As the election season approaches, it is important for Americans to consider each candidate’s foreign policy regarding the Arab Spring and the Muslim world.
Often times, Americans fall prey to the Islamophobia propagated by many politicians, such as Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.
On Friday Sept. 14 at the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C., Bachmann delivered a speech where she stated: “This time, I’m sorry to say, it’s even worse because the fires of radical Islamic traditionalism are not just limited to one country. They’re currently raging all across Africa and all across Asia. Every week our Christian brothers and sisters from Nigeria to Kenya are being persecuted.”
Bachmann uses the term “radical Islamic traditionalism,” but she does not define it. What is radical Islamic traditionalism? To insinuate that those who are followers of Islam are trying to attack American values and Christian ideals is too simplistic a view.
Bachmann mentions the persecution of Christians in these areas, and on this point, Bachmann and I agree: the persecution of Christians in these areas is similar to the persecution of Muslims in America.
Throughout history, certain groups of people have been targeted for hatred. In the past 100 years, the United States has hated the Japanese during World War II, going so far as to put them in internment camps; hated African Americans on a wide-spread scale; hated homosexuals, which continues today; and, most prominently now, hates Muslims.
Our society has created an “us” and “them” mentality that can be likened to the Cold War era. America versus the communists bent on destroying us from the inside. After the Cold War, the United States has lacked an enemy, until the heightened dealings with the Middle East and the events of September 11.
The United States has defined Islam as “them,” the people whom are against our country. Americans refer to these people as Muslims, Arabs and terrorists almost interchangeably.
This foreignness—geographically, politically, spiritually—has led to such rampant and socially-acceptable discrimination against the Muslim faith in America.
Nearly one in four people in the world are Muslim, according to a report published by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life in 2009. It is estimated that there are 1.57 billion Muslims, nine out of 10 of them are Sunni Muslims.
An Arab person is someone from the Arab Spring region in the Middle East, while a Muslim is someone who is a believer of the Islamic faith. A terrorist is someone whom uses violence to achieve political aims. These terms are not interchangeable.
A Gallup Poll from August revealed that 93 percent of Muslim Americans are loyal to the United States; 80 percent of Jews, 59 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of Protestants also believed Muslim Americans are loyal to the United States.
Nearly half of America, mostly Christian, doubts the allegiance of Muslim Americans. This is due in part to the fear mongering of prominent figures in society as well as American Publications.
The December 2011 issue of The Atlantic had a cover depicting a man holding an AK-47, wearing a turban that covered his face and long, flowing clothing with a headline “The Ally From Hell,” an article by Jeffery Goldberg and Marc Ambinder.
This image is a stereotypical, ignorant view of one quarter of the world, and the article uses the term Muslim and jihadist as synonyms for each other throughout the article. The authors write, “Western leaders have stated that a paramount goal of their counter-terrorism efforts is to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of jihadists.”
To whom does “Western leaders” refer? This is something few think of, but the West is constantly battling with another entity, in this case the Near East. This separation between cultures isolates an entire people and, like us, they are fed propaganda based on fear (an easy thing to do when American drone campaigns plague Yemen and Afghanistan) that creates hatred against America.
The ignorance on both sides is what separates the West from the Near East from the East. Governments make no efforts, nor do the people, to understand the culture of those with whom we interact politically, economically and culturally.
President Barack Obama has made it a goal to develop America’s relations with the Muslim world. He has made efforts to build a report with the new governments of Egypt and Libya.
By creating a bond between America and the Muslim world, perhaps we can avoid cultural misunderstandings, but first America has to deepen its understanding of the Muslim identity. Without knowledge of what being Muslim means, Americans will always fall prone to Islamophobia and the fear mongering of public figures.
This election season, do not let either presidential candidate paint the Muslim world as a threat. Do not let congressional candidates or incumbents spread word of an insurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood in American politics. To do so would be to accept one of the biggest lies of our time.
The fear of Islam is leading America towards a route of ignorance and injustice to those citizens whom are Muslim. They deserve the right to practice their religion without persecution.
In Africa, Christians may be persecuted because they do not enjoy the separation of church and state as in America, or the separation between mosque and state as in Turkey.
We live in America, a land founded on religious freedom. Muslims should feel welcome, not marginalized by a fearful Christian hegemony. To say that Muslims are the perpetrators of terrorism is to falsely blame 1.57 billion people for the dogmatic views of a small minority.
Let Americans free themselves of this fear, because there is no “us” and “them.”
Jim • Apr 24, 2014 at 3:21 pm
Gino, you’re stats are wrong and so is the premise that “all terrorism and all war throughout the entire world is perpetrated” by Islam. (Islam, by the way, is the name of a religion. A muslim is a follower of Islam. Religions cannot perpetrate, only people can.) I can think of myraid terrorist organizations who are comprised of individuals who are not followers of Islam: the Irish Republican Army, the Earth Liberation Front, the World Uyghur Congress, etc. As for war? Well, I’d say the Russian occupation of Crimea and Ukraine, the ongoing fight over Tibet, and the many civil wars that are active in Africa aren’t caused by Islam or muslims.
The fact you cannot divorce a religious belief held by many from the actions of a relative minority tells me you are need of higher education. I wish you well in your pursuits and hope, Gino, you free yourself from the weight of ignorance, which is bringing down the level of intelligence present in your written (and one would imagine verbal) discourse.
gino salvatore • Apr 23, 2014 at 4:56 pm
ALL terrorism and ALL war throughout the entire world is perpetrated by Islahhhaaam. There are…despite the west having left Iraq…600 murders a month conmitted by Islamic terrorists in that country.
