Views from Raven's Nest: Daily Reminder # 106

Monday, September 13, 2010

Daily Reminder # 106

It's important to look at the whole picture.

Well, I'm glad to say that we made it through 9/11 without anybody blowing anybody else up or burning Korans or any other nonsense. I was really afraid some lunatic would take the opportunity to do something violent. I'm glad I was wrong.

I keep being amazed at how differently people hear the words of Imam Rauf than I do. (Yes, I'm still hanging out at Huffington Post and driving myself crazy.) So many people hear threats where - as far as I can tell - there are none. So many are willing to lump all Muslims in the world into the tiny Islamic-in-name-only bin that is terrorism. These same people wouldn't equate all Christians with the KKK or Nazis, but they willingly assume that every Muslim in the world is a bomber in waiting.

I was thinking about why this happens - and why it's so easy for Arabs and Muslims to believe the worst of us - and I thought... It's in part because our respective medias tell us is that we are enemies. American media doesn't show the world's Muslims going peacefully about their daily lives all around the world. They show us people blowing themselves up, burning flags and carrying signs saying how much they hate us. They ignore (or distort) voices like that of Imam Rauf or this open letter to Osama Bin Lauden from one of his former colleagues. (Really worth reading.) Then I was thinking in light of the whole Koran burning nonsense - that I wonder what images they see of us. Their media is no purer of soul than ours. They see us dropping bombs, protesting mosques, threatening to burn Korans, torturing prisoners. It's like we are each staring a a quarter inch spot on a 20 foot by 20 foot painting and using that to describe the whole thing. And then there's a chorus of voices telling us to be afraid of each other. And blaming it all on God. It's nuts. It's sad. I'm sure that the diety - by all his/her many names - must weep to hear us.