It never ceases to frustrate me how ignorant so many of my fellow Americans are about the Muslim faith (or, really, about any faith beyond Christianity). There are over a BILLION Muslims on this silly planet of ours, and merely a fraction of a fraction of them are ‘terrorists’. Yet, the entire faith gets slapped with the broad brush whenever a follower of Muhammad wreaks havoc. Did the atrocities committed in Bosnia by Christians against Muslims….the attempted genocide of an entire people…represent all Christians? IMO, no single group of followers throughout history have been more ‘terrorizing’ than Christians; yet, for some reason, seldom do you hear Americans lashing out at the followers of Christ for the evils committed by a tiny fraction of their brethren. In both cases the blame is misplaced. It is evidence of ignorance and fear of the unknown and unfamiliar…of the need to blame ‘other’ and ‘different’ for the evils and ills of the world. And it has been used to manipulate the majority against the minority in countless ways since the beginning of time. It is such fear and hatred and ignorance that are to blame for terrorism, not any particular faith (or its followers).
I have noticed several conversations and comments about Muslims in recent threads on the Moose. While visiting family for Thanksgiving, something I read here reminded me of an email exchange from a few years back. A friend received a hateful forward in a mass email blast, and she asked me to help her pen a response to ‘reply to all’…. You will find the result below the fold.
I am attaching the entire reply (with permission), starting with the original nasty email, followed by her edit of it and then her personal commentary. My apologies if the formatting is a bit off. I tried to keep it as true to the original as possible.
Can Muslims be Good Americans?Something to think about.
Coexistence of Judeo-Christian and Muslim Societies ?
Food for thought
Bigoted or not……..just read and think and draw your own conclusions.Can Muslims be Good Americans?
Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and a loyal citizen? Consider this:
Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.
Scripturally, no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran).
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 mullah (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).
Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)
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 our 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. If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above, perhaps you will share this with your friends. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country.
The war is bigger than we know.
Can Catholics be Good Americans?Something to think about.
Coexistence of American and Catholic Societies?
Food for thought
Bigoted or not……..just read and think and draw your own conclusions.Can Catholics be Good Americans?
Can a devout Catholic be an American patriot and a loyal citizen? Consider this:
Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to the Pope, the ruler of a foreign city-state.
Historically, no. Throughout history, nations ruled by the Catholic Church have been amongst the most repressive, oppressive, and war-mongering on record. Exhibiting a distinct lack of compassion and disdain for freedom of religion, their historical record is the antithesis of what our Nation stands for.
Ideologically, no. Because his faith was an inspiration for Nazism. (“I learned much from the Order of the Jesuits. Until now there has never been anything more grandiose, on the earth, than the hierarchical organization of the Catholic Church. I transferred much of this organization into my own party” -Adolf Hitler).
Socially, no. Because his allegiance to Catholicism forbids him to make friends with Protestants or Jews. (blasphemers and the killers of Christ)
Politically, no. Because he will use the political platform to further the causes of his true leader, The Pope.
Domestically, no. Because polygamy is accepted (the Bible is rife with men w/ multiple wives), they are anti-woman (women are not to speak in church. 1Cor. 14:34-35, 1Timothy 2:11-15), and they are anti-handicapped (the ‘afflicted’ are not to enter church. Lev. 21:16-23).
Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his God except his own. (Acts 4:12, John 14:6)
Intellectually, no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Protestant Biblical principles written for a nation founded by those fleeing the persecution of Catholic rule.
Philosophically, no. Because Catholicism, Jesus, and the Bible do not allow freedom of religion and expression.
Ethically, no. Because his Church concealed crimes against children and protected those guilty of them.
The Protestant Christian nation of America has historically seen his leader, The Pope, as the Anti-Christ. The militant Catholic group IRA/Sinn Fein and their allies are responsible for terrorist attacks that have killed over 2000 men, women, and children.
Spiritually, no. Because when we declare “one nation under God,” it is the Protestant Christian’s God. Not the God of those who worship the mother of Christ and bow to the leader of a foreign nation.
Therefore after much study and deliberation….perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL CATHOLICS in this country.
.They obviously cannot be both good Catholics and good Americans. Call it what you wish…it’s still the truth. If you find yourself intellectually agreement with the above (God forbid) , perhaps you will share this with your friends (one would hope not) . The more who unders
tand this, the better it will be for our country (my ass).
.
The war (on ignorance) is bigger than we know.***Of course, the above is RIDICULOUS. It is just as ridiculous as the initial forward about Muslims was. I could create equally ludicrous lists ‘proving’ that Jews, African-Americans, Italians, Germans, American Indians, and even Women are incapable of being ‘good Americans’. We cannot let Theological hubris distort our view of our fellow Americans. The more who pull their heads out of their myopic and bigoted rears, the better it will be for our country.
I am a practicing Catholic and a product of the Parochial School System. My parents and grandparents were treated as lesser citizens because of their Catholic faith. My father now laughs about being called a ‘mackerelsnapper’ in grade school, but, at the time it was meant to be hurtful..and it was. America has both a history of inclusion, and a history of exclusion. We are at our strongest when we embrace the differences amongst us, and at our weakest when we condemn them. In order for our Nation to continue to succeed, we must learn to stand United. Not divided.
An interesting quote from an article on American prejudice towards Catholics:“But no matter how hard Catholics strived to prove they were good, upstanding, patriotic American citizens, some Protestants would never accept them, simply because they were Catholic.”
Can Muslims be Good Americans? Of course. To suggest otherwise is as laughable as saying that Catholics cannot be Good Americans.
Are there radical Muslims? Yes, without a doubt. Are there radical Catholics? Again, yes. In fact, with no exception, there are radical elements of every faith. Radical Muslims no more represent Islam as a whole than radical Catholics represent Catholicism.
Today, we are at war with the radical element of the Muslim faith. We are not at war with Islam. Think about it, 30 years ago Great Britain could have (and likely would have) labeled Catholics as their greatest terrorist threat. 30 years ago (actually, until fairly recently) it was the radical element of the Catholic faith that was bombing innocents in Great Britain. The majority of Catholics are not terrorists any more than the majority of Muslims are.
We have Muslim soldiers fighting on the front line for our country. We have Muslim teachers molding our youth. We have Muslim doctors/nurses/police officers/ fire fighters working to care for and protect the citizens of our grand nation. These men and women work alongside Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Atheists. Americans all.
To proclaim oneself a Christian, yet forward the hateful missive that prompted this reply, is hypocritical at best. The Christian message is one of Love and Hope, not Hate and Fear.
Prejudice itself is a form of terrorism.
Bottom line, if you have read this far, Catholics and Muslims both are fully capable of being ‘good Americans’. As is anyone of any faith who embraces and upholds that which our nation stands for…..Liberty, and Justice, for ALL.
“Let us be instruments of peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”
– St. Francis of AssisiFight the good fight.
Christianity:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. -Matthew 7:12Judaism:
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire law: all the rest is commentary. -Talmud Shabbat 31aIslam:
No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. -SunanBuddhism:
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. -Udanavarga 5:18Brahamism:
This is the sum of duty: Do naught onto others which would cause pain if done to you. -Mahabbaratas: 6517Confucianism:
Is there one maxim which ought to be acted upon throughout one’s whole life? Surely it is the maxim of loving kindness: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you. -Analects 15:23Taoism:
Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.
– T’as-Shang Kan Ying Pi’en
