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In the midst of all the hysteria generated by the mass murder in Orlando comes this, a rational discussion of the issues and a reasoned response. Why can't our "leaders" come up with this?
RIGHT ANGLE: ARE WE BEING FAIR TO AMERICAN MUSLIMS?
Posted from billwhittle.comPosted in these groups: 
War on Terror
Islam
War on Terror Islam
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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CPT Jack Durish WARNING THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE. Hopefully it gets a few reads.
America has had a long history of painting certain ethnic or religious groups in a negative light. Be it people of color, the Irish, Jews, Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses all had an UGLY point in American history. why is that? Misinformation and lies that lead to lack of understanding/or wanting to understand which led to fear, which cultivated bigotry and violence.
Right now the media is beyond the printed page, its 24/7 TV coverage that evolved in the 80's, you literally cannot escape it. Talking heads creep into almost every facet of life (if its got a screen, someone is yelling nonsense through it). The hysteria is being spread faster and more broadly than ever. Unfortunately, with the wealth of information out there and the almost infinite amount of sources people tend to stick to the source that more feeds into their own particular brand of crazy, and don't branch out to find the truth, or at the very least another sides opinion.
All that is poisoning America; An American man born in Queens NY and is of Muslim decent commits a horrible crime, and news outlets that feed both the left and the right label it a "Terror Attack" and a "radical Islamist" before any of the facts can be analyzed by true professionals. This type of nonsense is what is driving the country apart. We aren't giving Muslims any fair treatment because News station wants the all mighty ratings and web site needs their hits.
Make no mistake about it, until Americans in general become more educated on the details of what is effecting them, then we will continue to fuel the madness, we need to disconnect the feeding tubes that our chosen media outlets have inserted into our brains and our hearts. The ones they continue to pump lies and hate into and go converse with someone who is the target of your disdain and gain some enlightenment, dig for the unfortunate truth, wade into the murky swamp of popular outlets, and past the dark grove trees that is your own misconceptions and bigotry, and I believe that you will be a much more informed person
Will America be the Land of (equal) Opportunity? I can confidently say, no... and that's unfortunate. All I can do is spread wisdom and share what I've learned. Is there an ear on the other side that is at least, willing to listen? All I can do is hope
America has had a long history of painting certain ethnic or religious groups in a negative light. Be it people of color, the Irish, Jews, Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses all had an UGLY point in American history. why is that? Misinformation and lies that lead to lack of understanding/or wanting to understand which led to fear, which cultivated bigotry and violence.
Right now the media is beyond the printed page, its 24/7 TV coverage that evolved in the 80's, you literally cannot escape it. Talking heads creep into almost every facet of life (if its got a screen, someone is yelling nonsense through it). The hysteria is being spread faster and more broadly than ever. Unfortunately, with the wealth of information out there and the almost infinite amount of sources people tend to stick to the source that more feeds into their own particular brand of crazy, and don't branch out to find the truth, or at the very least another sides opinion.
All that is poisoning America; An American man born in Queens NY and is of Muslim decent commits a horrible crime, and news outlets that feed both the left and the right label it a "Terror Attack" and a "radical Islamist" before any of the facts can be analyzed by true professionals. This type of nonsense is what is driving the country apart. We aren't giving Muslims any fair treatment because News station wants the all mighty ratings and web site needs their hits.
Make no mistake about it, until Americans in general become more educated on the details of what is effecting them, then we will continue to fuel the madness, we need to disconnect the feeding tubes that our chosen media outlets have inserted into our brains and our hearts. The ones they continue to pump lies and hate into and go converse with someone who is the target of your disdain and gain some enlightenment, dig for the unfortunate truth, wade into the murky swamp of popular outlets, and past the dark grove trees that is your own misconceptions and bigotry, and I believe that you will be a much more informed person
Will America be the Land of (equal) Opportunity? I can confidently say, no... and that's unfortunate. All I can do is spread wisdom and share what I've learned. Is there an ear on the other side that is at least, willing to listen? All I can do is hope
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CPT Jack Durish
Well, I read it all, but I'm a masochist. To be fair, I don't see any outcry against the Muslim community. As Steve Green mentioned in this video, we suffered America's most horrific terrorist attack on 9/11 and our response was to go after Muslims hurting Muslims. Personally, I went to a Muslim living across the street from me at the time and assured him that I had his back if he had any trouble. He didn't. So your long message about the failures of Americans to be tolerant doesn't seem to wash in this case, does it?
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
I agree to a point of what you're saying but I would revise the observation about American's lack of education to reflect the political exchanges made to challenge other political opponents. When the left, for example, mischaracterizes the goals of the right by claiming the right hates Muslims when they're clearly speaking about Muslim Extremists, they create a perception that half this country hates Muslims. This in turn emboldens those who truly do hate Muslims to come out of the woodwork and add credence to the perception. The same is going on with illegal immigration. The left would have everyone believe the right hate Latin Americans, Muslims, or immigrants in general. It simply isn't true, but again that perception takes root in too many uneducated Americans, it enables the actual bigots to surface, and it creates an environment where people feel they need to keep that low profile.
You want to put us on the road to fixing this issue? Start with denouncing politicians (and the media that promote them) that blatantly mischaracterize the other side. Note, I will concede this occurs from both sides. Pointing that out is irrelevant in this case. It just needs to stop.
