The current xenophobia directed against Muslims in the U.S. is distressing. The issue is bigger than just the "Ground Zero Mosque." It is about the treatment of Muslims all over the country. It is about the core American principles of tolerance and religious freedom.
To be sure, the U.S. struggles with varying levels of intolerance on a regular basis. However, sometimes passions can elevate persecution of a certain group to an alarming level that constitutes an assault on American values. These feelings are often the result of substantial political and/or economic change, and countless groups have been victimized over time.
One example of such persecution was directed against Catholics in the mid-1800s. It seems hard to believe given their invaluable contributions to American society, but Catholics were once depicted by some as an insidious cancer that would irredeemably corrupt the nation.
The Know Nothing movement was rooted in nativist sentiment and it was virulently anti-Catholic, largely directed against the Irish and German immigrants who flooded into the U.S. in the 1840s and 1850s. The term "Know Nothing" was a reference to the semi-secret societies out of which the movement grew -- if asked about the activities of these societies, members were supposed to reply, "I know nothing." [For a summary of the movement, see for example "The Politics of Impatience" (login required) or Wikipedia].
Know Nothings blamed Catholics for many of society's ills and warned that they were part of a papal plot to infiltrate the United States. Catholics were depicted as incapable of adopting American ideals such as republican democracy, social mobility, and public education. They were often the victims of violence and their churches were sometimes attacked, especially during riots in the mid-1850s.
Of course, the Know Nothings' fears about Catholics were groundless, and the political movement largely disappeared after 1860, leaving us only with the commonly used term. Their fears had widespread currency during the 1850s because massive social change and the accompanying dislocation welcomed a scapegoat. The spread of railroads, high unemployment, increased immigration, and intensifying conflict over slavery were some of the major contributors to the social turmoil that fueled anti-Catholic, nativist sentiment.
Today, the economic downturn, the changing role of the federal government, two wars, and fears of terrorism are responsible for the upheaval that is fueling anti-Islamic, nativist feelings in the U.S. Though the cause of this behavior can be explained, that does not make it acceptable. As a nation, we must focus on the challenges confronting us and collectively repudiate the political opportunists and fear mongers who demonize Muslims.
President Obama's recent equivocation on the Cordoba Initiative's plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero may be understandable with an election looming. However, this issue is not one that should be subject to political calculation. The right to build a place of worship is fundamental to the principle of religious freedom, and the planned mosque complies with applicable laws and zoning regulations.
Obama, and all Americans, should unequivocally support the equal treatment of mosques and just as strongly condemn the persecution of Muslims. We can all do so with the confidence that history will vindicate us, no matter what the current political mood may be.
The Know Nothings have been relegated to obscurity in part because their fears about Catholics were unfounded and the religious persecution they fomented was antithetical to American values. The same is true of those who fear the "Islamization" of America and who use this paranoia to justify religious persecution today. Their worries are as absurd as their behavior is un-American.
Over the last nine years, we have been somewhat successful in not conflating al-Qaeda and terrorism with Islam in general, but we are heading in the wrong direction. Let us not forget that hundreds of innocent Muslims were murdered on 9/11. Let us not fall into the trap of equating a handful of extremists with an entire group of people. Let us not forget who we are as a nation.
Though we are far from perfect, we always manage to overcome fear and suspicion, reaffirming our commitment to the cherished principle of tolerance that has made this country great. This spasm of xenophobia and intolerance will eventually pass, and those fueling it will be conferred to the dustbin of history like so many Know Nothings before them. This, I know.
What I do not know is how long it will last, how much damage will be done, and how many innocent lives will be affected. I can only hope that we all come to our senses sooner rather than later.
Wounded NY cabbie says religion had role in attack
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What the founder really thought about Islam.
