Minot State University's new Arabic club hopes to promote better understanding of the Muslim community with a cultural event scheduled the anniverary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.Really?! No way, I thought. Not on the anniversary.
Yeah, I get that it wasn't all of Islam (or everyone that speaks Arabic), that attacked the US on that day and that the Minot Daily News is/has-for-years-been clearly biased (which is why the article starts so destructively) and I really truly believe that it's the right thing to do to foster better understanding between America—the Minot community included—and the Arabic world, but...
And then I couldn't finish my thought; I thought But what? But what?
But what?
After first admitting to myself that Americans have a generally bloated and prejudiced aversion to the Arab world (certainly to Islam), I could only finish my thought by adding but September 11th isn't the right day... And to take it one step further—to explain why it's not the right day—I had to add because September 11th is very sad for us and we want to be angry.
An event that supports and hopes to spread understanding between Muslims and Americans shouldn't be on that day, I thought.
Then I thought about my thoughts (a talent which, when utilized, makes us human and separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom). Two things injured me when I introspected. First, Muslims and Americans are not mutually exclusive groups; in fact we have a Muslim community in Minot. Why did my thoughts naturally place them as separate groups? Second, I couldn't believe that I had rationalized my negative reaction to the event by admitting that we, as Americans, would rather spend the day being angry than being even a little open to the possibility that we shouldn't hate an entire religion.
Because if we step outside of our ridiculous media, and biases, and emotions, we can see the world for what it really is.
In the real world, terrorists bombed the Trade Center on 9/11. They used planes, and citizens, and so very many people died, and the terrorists were Muslim. In fact, the terrorist group they were a part of claimed to be supporting Islam with their acts. Another fact: most Muslims can't reconcile the attacks with their belief and faith in Islam. They can't believe that people could read their holy book in such a way to lead to such a tragedy. They hate the attacks just as much as non-Muslims do.
September the 11th is a very sad day for Americans. We were attacked. We lost our family members and friends. We didn't feel safe in our own homes. And we remember just where we were each year on its anniversary. However, we've grown to hate entire groups of people out of misguided—deliberately misguided—anger. September 11th is a day to be sad, to remember, to re-center ourselves...
But.
September 11th can no longer be a day we also set aside to be angry, to condemn an entire culture, to hate.
It's not the perfect day to promote better understanding, but it's just as good as any other, and maybe even a bit better because it brings our prejudices out into the open where, hopefully, we can see them for how ugly they really are.
I enjoyed this read.
ReplyDeleteBrenden