Muslims may be the only group in America that folks—even those running for political office—feel comfortable openly discriminating against.
That’s not to say there are no slurs against Blacks, Latinos, gays and others who are not straight, White, male, Christians. They are uttered from sea to shining sea all the time, but at least the bigots who are saying such things do so in cloistered venues.
When it comes to discrimination against Muslims, too many Americans feel it’s fair game because of the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
That’s why it came as no surprise that Lowe’s, the Mooresville, N.C.-based home improvement chain, pulled its advertising from the TLC cable network reality show “All-American Muslims” when a conservative evangelical Christian group protested.
The acceptance of this bigotry was taken another step when, in the face of a storm of criticism and threats of a boycott, Lowe’s announced it was sticking by its decision because the show became “a lightning rod for people to voice complaints from a variety of perspectives—political, social and otherwise.”
The group, the Florida Family Association, has been in the protest arena for over 20 years, fighting gay rights, strip clubs or anything that offends evangelical Christians.
Unfortunately, this bunch like most extremist Evangelicals, cannot seem to distinguish between defending Christianity and ignoring the rights of others who disagree with them.
They cloak themselves in victimhood—certainly you’ve heard of this manufactured, nonexistent war on Christmas—while victimizing others with zeal.
Like all bigotry this attack on Islam is fueled by ignorance, fear and stereotypes.
Too many U.S. citizens believe the overwhelming majority of the billion or so Muslims on Earth are like those 19 hijackers who murdered nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in western Pennsylvania.
Only a miniscule number of Muslims interpret Islam as the hijackers, Osama bin Laden and other Islamic extremists did.
Actually, groups like the Florida Family Association are the same as al Qaeda except they are Christian extremists carrying on a different kind of jihad.
Studies show Muslim Americans overwhelmingly denounce Islamic terrorists, as do most followers of Islam worldwide.
Yet David Caton, head of the Florida group, said, “99.9 percent of Muslims agree with the principles of Sharia law.”
Americans like to talk about this being the land of the free, but there will be no freedom here until everyone is free.
(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune.)
About Post Author
