politicians. What do I mean by failure? Their failure to protect the constitutional rights that are supposed to be enjoyed by every citizen regardless of what faith they follow.

Now, with the proverbial finger pointing back at those of you who are choosing to be narrow-minded and intolerant, I ask you: How does it feel?