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| | | | Anti-Muslim Propaganda In Wake of New York Mosque Controversy | |
| | | The controversy over building a mosque near the 9/11 site in Manhattan, New York, has led to violent anti-Muslim propaganda by American rightists and racists (I-W, Aug. 20). They have blown the issue completely out of proportion and made it an international issue. The Islamic world is closely following the incident.
President Obama wanted to reach out to the Islamic world and convince the Muslims that America is not anti-Muslim. However, this new controversy has completely undone his efforts, and the moderate Muslims who were trying to convince other Muslims that America is not against all Muslims, have been completely rebuffed.
The radical and fundamentalist Muslims have everything to gain from this new anti-Muslim campaign in America, because their credibility among the Muslims will rise. They have been telling other Muslims that America is anti-Muslim, and the Muslims in America will be discriminated against and will not be allowed to freely practice their religion.
The rightists and racists have linked their anti-Muslim campaign to a movement to discredit and delegitimize Obama. They are also spreading the rumor that Obama is a Muslim. It is interesting to note the link between religion and politics. We also get the message that to be a true American one has to be a Christian and a white.
The rightists and racists who want to keep America Christian and white do not seem to realize that Americans are enjoying higher living standards mostly because of the third world countries, a majority of them who are neither Christian nor white. America is exploiting their natural resources and their cheap labor. America is gradually losing its manufacturing base and the services sector of economy has already overtaken the manufacturing sector. If we go to any store and see where the manufactured goods are coming from, it will be obvious that most of them are coming from countries such as China, India and Bangladesh.
It is not just the raw materials and the manufactured goods which we need from the other countries, we also need these countries in our efforts to maintain peace and security in the world. If the majority of these countries, many of them Islamic, turn against us, then it will be almost impossible to maintain peace and security in the world.
The bitter truth is that we are dealing with a world which is neither a Christian majority nor a white majority. How will we get along in this world if we are perceived as anti-non-Christian and anti-nonwhite?
All these controversies are deepening the racial divisions in America. Unfortunately, the divisions on the mosque issue are also primarily based on race. Just like the Arizona immigration law, most of the white population is on the one side and the minorities are on the other side.
America’s future lies in upholding the principles of pluralism and diversity. Tolerance of different religions and cultures is the foundation of a strong, peaceful and prosperous America. Let people practice freely their religious beliefs.
| | | | Sincerely, | | | | Sawraj Singh, Chairman, Washington State Network, Ellensburg, Washington |
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