Cat is ranting now

[catsittingstill]

Recently I received a semi-spam (it wasn't selling anything) expressing indignation over the recent issue of a USA first class stamp with Muslim art on it, saying that Muslims have done all sorts of evil things to America. That got me to thinking.

Then I noticed an article on the BBC news website, (at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3179606.stm) which included:

"Hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims in the US increased by 1,700% in 2001, according to crime statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2000, the FBI received reports of 28 hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs in the US. In 2001, that number increased to 481. "

So here's what I think on the subject.

We don't blame all Americans for Timothy McVey's bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building. Why the hell blame all Muslims for September 11? What are we thinking?

Yes, some Muslim extremists have done terrible things--crashed commercial jets into buildings full of people, bombed embassies, blown themselves up in crowds, all of that. And the deaths they caused were tragedies. But remember, in *any* large group of people there will be a few scumbags. And "all Muslims" is a *very* large group of people. So of course there are a few Muslim scumbags. This makes Muslims differ from non-Muslims...um...no, don't help me....

Okay. I give up. This makes Muslims different from non-Muslims how?

I keep trying to finish this and I keep stubbing my brain on the fact that I can't find words strong enough. If I could find the originator of that spam I'd tell zir "Don't tell people to hate Muslims because a few Muslims did evil things. That's exactly what the few Muslim imams who tell people to hate Americans are doing." I have already sent a milder e-mail of that nature to the person who forwarded the spam to me.

To any Muslims who may be reading this--I'm sorry my country has gone mad. I wish I knew a constructive way to do something about it.

On the bright side, if we're talking 480 hate crimes in a country of 300,000,000 that suggests that our group of scumbags is also a small percentage. Hopefully we can get them all under control. Soon.



The next time I go to the post office I'm going to get some of that stamp

Comments

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I'm with you all the way on that.

One of the scariest things someone said to me shortly after 9/11 is he felt the government "should round up all people of Middle Eastern descent and put them in camps the way we did the Japanese in World War II."

I laughed at first because I thought he was joking. When I realized he wasn't, I had to point out to him I'm of Middle-Eastern descent (I thought he knew this, but he'd apparently forgotten it).

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

There are a few loonies like that. I wonder if discovering that Someone He Knew was of Middle Eastern descent affected his thinking on the matter.