In Muslim culture, they greet one another in this way.
“As-salaam Alaykum,” meaning “Peace be
upon you” and answered by “wa ʿalaykumu s-salām” meaning “and peace be upon you
too.” (Apologies if I got the spelling wrong)
What’s wrong with that? Almost
sounds Christian.
In the America of today, using such
a greeting might prompt a visit from the FBI when your fellow Americans suspect
you of being a terrorist. We fear the unfamiliar despite our claims of embracing
all colors, creeds, and cultures.
Freedom is relative in America these
days. While most Americans support Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion,
many attach a condition to these cherished rights.
Look to the headlines and the
evidence of conditional toleration is everywhere.
Opinion pieces are rife regarding the
newest members of Congress, Muslims. Where is the religious toleration and why
is their religion significant? I mean what could happen next, Atheists?
Religious toleration only goes so far, we tolerate Christian faiths, perhaps
even Jews-but not too many, you know what happens when they take over-but
Muslims? There goes the neighborhood.
We can’t have it.
Freedom of religion, as enshrined in
the Constitution, is unambiguous. The 4000 plus religions in the world are free
to practice their faith as long as they harm no one or refuse to tolerate the
different religious practices of others.
Simple, right? It would seem not.
Intermixed with Freedom of Religion, which includes Freedom from
Religion, is Freedom of Speech.
Once again there is a difference
between what we say, or point to in the Constitution, and what we practice in
our daily lives. Professional athletes take a knee to highlight persisting
racism within this county and we rebuke, threaten, and call them un-American.
What is more American than taking a stand
to right a wrong? What is more emblematic of American courage than to stand
against evil? But even if you disagree with their method, which I found ineffectual,
you must support their right to such expression.
If you argue that everyone must
stand for the National Anthem out of some sense of respect for the hard-fought
freedoms most of us enjoy, you’ve missed the point.
Being a product of the 60s, I lived
through the years of violent antiwar protests, antigovernment upheavals, and
civil rights riots. My parents’ generation looked on those protesters as
un-American. Yet President Lyndon Johnson saw the need for sweeping civil
rights legislation, the Great Society, to right many wrongs highlighted by the
protests.
Despite Dr. Martin Luther King’s
plea for nonviolence, decades of rage over racial disparity coupled with an
ill-conceived and unnecessary war in Viet Nam drove the country to the boiling
point.
Yet we survived.
Today, conditional toleration threatens
Freedom of Speech. We need zealously guard free expression, even when we find
ourselves in complete disagreement with the message.
Think about this for a moment.
During the war in Viet Nam, many considered antiwar protesters to be anti-American.
If that’s the case, then to be pro-American is to be Pro-War? Such sentiments
carried over to the endless conflict in Iraq.
I find that opposing war is
un-American to be false on its face. Americans should fight only when necessary
and vigorously oppose policies to the contrary. Had such a philosophy existed
in 1954, when American military advisers first went to South Viet Nam, 56,000
more Americans might be enjoying their freedoms.
To be American is to hold a wide
variety of political, religious, and cultural perspectives. To be American is to
accept differences in others and work together for the benefit of all.
If we want to set standards for the
religion or speech we will tolerate, it is a slippery slope to losing our
freedoms.
Look to the headlines and the evidence of conditional tolerance is everywhere.
Opinion pieces are rife with references to the newest members of Congress, Muslims. Where is the religious tolerance and why is their religion significant? I mean what could happen next, Atheists? Religious tolerance only goes so far, we tolerate Christian faiths, perhaps even Jews-but not too many, you know what happens when they take over-but Muslims? There goes the neighborhood.
We just can’t have it.
Freedom of religion, as enshrined in the Constitution, is
clear and unambiguous. The 4000 plus religions
in the world are free to practice their faith as long as they harm no one or refuse to tolerate
the different religious practices of others.
Simple, right? It would seem not. Intermixed with Freedom
of Religion, which includes Freedom from Religion,
is Freedom of Speech.
Once again there is a difference between what we say, or
point to in the Constitution, and what we practice in our daily lives. Professional
athletes take a knee to highlight the persistence of racism within this county
and they are castigated, threatened, and called un-American.
What could be more American
than to take a stand to right a wrong? What could be more emblematic of American courage
than to stand against evil? But even if you disagree with their method, which
truth be told I found useless and ineffective, you must support their right to
such expression.
If you argue that everyone must stand for the National Anthem
out of some sense of respect for the hard-fought freedoms most of us enjoy, you’ve missed the point.
Being a product of the 60s, I lived through the years of
violent anti-war protests, anti-government upheavals, and civil rights riots.
My parents’ generation looked on those protesters as un-American. Yet President Lyndon Johnson saw the need for
sweeping civil rights legislation, the Great Society, to right many wrongs highlighted by the protests.
Despite Dr. Martin Luther King’s plea for non-violence,
decades of rage over racial disparity coupled with an ill-conceived and unnecessary
war in Viet Nam drove the country to the boiling point.
Yet we survived.
Today, Freedom of Speech is threatened by conditional tolerance. We need zealously guard free expression, even when we find ourselves in complete disagreement with the message.
Think about this for a moment. During the war in Viet Nam,
anti-war protesters were considered anti-American. If that’s the case, then to
be pro-American is to be Pro-War? Such sentiments carried over to the ongoing
conflict in Iraq.
I find the idea that opposing war is un-American to be false on its face. Americans should fight only
when necessary and vigorously oppose policies to the contrary. Had such a philosophy
existed in 1954, when American military advisors first went to South Viet Nam, 56,000
more Americans might be enjoying their freedoms.
To be American is to hold a wide variety of political,
religious, and cultural perspectives. To be American is to tolerate and
appreciate the differences others may have and to work together to bring the best
of these to the benefit of all.
If we want to set standards for the religion or speech we
will tolerate, it is a slippery slope to losing our freedoms.
In the Arabic world, the majority of which is Muslim, they
greet each other in this way.
“As-salaam Alaykum,”
meaning “Peace be upon you” and answered by “wa ʿalaykumu s-salām” meaning “and
peace be upon you too.” (apologies if I got the spelling wrong)
What’s wrong with that? Almost sounds Christian.
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