By Christopher Hitchens
Posted Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007, at 3:05 PM ET
Congress gave assent to the Treaty of Tripoli, negotiated by Jefferson's friend Joel Barlow, which stated roundly that "the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion, as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen." This has often been taken as a secular affirmation, which it probably was, but the difficulty for secularists is that it also attempted to buy off the Muslim pirates by the payment of tribute. That this might not be so easy was discovered by Jefferson and John Adams when they went to call on Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman. They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves in this way. As Jefferson later reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:
The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.
http://www.slate.com/id/2157314
The bible thumpers interpret the Bible to fit their HATE - ignoring the word of Christ and focusing on Leviticus and someone (Paul) on an Acid trip (Revelations.).
I love how THEY think they're not HATERS. I hate how their hateful rhetoric (bullshit) ends up getting people stabbed and beaten. God Bless the USA.
My friend: Please accept my apology for the very, very poor statements that Governor Paterson made today. You are absolutely right. Yet, you must be careful in your choice of words in order not add fuel to the firestorm. In the context of religious freedom, it is perhaps best not to call a Know-Nothing, a Know-Nothing. The level of their consciousness is self-evident to anyone with better understanding. Resorting to name calling is not going to help our cause and can only amplify what we do not want to energize. You are a wonderful debater and have excellent persuasive skills. Learn to cut out some of the emotional stuff, and you'll be even more effective. Please don't take this as a reproach. I only bring that to your attention because I care about you and want you to be even more successful than you already are. Peace.
But it is difficult to tell how things come of on screen--and I was tired at the end of a long day when I wrote it....
thanks for the input and advice.
Peace to you as well.
I hope it need not be explained how offensive this was to the Shi'i Muslim community itnthe Governor's state. In fact nearly everything in this statement is rooted in some kind of half-truth or stereotype that cannot help but insult someone. When our elected officials know so little about the Muslim community what can we expect of the general electorate? And that lack of knowledge too often gets filled by the demagoguery of today's political Know Nothings.
C'mon America. We can do better.
Peace. Salaams. Shalom
At this time Islam is going through its own Inquisition. Many of the rules that govern Muslims continue to become stricter and harsher. And in outlying Muslim areas people are being attacked for either not being Muslim enough or not being Muslim at all ~ Southern Thailand Buddhist are regularly attacked.
In Europe and even in the US ~ if you would listen ~ are Muslims calling for Shari'a or Islamic law to be integrated or accepted under the laws of the land. Here is where we have the conflict with the US Constitution. Non-Muslims are 2nd class citizens in all Muslim nations [Dhimmi]. Women have significantly less rights than men do. This is nothing to do with Al Qaeda ~ this is Islamic law.
People have the right to be offended. There are no churches in Saudi Arabia because that would offend them ~ yet they will likely be the financiers of this GZ mosque. A site that Saudi action created.
The true Islam does not respect individual rights and freedoms and respectfully ~ this needs to be said.
@Muslimhumanist
We have here an opportunity to debunk this misconception about Islam. It would be great if you would join us on this thread.
'Southern Thailand Buddhist are regularly attacked'
Do you know anything at all about southern Thailand and its history?
The Kingdom of Siam as it existed in the past was an aggressive nation that often went to war with its neighbours. Thai territory today includes minorities from other countries, including Lao speakers in the northeast. In the nineteenth century, some of the states in northern Malaya, whose inhabitants were not Thai but Malays were under Thai rule as well. This only changed in 1912 when these states became British protectorates.
The people of 'southern Thailand' are ethnically distinct from the Thai. They are Malay speakers who are Muslim and have more in common with other Malays in Indonesia and Malaysia. The only reason they are part of Thailand is because they remained under Siamese suzerainty in the past. Like all people, they want self-determination in a state of their own, where they can control their own destiny instead of being dictated to by their Thai overlords.
I am not saying that there is no such thing as Islamic extremism but really you cannot conflate the struggle of the Malays in southern Thailand with al-Qaida.
"Media-content analyses show that the majority of U.S. TV news coverage of Islam is sharply negative. Americans are bombarded every day with news stories about Muslims and majority-Muslim countries in which vocal extremists, not evidence, drive perceptions".
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/02/opinion/oe-esposito2