Promoting Prejudice and Fear

I received an email that really bothered me a great deal. I knew I couldn't just hit delete. I knew I had an obligation to respond. I actually cried as I responded. The promoting of prejudice and fear against a group of people is so wrong.

I will include the text from the email I received which was also accompanied by photos. Snopes (aka Urban legends) also listed this email on their web site. You can view it by clicking here. It was a real demonstration in London. Other Muslims spoke out against the signs and messages calling for violence and destruction that were paraded around. My response follows afterwards.

Email Message: Pictures from London ~ this is beyond scary...

This doesn’t help me be very charitable or forgiving. It is hard to turn the other cheek. Frankly I think our country has gone overboard in accommodating their requests? I think it is because we are already frightened of what they will do.

England today.......America next!! They are on the way!

Atlanta is reported to have 80,000 Muslims and they are building a 46,000 sq. ft. mosque in the city....the largest in America! The population of Muslims is growing by leaps and bounds in every major American city. Get ready for demonstrations to begin early next year.

Makes you wonder doesn't it...can you imagine having a Christian demonstration against Islam in downtown Baghdad ! View the pictures below and decide how you really feel about the future of the Western World. These pictures are of Muslims marching through the STREETS OF LONDON during their recent 'Religion of Peace Demonstration.'

Why would anyone think that we should be at war with such nice, peaceful Muslims?! All Christians need to know. You need to forward this one to everyone! These pictures tell it all! Muslims have stated that England will be the first country they take over!

These are pictures not shown on American TV or in American Newspapers (as they might help Bush's war on terror), but were forwarded by a Canadian who thought All Christians ought to know!

My response:

Greetings,

I am disturbed at such a fear-mongering email such as this being forwarded to people.

I have spent time with Muslims. I call quite a few Muslims my friends. Some I consider very close friends. I have been to Morocco, a Muslim nation twice, and I have had the extreme pleasure of spending time with families there. The kindness and generosity they showed me, my friends and also my father was incredible.

I believe that any time we start to label people or group people into a "them" we create more misunderstanding, fear and distrust. When we group people into a faceless mob we forget that we are talking about individuals - children, women and men.

I for one know that I wouldn't want someone to label me in a negative light just because I am an American or because I am not a Christian or because I am a woman or because I am overweight and so forth.

All people have the ability to do good in this world. All people also have the ability to be unkind and even worse to be violent and intolerant. Muslims do not own the cornerstone of being violent and starting wars.

Ironically, a friend shared a story with me just last night. She happened to be traveling in Greece in 1979. It was during this same time frame when the American hostages were taken prisoner in Iran. My friend said that their travels were interrupted and they were treated poorly at the embassy and they were mystified at first as they did not not know what had happened. Afterwards, she, along with many Americans, developed very anti-Iranian views. Many years later while at work she and several other co-workers were folding brochures together. While chit-chatting about this and that my friend shared with her co-workers that she "hated Iranians." The room went completely silent. Finally one of her co-workers, who she really like and considered a friend, spoke up to say "I am Persian. My family and I all immigrated from Iran. I am full-blooded Iranian." My friend said that she started crying and felt so humiliated because she could see the hurt in her friends eyes. She apologized profusely. There was a coldness in the relationship for awhile after that and after some time has passed they did begin to mend the friendship.

Please stop and think before spreading such messages. What good does it do to promote fear and distrust of a group of people? I believe it promotes prejudice and racism.