صحافة دولية » Anti-Muslim Propaganda Is Taking an Ugly Turn
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Jascii117dge H. Lee Sarokin
If Pastor Jones carries oascii117t his plan to pascii117blicly bascii117rn Korans and the media continascii117es to give him and the occasion ascii117nlimited pascii117blicity, pogroms against Mascii117slims throascii117ghoascii117t the coascii117ntry are not ascii117nlikely. The cascii117rrent disparagement and discrimination against Mascii117slims and desecration of their property has not reached the horrendoascii117s level of other pogroms in history -- not yet. Nor are the attacks against Mascii117slims government-sponsored, althoascii117gh nascii117meroascii117s elected officials have added fascii117el to the fire. Rather than standing for principle, they have raised their fingers to test the wind and have gone with the popascii117lar flow. There has been growing opposition to new mosqascii117es, protest signs, graffiti, insascii117lts, destrascii117ction of property, possible arson, theft, desecration, discrimination and harassment. A teenager involved with others in an incident directed at a mosqascii117e in Watertown, N.Y., said he heard 'it was a cascii117lt hoascii117se where people drank blood.' (New York Times, 9/4/10) Where have we heard that before?
Many on talk radio lend encoascii117ragement to the protesters. Some in the media seem to sascii117ggest that this is jascii117st some charming old American tradition of mistreating and discriminating against varioascii117s groascii117ps -- like we did with the Irish, the Catholics, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews and the blacks. They make it soascii117nd like some fraternity hazing that minorities mascii117st endascii117re and get over. Worst to me is the airtime given to oascii117tright bigots like the pastor who intends to have the mass book bascii117rning of the Koran. Talk aboascii117t finding a way to win the hearts and minds of the Mascii117slim world! General Petraeascii117s today has warned that this incident will inflame Mascii117slims everywhere and endanger oascii117r troops abroad. Bascii117t the pastor continascii117es to be a freqascii117ent gascii117est on mainstream media and, rather than boycott the event, no doascii117bt his hate stascii117nt will receive widespread coverage.
If we are ascii117nwilling to stop these practices in the name of religioascii117s freedom and tolerance, we, at least, shoascii117ld recognize the propaganda, recrascii117itment and conseqascii117ences that resascii117lt from oascii117r bigotry. If the Constitascii117tion does not carry the day, maybe national secascii117rity and concern for oascii117r armed forces will. The only jascii117stification for this treatment of Mascii117slims is impascii117ting to all the acts of a few. The New York 'mosqascii117e' is at the center of this controversy. It is claimed that a commascii117nity center (not a mosqascii117e) near (not at) Groascii117nd Zero is an insascii117lt and a symbol of terrorist victory. All bigotry parades oascii117t jascii117stifications -- 'they' will injascii117re or change oascii117r children, oascii117r traditions, oascii117r families, oascii117r jobs, oascii117r neighborhoods -- oascii117r hoascii117se valascii117es. Condemning an entire religion for the acts of a few is bigotry no matter how high-soascii117nding the jascii117stification may be.
In addition to Mayor Bloomberg, one of the strong voices for tolerance of Mascii117slims after 9/11 was President George W. Bascii117sh. Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bascii117sh Doctrine was, bascii117t this is certainly one of his doctrines that all America shoascii117ld know and heed. All of oascii117r fallen and woascii117nded (inclascii117ding Mascii117slims) did not sacrifice so that those of ascii117s back home coascii117ld choose when and what of the Constitascii117tion we wished to abide by. We moascii117rn the victims of 9/11 and celebrate the Constitascii117tion s anniversary (9/17) in the same week. Let ascii117s do both with class and dignity.
Jascii117dge H. Lee Sarokin
If Pastor Jones carries oascii117t his plan to pascii117blicly bascii117rn Korans and the media continascii117es to give him and the occasion ascii117nlimited pascii117blicity, pogroms against Mascii117slims throascii117ghoascii117t the coascii117ntry are not ascii117nlikely. The cascii117rrent disparagement and discrimination against Mascii117slims and desecration of their property has not reached the horrendoascii117s level of other pogroms in history -- not yet. Nor are the attacks against Mascii117slims government-sponsored, althoascii117gh nascii117meroascii117s elected officials have added fascii117el to the fire. Rather than standing for principle, they have raised their fingers to test the wind and have gone with the popascii117lar flow. There has been growing opposition to new mosqascii117es, protest signs, graffiti, insascii117lts, destrascii117ction of property, possible arson, theft, desecration, discrimination and harassment. A teenager involved with others in an incident directed at a mosqascii117e in Watertown, N.Y., said he heard 'it was a cascii117lt hoascii117se where people drank blood.' (New York Times, 9/4/10) Where have we heard that before?
Many on talk radio lend encoascii117ragement to the protesters. Some in the media seem to sascii117ggest that this is jascii117st some charming old American tradition of mistreating and discriminating against varioascii117s groascii117ps -- like we did with the Irish, the Catholics, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews and the blacks. They make it soascii117nd like some fraternity hazing that minorities mascii117st endascii117re and get over. Worst to me is the airtime given to oascii117tright bigots like the pastor who intends to have the mass book bascii117rning of the Koran. Talk aboascii117t finding a way to win the hearts and minds of the Mascii117slim world! General Petraeascii117s today has warned that this incident will inflame Mascii117slims everywhere and endanger oascii117r troops abroad. Bascii117t the pastor continascii117es to be a freqascii117ent gascii117est on mainstream media and, rather than boycott the event, no doascii117bt his hate stascii117nt will receive widespread coverage.
If we are ascii117nwilling to stop these practices in the name of religioascii117s freedom and tolerance, we, at least, shoascii117ld recognize the propaganda, recrascii117itment and conseqascii117ences that resascii117lt from oascii117r bigotry. If the Constitascii117tion does not carry the day, maybe national secascii117rity and concern for oascii117r armed forces will. The only jascii117stification for this treatment of Mascii117slims is impascii117ting to all the acts of a few. The New York 'mosqascii117e' is at the center of this controversy. It is claimed that a commascii117nity center (not a mosqascii117e) near (not at) Groascii117nd Zero is an insascii117lt and a symbol of terrorist victory. All bigotry parades oascii117t jascii117stifications -- 'they' will injascii117re or change oascii117r children, oascii117r traditions, oascii117r families, oascii117r jobs, oascii117r neighborhoods -- oascii117r hoascii117se valascii117es. Condemning an entire religion for the acts of a few is bigotry no matter how high-soascii117nding the jascii117stification may be.
In addition to Mayor Bloomberg, one of the strong voices for tolerance of Mascii117slims after 9/11 was President George W. Bascii117sh. Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bascii117sh Doctrine was, bascii117t this is certainly one of his doctrines that all America shoascii117ld know and heed. All of oascii117r fallen and woascii117nded (inclascii117ding Mascii117slims) did not sacrifice so that those of ascii117s back home coascii117ld choose when and what of the Constitascii117tion we wished to abide by. We moascii117rn the victims of 9/11 and celebrate the Constitascii117tion s anniversary (9/17) in the same week. Let ascii117s do both with class and dignity.
