America’s History of Fear

  • Thread starter Thread starter SedesDomi
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SedesDomi

Guest
A radio interviewer asked me the other day if I thought bigotry was the only reason why someone might oppose the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan. No, I don’t. Most of the opponents aren’t bigots but well-meaning worriers — and during earlier waves of intolerance in American history, it was just the same.
Click to expand...
Screeds against Catholics from the 19th century sounded just like the invective today against the Not-at-Ground-Zero Mosque. The starting point isn’t hatred but fear: an alarm among patriots that newcomers don’t share their values, don’t believe in democracy, and may harm innocent Americans.
Click to expand...
Followers of these movements against Irish, Germans, Italians, Chinese and other immigrants were mostly decent, well-meaning people trying to protect their country. But they were manipulated by demagogues playing upon their fears — the 19th- and 20th-century equivalents of Glenn Beck.
Click to expand...
 
This can’t be replied to without breaking the “no-isl*m-threads” rule.
 
I can’t speak for others, but my opposition stems from a suspicion that the mosque is intended as a monument to the “triumph” of radical Islam that was realized on 9/11. And that suspicion is reinforced by the promoters’ stubborn insistence on building it despite strong and growing public sentiment against it. That insistence - and the lack of response to critics - suggests some motive other than their claimed desire to build understanding and goodwill.
 
We’re not fearful; we’re outraged at the insensitivity and insincerity of their actions.
 
40.png
SedesDomi:
I agree, although I don’t think it’s just an American thing. Anytime people divide themselves into this group or that, develop creeds, anthems and pledges, they define who they are, hence defining who is not them. Once we define who is not us, the dehumanizing effects in our thinking about those who are not us starts. It applies to nationalism, sports teams, religions, ect. I agree that most people are well-meaning, but that doesn’t always keep them out of trouble. Anyway, what happened at that site (or near it) was a human tragedy that affects all races, religions and demographic backgrounds. What I remember was the film footage of people of all sorts helping one another that day. They didn’t care about the background of the people they were helping and reaching out to. No one asked what was the background of the people jumping from the buildings before they felt their hearts break for them. There was a certain oneness. And now? Back to the same old divisions. Did some people learn from what they saw? I think so. Not everyone. Pride, nationalism, suspicion of others will probably keep everyone’s shirt tails stuck in the same merry-go-round.
 
Barbkw said:
We’re not fearful; we’re outraged at the insensitivity and insincerity of their actions.
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly. One would think that a group truly dedicated to improving interfaith/intercultural relations would, first and foremost, make every effort to avoid offending the people they’re trying to reach. The mosque’s stated mission could be accomplished just as well in a different location.
 
TedDC said:
Yes, exactly. One would think that a group truly dedicated to improving interfaith/intercultural relations would, first and foremost, make every effort to avoid offending the people they’re trying to reach. The mosque’s stated mission could be accomplished just as well in a different location.
Click to expand...
How far away should the mosque be?
 
It’s a political issue and it’s being used as such. It’s the bogeyman issue of the day. When one can’t convince voters your ideas are actually good —*better than the other side, than you resort to trying to convince people that only you can save them from the bogeyman the other side has let loose. Gays who want marriage rights and muslims are today’s bogeymen. In the 50s it was communists. In the 1960s it was blacks. In the 1970s it was radical war protesters and feminists.
 
How far away should the mosque be?

They’re free to join up with any of the already 100 other mosques in New York City.
 
40.png
SedesDomi:
Seems to me that you are inviting people to break the recent “no Islam discussion” rule by posting this thread.
 
Something overlooked here is the fact that certain elements of the muslim faith are committed to killing citizens of the United States. Unlike the catholics and germans and italians and irish and everyone else cited in that blurb. Those people came to this country and assimilated and wanted to be part of the culture. They weren’t bombing buildings or killing innocents through terrorism.

IMO, that is the single biggest part of this issue. If radical islamists hadn’t bombed that site, and if muslim extremists weren’t fighting us in a war on terror all over the world, and trying to kill American citizens, this wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not about discriminating against the muslim faith, it’s about them putting a victory mosque at the site of the worst terrorist attack in US history.
 
thomasf said:
Something overlooked here is the fact that certain elements of the muslim faith are committed to killing citizens of the United States.
Click to expand...
Then arrest them, instead of blaming honest, law-abiding Muslims.
 
Note:

Please keep this conversation on-topic and charitable. Thank you.
 
Is there really a “no discussing islam” rule? How can a forum like this, a catholic one, that invites inter-faith discussion, ban the discussion of one of the worlds largest religions?

It’s a rhetorical question. The answer is because people aren’t mature or respectful enough to keep the discussion from spiraling down into a name-calling, blame-labeling, random-accusatory, over-generalizing anti-discussion. Come on you guys. Use your heads, and your hearts.

God spared a city for only a handful of innocents living within. Think of all the good, honest muslims out there and lets spare them our criticism. 😃
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top