70% of violent crime in Denmark is committed by muslims. Salmon-in-aspicum
Veronica • Dec 22, 2012 at 11:27 am
Hello.This article was really interesting, particularly
because I was investigating for thoughts on this topic last
Saturday.
feloneouscat • Oct 22, 2012 at 10:56 am
Reality check: the majority of human beings are good, kind, and loving.
A long post that is merely a racist rant is still a long post that is a racist rant. Yes, Bob Bryant, I am looking at you.
“Was it not “Devout Muslim men” that flew planes into U.S. buildings only 10 years ago?” No. Those were terrorists. Nor were these people part of a “mainstream religion” but of a sect in the same way that Jim Jones sect distributed poison koolaid. To argue that it is somehow related to Islam shows ignorance.
Was it also not a devout Christian man who blew up the Murrah building in OKC? No. It was a terrorist. And he was American and white.
Not all acts occur because of religion.
Bob Bryant’s post is an excellent example of how NOT to be loving or forgiving. It is an example of how to paint everyone with the terrorist brush who isn’t like you. It is the crazy man who sits in the corner and assigns failures to a minority even though that minority had no ability to effect that failure.
This is plain, solid, racism.
Facts? There are none. First you have to buy into the semi-stupid belief that percentage of a population creates terrorism (Timothy McVeigh, being white and Christian, does that also fit your model?).
But let’s just look at ONE major failure in his “analysis”:
“At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia — Muslim 40%”
Let’s look at what the CIA factbook says: Unemployment is 43%.Hell, Greece isn’t even over 30% and they are rioting. Chronic unemployment creates far more problems than a country being Muslim.
Bosnia TODAY does not have “widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare”. Perhaps Bryant is living 20 years ago, but reality says different.
Someone shoots outside a Embassy in Bosnia and it is called a terrorist attack. A white man does the same outside the White House (which actually struck the White House) and it is just called a shooting incident. Two different standards because one is White.
“Intellectually – no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.”
Again, factually incorrect. The Constitution is not, has not, and can not even remotely be traced to the Bible. It is based off of English law (again, also not from the Bible) as well as Greek (also not the Bible). Intellectually, Bob Bryant has zero knowledge about the country he lives in, much less about a people he knows nothing about. This is FUNDAMENTAL HISTORICAL knowledge. Yet, once again, he tosses in “what he thinks” versus what is.
We are a nation of immigrants. There is no proof that any religion is superior to any other. That is what makes this country great. The current demonization of Islam is based on stupidity, ignorance, and, sorry to say it, rubbish. Making things up do not make them facts, even if you say it multiple times.
Bob Bryant is entitled to his opinion. But he is NOT entitled to make up stories and call them “facts”.
Bob Bryant • Oct 15, 2012 at 9:09 am
This, not the Chinese or the Russians, represent the greatest threat to the world and might be the fulfillment of the book of Revelation in the Holy Bible.
Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the
other components tend to creep in as well.
Here’s how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States — Muslim 0.6%
Australia — Muslim 1.5%
Canada — Muslim 1.9%
China — Muslim 1.8%
Italy — Muslim 1.5%
Norway — Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark — Muslim 2%
Germany — Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
Spain — Muslim 4%
Thailand — Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France — Muslim 8%
Philippines — Muslim 5%
Sweden — Muslim 5%
Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.
The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. . Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:
Guyana — Muslim 10%
India — Muslim 13.4%
Israel — Muslim 16%
Kenya — Muslim 10%
Russia — Muslim 15%
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian
churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia — Muslim 40%
Chad — Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania — Muslim 70%
Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
Qatar — Muslim 77.5%
Sudan — Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and is on-going in:
Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
Egypt — Muslim 90%
Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
Iran — Muslim 98%
Iraq — Muslim 97%
Jordan — Muslim 92%
Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan — Muslim 97%
Palestine — Muslim 99%
Syria — Muslim 90%
Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
Turkey — Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ — the Islamic House of Peace. Here there’s supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
Somalia — Muslim 100%
Yemen — Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
‘Before I was nine, I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. — Leon Uris, ‘The Haj’
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today’s 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world’s population. But their birth rates are higher than the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world’s population by the end of this century.
Well, boys and girls, today we are letting the fox guard the henhouse.
The wolves will be herding the sheep!
NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic,a devout Jew or a devout Protestant…? Just wondering.
Devout Muslims being appointed to critical Homeland Security positions?
Doesn’t this make you feel safer already??
That should make the United States much safer, huh!!
Was it not “Devout Muslim men” that flew planes into U.S. buildings only 10 years ago?
We must never forget this..
Was it not a Devout Muslim man who killed 13 at Fort Hood ? (He killed “From within” -don’t forget that).
Also: This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
Theologically – no . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia
Religiously- no. Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)
Scripturally- no. Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
Geographically- no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially- no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews..
Politically- no.Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.
Domestically- no. Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)
Intellectually – no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically- no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually- no. Because when we declare ‘one nation under God,’ the Christian’s God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran’s 99 excellent names.
Therefore, after much study and deliberation. … Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. – – – They obviously cannot be both ‘good’ Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish, it’s still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.
Can a Muslim be a good soldier???
Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Ft. Hood and Killed 13. He is a good Muslim!!!
Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.
SO FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.
http://www.conservativevideos.com/2012/10/a-word-to-rioting-muslims/