This is one of those opinionated, political diatribes that I perhaps should not post. It makes me feel a little better, so just scroll on by if you become uncomfortable when writers of fiction spew their opinions all over the net.
I saw this today online, in response to the anniversary of 911, and it just blew my mind:
Today I went to the food market and as I was walking into the store I saw a women dressed from head to toe in a full black dress. Only her eyes were showing. I was so amazed I couldn't even breathe. I felt violated and wanted to scream. She must of went to the store fully covered to insult us and show she has the right to be what she is. A full covered slave for her man with no rights. I was so upset as a American and a women seeing a women in this country dressed like this. She does has the right to look like this but why does she come to this country and stay in her own.
We here as women enjoy our freedom and have rights. Why would you come here and choose to continue wearing clothing that means you are not treated as a equal as your husband. Does he cover from head to toe.
Well, I just froze and let her go to her car. However, we American's are
free and do allow other's to be free. However, I thought of a bomb being hidden under her black slavery outfit. I was ready to act. So let me say
you women can wear these horrible clothes to reflect women without rights in your home but I was ready to drop her if she tryed anything. I would give my life to stop these people from enslaving other humans. So wear your clothes even though you don't have but if you think for one moment that you can ever take over our country. Think again. I was ready to take you out without even thinking twice if I had to. I never thought Like this before. But I looked at wear you were going and watched your every step to your car. I am surprised you were able to drive. Lose the clothes or go back to your country and be a sexual slave to your husband there. Don't spread that hate here. We do not want you here. Go home. you make me sick.
Okay I am not reprinting this to mock this woman, or to revile her. I actually was awestruck. What blew my mind was the heartfelt emotion in her comment. It comes through, past the mispellings and grammatical errors, this fervent, deeply felt honest emotion. So much agony. So much anger and fear. Why?
Imagine the woman who has to go to a grocery store and be stared at by people like this writer "I thought of a bomb being hidden under her black slavery outfit" every day. Imagine living like that.
Imagine growing up 'in the land of the free and the home of the brave' and being LOOKED at like that.
This is going to ruin the entire premise upon which our Bill of Rights was written.
The line that stood out for me was "Don't spread that hate here." and all I could think was, obviously, there is no need to spread hate. It's been spread plenty thick already.
I won't give out the link. I don't want anyone going to this woman's location and blasting her verbally. What I do wonder is what is happening here? Where is this agonized diatribe coming from? What button is being pushed and who planted that button there? And, most importantly, what can we do to heal these people?
Good questions. I wish I had answers. Xenophobia runs rampant. :(
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of what this woman has said springs from a fear of the unknown and a lack of understanding about the muslim culture. I can see why she would look at this woman and see repression, lack of rights and domination. However, I bet if she spoke to the woman she would find a very different view.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live in the UK it's not unusual to go to the supermarket and see a woman in a burka, or with her head covered, or a man in a turban. Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians live alongside each other and therefore there's more of a tolerance towards those who are different. That's not to say there's no racism, or tension between the communities, there is, just that the more you see of other religions, the more you accept, especially if you get to know people.
This is why communities need to work together, to break down many of the barriers formed by ignorance of other cultures and religions. Sadly this isn't something that happens very often thus perpetuating the myth that all muslims are terrorists and need to be 'sent back' to their own country regardless of whether they were born in the USA/UK or not.
Yes, I read the woman's comment and hoped her fear was because she lives in a remote part of the United States and hasn't met and spoken with Muslim people.
ReplyDeleteI can only think that her ideas came from watching the news. Such vivid terrifying ideas! Her willingness to hurt another human being, which she tells us she has never felt before, frightens me.
Our local news station exhibited a bit of responsible journalism yesterday and showed a clip of Los Angeles Muslims handing out food and clothes to needy people. Because that IS something that they do here quite regularly. I think the press have an obligation to put that information and those positive images out there before some innocent is hurt.