Islamophobia is truly alive and well, exposed in all its grotesque horror in relation to the controversy over the proposed 'ground zero mosque', which actually is not a mosque, and is not actually at ground zero.
I was watching this controversy unfold from Sydney, and let me get this right: a plan to build Cordoba House, a Islamic complex which includes a child-care centre and an auditorium, is regarded as a threat why? Republican Right elements have launched a vicious racist campaign invoking the memory of the September 11 atrocities to stir up the ugliest anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments.
The Cordoba house is not going to be located at ground zero, but in a disused warehouse. So this vacant building has become 'ground zero' for Islamophobic hatred. We can expect the Republican Right windbags to whip up hateful sentiments. But what has President Obama done? He has done his customary flip-flop. After making some tame, weak comments to the effect that Muslims have the right to practice their religion as they see fit, he later 'clarified' his statements saying that he was not commenting on the wisdom of the decision to build the Cordoba house in its current location.
Well, as an atheist, I am opposed to religious ideology, but I will not join the racist, Islamophobic hate campaign. On the contrary, heightening anti-Muslim hate only makes society even more vicious, with various nationalities corralling themselves into tribal zones, ready to inflict damage on the perceived 'outsiders'. I think we are seeing the emergence of a 'green hate' campaign. While Islamophobia predates September 11, there is a new phenomenon rearing its ugly head. The simplisitic and hateful equation between Islam and violence - indeed that one equals the other - has gained new currency in the mainstream corporate-controlled media. This is something qualitatively new; a new level of acceptable hatred.
Well, I am going to link to this atheist cartoon, thanks to the Canadian Secularist.
It is easy to condemn the outsiders or foreigners for their purported intolerance, while actively encouraging the hatred taking root in our very midst.
Governments and media spread unjustified hysteria about the Islamic religion. Muslims will be the scapegoat for quite a few more years to come, until governments find another scapegoat to replace them. You can see this pattern throughout history. Unfortunately this time a religion has been scapegoat this time round.
ReplyDeleteA handful of people who come here by boat, have escaped poverty, hunger, persecution are the ‘threat’ – threat to what? – we came here by boat, well it was a big comfortable ship and we have worked, contributed to this society and we have been good citizens.
The strange part is that the western colonisers have colonised, lived, worked, made friends, mingled with the population in many a muslin country for centuries, but no-one was terribly ‘afraid’ or felt threatened.
All I can do is not be part of the dissemination of fear, vicious rumours. And remember that people’s behaviour and traits vary from one person to the next.