Vessel

Run! It’s Muslim jihad sharia law!

Please, stop with the fear mongering. Grow up. I got forwarded an email, from a Unitarian Universalist no less, with a video of a stoning and a promise that this is what’s coming to the United States. (The UU claimed he didn’t read what he sent out and apologized.)

Just like forwarding videos of 9/11 and the Taliban declaring jihad didn’t make me afraid, I’m not afraid of Muslims because of some extremists practicing extremism with Sharia law. What is that law exactly? You know what, look it up yourself on wikipedia. Check out some books on Islam. No god but God is a great book, as is Karen Armstrong’s biography of Muhammed. That’s part of living in a civil society. Educate yourself on things that interest you or admit you don’t know enough about it to be afraid. Don’t let others scare you.

That email was stupid to try combining fact (stoning under sharia law) with fiction (all Muslims support stoning and it’s coming to the US in the form of Sharia law as evidenced by the building of the mosque next to the site of 9/11). Not going for it. Complete non-issue. What about the extremists already here? The ‘God Hates F*gs’ church, the extreme pro-life group that celebrated the shooting of Dr. Tiller in church, the person that shot people in the Knoxville church in Tenesse because the church is progressive, the people who look just like me and say Obama is a Muslim?

There are legitimate fears. People have been jobless for too long. Many with jobs are underpaid and overworked. Many people are losing their homes to unfair and predatory lending practices. No one is quite sure how healthcare reform is going to pan out. Demographics are changing as more people retire. There are real reasons to be angry or afraid. The increasing diversity of our population isn’t one of them. Don’t shift the focus onto Muslim extremists and a vague threat that ‘they’re coming!’ Our country is doing a great job since 9/11 at keeping the bad folks out and letting the good ones in. We didn’t surrender to an extremist’s call to jihad, and we won’t allow extreme practice of Sharia law here. Many US human rights organizations fight it abroad already. Your kids are safe. Pay attention to the stuff that matters.

The only way terrorism works is if you become afraid and hate others. I have nothing but love and respect for my Muslim neighbors, and welcome them to my community. That is how I fight terrorism, every day.