General Ignorance About Islam

Today I was reading some posts on WordPress blogs by non-Muslims about Islam and Muslims. One thing that struck me was the amazingly powerful hatred some people have for Muslims when they don’t personally know any. Another thing that struck me was the amazingly powerful hatred for Islam that is held by many people who clearly know very little about the religion other than distortions and calumnies.

Now, of course there are plenty of people who are racist and who see Islam bashing as a publicly acceptable form of black bashing,

and there are also many neo-McCarthyan paranoids out there for whom the Muslims are the new ‘Reds under the bed‘, the ‘Greens under the bed‘ I should say.

and of course there are also many Zionist Hasbarats out there (for many it is a paid full time job) who have been instructed to attack and incite hatred against Muslims and Islam as this is considered part of the offensive effort that is useful to justify Israeli oppression of Palestinians and which prepares the groundwork for the dream invasions that they hope will one day lead to the establishment of a greater Israel stretching right across Arabia to Iraq (including many delectable oil wells).

and of course there are plenty of people who follow certain money-dominated Evangelical churches through which they are fed Islamophobic claptrap every time they go to Church or watch their religious TV stations.

and as well as these there are Secular Fundamentalists who consider it their job to attack all religions through every means at their disposal (distorted coverage being a favourite method).

All of these I can understand. All of these people I would expect to be playing such games (may God guide them as He wills and to wherever He wills)

But what makes me feel a little sad is when I hear the Islamophobic claptrap that is spread around by the above mentioned groups being repeated by misinformed but genuine and well meaning people who have simply been taken in by the overwhelming weight of vicous (and subtle) hostile output against Muslims and Islam.

Today I would like to tell them somethings important things so much.

The first of these is that the Muslim Ummah is not involved in some super conspiracy against the West.

Another thing that I wish these people could know is that most Muslims grew up well exposed to Western culture through film and television, and that they admire much in the West. Furthermore most Muslim aspire to similar things as do people in the West and they share very similar values to those of the current generations in the West in most areas and hold views similar to the grandparent generations of the current Western people in some other areas.

I wish these people could know that they have been fed several big fat lies by many major politicians and media organizations who have been engaged in a war on Islam for various unscrupulous reasons.

I wish they could know that the picture they have of Muslims is a conglomerate of negative stories and stereotypes that have been chosen as part of this campaign.

I wish they knew that really the vast majority of Muslims are fine good people and that the best Muslims are those who follow their religion.

I wish they could understand that the broad movement of Islamic revival is a benevolent and civilizing influence that can bring peace and a more enlightened and egalitarian society to the Muslim lands, a society where the people would have greater well being and personal and economic freedom and security than they currently do in the Muslim lands – a society that would work with rather than against other societies.

I wish they could understand that al-Qaeda and other violent extremist groups are nothing to do with true Islam and that they are everything to do with ignorance (and in many cases hatred of) true Islam.

I wish they could know that the Iranian Shiite Republic, although started with high ideals, is also nothing to do with true Islam and that in fact it has everything to do with hatred of true Islam.

I wish they could know who is really the aggressor on the world stage and who it is who has become the ever useful scapegoat, the one to drop bombs on when an election is near or approval ratings need a boost, and I wish they knew who are really the biggest terrorizers of the innocents, but really I am not going to try top tell them as it would be like swimming up stream.

I wish they could know the reality of the plight of the Palestinians, the facts of what has really gone on there and the facts of what is still going on there, but the megaphone of Fox, CNN and BBC and the pro-Israeli press have already conditioned the minds of these people beyond my puny ability to convince them otherwise.

I guess all a little creature like me can do is try to do my little bit and make supplication to the Creator and remember that it is He knows best who deserves illumination and who deserves ignorance.

Maybe my mistake today was to let these things in the world bother me.

Things will be as they will be, and a sensible person once made the point that there is no point in getting bothered about these type of things unless it energizes one to perform properly directed and effective benevolent actions (actions that really help). I shall make it a point to remember that in future God willing.  

(re-blogged from Abode of Mercy)