World Religions
Entering the Castle
An Inner Path to
God and Your Soul
View Details »
Your Power to Create
From wishful thinking
to True Manifestation
View Details »
World Religions:
Introduction
01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07
02: Intolerance
American misuderstanding and hatred is not limited to Muslims or even Middle Easterners. Since 9/11, the New Republic reports, "Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Sri Lankans, and Indians have felt the sting of hundreds of hate crimes and thousands of ugly comments. Describing this backlash, the media has increasingly used the label 'South Asian,' providing the term a legitimacy it hadn't enjoyed before." Many Americans apparently cannot distinguish Muslims from Sikhs and Hindus despite their very different religious beliefs and practices -- they are also brown-skinned, after all, and many wear turbans for religious reasons. Less than a week after the terrorist attacks, a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, was shot to death by a man who believed he was a Muslim because of his turban. In fact, few American Muslims actually wear turbans, often preferring a kufi, or small cylindrical cap. A Hindu temple in Queens, New York, was firebombed the same week.
Near Syracuse, N.Y., three teenagers set fire to an interfaith religious center named Gobind Sadan, where many of Central New York's Sikhs worship. In a statement after being arrested, one of the youths said, "I thought the place was called Go bin Laden and the people who lived there supported bin Laden and his attacks on America." The teens had been drinking beer the night of the fire. Ralph Singh, co-founder of Gobind Sadan, said the religious group has forgiven the teens for what they did to the temple. "There is no doubt that the act was terribly wrong, no matter what the motivation," Singh said. "By forgiving our enemies, we have the opportunity to create peace."
But Muslims have clearly borne the brunt of anger and hatred in this country. Immediately after the September 11 attacks, a drunk driver smashed his car through a wall of the Greater Cleveland Islamic Center, knocked over three pillars, and landed on top of a fountain in the mosque rotunda. A drive-by shooting also occurred at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo., and many mosques were also attacked
Several days after Christmas 2001, a mosque in Orlando, Florida, was vandalized and desecrated overnight. Water pipes were broken and parts of the mosque were flooded, and copies of the Quran were thrown around the building. But the community rallied in support of the Muslim center. Offers of space and support poured in from community groups including the Congregation Tifereth Israel, the Rotary Club of Columbus, and the First Congregational Church.
Despite the winding down of the war in Afghanistan, these stories of hatred have not stopped, although they do sometimes also show ordinary people countering hatred and ignorance with forgiveness, support, and understanding.