You want to put us on the road to fixing this issue? Start with denouncing politicians (and the media that promote them) that blatantly mischaracterize the other side. Note, I will concede this occurs from both sides. Pointing that out is irrelevant in this case. It just needs to stop.
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Here's what I see. There is indeed a lack of education about the Muslim community, to include those within that community of the entire makeup of their own religion. Still, I know there are moderates out there which only want to live peaceful lives, provide for their families, and live among a tolerant society where there are no pressures to join or leave any religion. This is not much different than many other religions, most of which have their own violent histories. The difference is, many of those same religions have modernized to renounce the calls for violence and intolerance. This isn't to say there are no longer any extremist still out there who use religious texts to justify their actions, but in doing so they fail to recognize the conflict with other passages within their religious texts.
The discussion in this link I am sad to say rings true, and as one who has friends who are Muslim, I know it's hard to challenge them without potentially sacrificing that friendship. There are in fact certain passages within the Quran which definitely inspire many Muslim to commit violent acts. What needs to happen is this; Those Muslims who feel these practices are wrong and immoral, need to speak out in masses. Enough with the anecdotal accounts we see in the media from this one guy or an organizational message. They need to stop keeping that "low profile" when these events happen and stand with other Americans to denounce the actions. March for peace, denounce the elements in the Quran they don't subscribe to anymore (or at least agree on and give us their interpretation of the passage which removes the violent and intolerant elements from the meaning).
Like I said, I have Muslim friends and I imagine many of you can understand it is not an easy subject to have with someone to tell them I believe there are things wrong with their religion. It's one thing to disagree on who the prophet(s) is(are), when to pray, and what eat, but when there is a significant element with your religion promoting senseless violence and international terror, something has to be done from within.
The discussion in this link I am sad to say rings true, and as one who has friends who are Muslim, I know it's hard to challenge them without potentially sacrificing that friendship. There are in fact certain passages within the Quran which definitely inspire many Muslim to commit violent acts. What needs to happen is this; Those Muslims who feel these practices are wrong and immoral, need to speak out in masses. Enough with the anecdotal accounts we see in the media from this one guy or an organizational message. They need to stop keeping that "low profile" when these events happen and stand with other Americans to denounce the actions. March for peace, denounce the elements in the Quran they don't subscribe to anymore (or at least agree on and give us their interpretation of the passage which removes the violent and intolerant elements from the meaning).
Like I said, I have Muslim friends and I imagine many of you can understand it is not an easy subject to have with someone to tell them I believe there are things wrong with their religion. It's one thing to disagree on who the prophet(s) is(are), when to pray, and what eat, but when there is a significant element with your religion promoting senseless violence and international terror, something has to be done from within.
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CPT Jack Durish
I shared this video because it seems to say more eloquently than you and I what is happening and what should be done. It seems that you are in agreement, or am I readying you wrong?
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
To a degree yes. I've tried to look at this from their perspective (the moderates I mean, specifically some of the friends I know). Imagine you are a legal immigrant who wanted nothing more than to start a new life in the US. You now have that but you're coming from a country which staged a horrific attack on our own. You claim to be Muslim but you do not subscribe to the violent edicts found within your religious text. You're also young, not highly educated, and concerned that if you screw up or draw too much attention to yourself, you might lose your visa.
This is just one example of one of my friends. He was my interpreter in Afghanistan, he served the US military very well, and ultimately earned a visa to the US. I'm proud to be one of the people involved in helping him get that visa and to this day he has been nothing but grateful for this opportunity. At the same time, he has his own problems making sure he gets up to speed quickly, earns a good living, and educates himself to live the American dream. Facing off against him about his religion would be perceived as disrespectful and it would be completely unproductive. I can't possibly expect him to organize a rally to speak out against the radical elements within his religion.
This is something they have to come to terms with and get to that breaking point where they no longer wish to tolerate the things done in the name of their religion. It will not be easy and it will not go unchallenged. So while I agree with the message of the video, I'm still torn with what we should do about it. This is not something where other Americans can simply force American Muslims to speak out in masses and restructure the elements of their religion. All we can do is respect their rights to their beliefs, identify and denounce the actions taken in the name or their religion, and continue to set the example (in contrast to what happens in their home country or ancestral country) by continuing to work with them. But this can't be capitulation to religious demands which conflict with our own laws or current practices, and we have to stop walking on egg shells when it comes to pointing out the extremists.
This is just one example of one of my friends. He was my interpreter in Afghanistan, he served the US military very well, and ultimately earned a visa to the US. I'm proud to be one of the people involved in helping him get that visa and to this day he has been nothing but grateful for this opportunity. At the same time, he has his own problems making sure he gets up to speed quickly, earns a good living, and educates himself to live the American dream. Facing off against him about his religion would be perceived as disrespectful and it would be completely unproductive. I can't possibly expect him to organize a rally to speak out against the radical elements within his religion.
This is something they have to come to terms with and get to that breaking point where they no longer wish to tolerate the things done in the name of their religion. It will not be easy and it will not go unchallenged. So while I agree with the message of the video, I'm still torn with what we should do about it. This is not something where other Americans can simply force American Muslims to speak out in masses and restructure the elements of their religion. All we can do is respect their rights to their beliefs, identify and denounce the actions taken in the name or their religion, and continue to set the example (in contrast to what happens in their home country or ancestral country) by continuing to work with them. But this can't be capitulation to religious demands which conflict with our own laws or current practices, and we have to stop walking on egg shells when it comes to pointing out the extremists.
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