Two days ago, New York Times columnist posted an apology letter in the day's paper to Muslims. It pretty much covered my point of view on the matter. I don't want to keep adding to the Mosque issue because at this point it has become a moot point. Everyone seems to just be talking about the unfairness to the country if the Mosque is built. However, many people seem to forget the millions of American Muslims that are affected by all of this. In many cases, the feelings of opposition have even turned into bigotry. I loved this "Apology Letter" by Kristof. If only the media could use its power to educate the public of their unfairness to others instead of adding fuel to the fire. The article, posted below, is really good and worth reading. He talks about a situation that happened in Maine with the Portland Herald, which posted a story showing Muslims praying together to mark the end of Ramadan which was printed on 9/11....this apparently enraged people and the next day the editor did a front page apology to the public....why? For showing Muslims as humans? For praying? Last time I checked praying was good. Sure, sure people can argue that, "It's not the story, but the day it was printed." However, at this point I don't think it would have mattered the day or the time it was printed due to the unfortunate state of the country's opinion of Islam.
Finally, he also talks about the good he had seen of Muslims through his career. He makes a good point that the sad part of all of this is that good people are being discriminated against because of the actions of a few radicals. All religions have radicals and extremists.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/opinion/19kristof.html?src=me&ref=general
I really like this post. The problem with news outlets is that they seem to report the issues with the Islamic population in a negative light. When there were reports on the mosque being built, pictures of the twin towers falling were shown over the news reporter's voice. These images send undertones that obviously ignite the fire in certain Americans, and unfortunately with this fire comes a little bit of unnecessary ignorance. Although we're supposed to be an accepting and peaceful nation, intolerance is accepted and somewhat encouraged by the media. I definitely appreciate this reporter writing what he did. I want that story to be seen by the masses to encourage intellect with a delicate situation, but the ugly truth is that if a story similar to his is reported by a hotshot news station, the reporter would be seen as 'un-American'. It's gross, but that's just the way it is.
ReplyDeleteDarn right its the way it is. Unfortunately, news outlets just add fuel to the fire most of the time. It would be great if this guy's apology letter would have been posted in a huge section of the paper, but no. The editor may just have apologized for that if people got mad over it. Is this what America has come to? Religious intolerance bordering on the edge of bigotry and racism? Unfortunately, in our country history tend to repeat itself. This kind of news if not geared towards the masses only the ones who want to be truly up to date on things and want different perspectives. This peace would only serve to educate the masses if the masses wanted it, but they don't. It's sad, but true!
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