Today I received an email that was supposed to be a joke. It said, in a nutshell, that because it is a sin for Muslim men to see any woman naked that is not his wife, doing so requires them to commit suicide. Therefore, it continued, all patriotic American women were to go out collectively this Saturday and take off all their clothes in an effort to "weed out" the Muslim terrorists in their neighborhood. All patriotic men, in turn, were to position themselves in lawn chairs in front of their house to prove they are not Muslims, and to demonstrate they think its okay to see nude women other than their wife, and to show support for all American women. Since Islam also does not approve of alcohol, a cold 6-pack at your side will be further proof of your anti-Muslim sentiment.
YUCK. The email went on, but I didn't think it was funny. Yeah, I get the joke. Haha, what a funny picture.... all the women going out naked to burn the eyes and souls of the evil-doers.... beer makes you American... You'll have to excuse me if I want a little more intellect in my humor.
If you ever receive an email like this, respond to the person and make your distaste for this kind of hatred clear. Even if it's easier to just delete the message and brush it off, remind them of this:
TERRORISM is the act of making innocent people feel unsafe, uncomfortable or unwelcome in their own homes.
Confusing the millions of wonderful, loving and faithful Muslim citizens that live all around you with the very few radical extremists that were behind terrorist actions is doing yourself and your country a great dishonor. For myself, I will not allow the word "patriot" to be bogarted by prejudiced, bigoted, fear-mongering zealots.
PATRIOTISM is the act of standing up for the values that your country was founded upon. All people being created equal, the freedoms of speech and religion, the separation of church and state, the pursuit of happiness... and many more.
Xenophobia, lying, racism... these are not on the list.
If you respect those with whom you disagree, you are a patriot.
If you tell your kids that the sky is the limit, you are a patriot.
If you are with the person that you love, you are a patriot.
IF YOU VOTE, you are a super-responsible patriot! :-)
If you ever find yourself spreading hate, you've failed. The good news is, it is never too late to start spreading Love! Love is like the new detergents that require only a teaspoon to wash an entire load of dirty laundry! AND... it's free and never goes out of stock.
I'm sending this message out today because I feel I need to help cancel out some of the damage that was done by the nasty email I received. I'm sending this to people that I love who are all so very different from me, for which I thank God every day.
That is my only thought for now.
हम सब जुड़े हुए हैं (We Are All Connected)
Sander
