I read the most ridiculous thing
on FB yesterday, so preposterous that a part of my brain may have just
died. The fact that I don’t have that
much grey matter betwixt the ears to start with creates a problem which makes
me resent anyone who tries to dispose of the last bit that I possess. I’m fiercely protective of that last
teaspoon.
Anyhow, I’ve been pretty
passionate about this whole Israel-Gaza conflict. I also haven’t been precisely quiet about
it. Other than the two blogs I posted
regarding the whole mess, I’ve been systematically trying to create awareness
on FB. For all the evils of social
media, which there are many (i.e. inability to communicate live and in person,
laziness, etc), it is also equally a strong tool to be reckoned with.
Truth be told, we no longer need
to run to our senators and congressmen, parliament members or elected officials
to have our voices heard. We don’t even
have to rally on the streets nor write angry letters that probably will never
been seen. Oh, that’s not to say that all
these options aren’t actually good ones and haven’t been tried, tested and
proven effective. Now, however, you can
sit behind a computer monitor or pull out a smartphone from just about anywhere
and launch a campaign with a few well-chosen words and pics attached. Before you know it, a cause has been born and
folks who are 30,000 miles are suddenly joined together in solidarity
(sometimes opposition).
Like it or not, social media is
here to stay and it’s a powerful tool.
There are of course good things and very bad aspects about it. A lot of crap is easily circulated,
half-truths, outright lies disguised as facts and the easy ruination of a life
by a simple picture or video. Then
again, there is a wealth of information and for the most part the world has
been brought together. You can no longer
really say you don’t have access to your neighbor across the pond, you do. With a few keystrokes you’re instantly
transported to another country, conversing with locals and learning about
cultures that you would otherwise never have experienced without an airplane
ticket or heavy musty tomes from the library.
Hell, isn’t that precisely what chat sites do?
Yes, the internet is astounding
and clearly I’ve been taking full advantage of it either through blogging or
Facebook, I believing in voicing one’s opinions whether or not anyone is
listening. And naturally I believe
others have the right to do exactly the same.
That being said, in the situation which I mentioned up above, I think there
are certain folks out there who should have their right to voice a belief
revoked. Why? Because they have what I like to affectionately
call ‘shit for brains’. Their opinions
are stupid, narrow-minded, full of ‘isms’ (like racism, sexism…) and based on
absolutely crap such as sensational popular belief. These are the folks that spread hate,
ignorance, stupidity, douchbaggery, and worse of all, perpetrate it as reality. Crazy enough, there are far too many gullible
individuals out there who will not only believe, but will embrace their special
brand of nonsense.
Maybe you’re wondering what’s
going on? What could have happened? Maybe you’re even wondering if someone dared
to disagree with one of my many random POV’s?
That’s why I’m saying this?
Nah. It simply isn’t about
disagreeing with me, you can do that. I
don’t get pissed off only because someone else thinks different from myself and
has spoken up. Truly Crickets, I’m
totally down for a good debate, to listen to opposing views. This is the best way to learn and if I can’t
argue my point without intelligence or evidence, I stay quiet, listen, educate
myself and then at a later date I speak.
Until such a time, I stay
quiet. If there is no resolution or
agreement to be had, I am more than willing to agree to disagree. But there are a few things I will not do, not
even if I vehemently disagree with the other person. I will not use names, I will not belittle
them, I will admit when I’m abjectly wrong and the one thing I definitely do
not do? Make sweeping generalizations of
any group/organization/belief. The only
exception to this rule? Terrorists. The type that hijack a plane and fly it into
a building full of innocents, the type who leaves a van full of dynamite
outside a government agency and blows it to hell, the type who walks into a
building full of children and proceeds to systematically shoot them one at a
time without blinking, the type that bombs a city full of innocents…they are
what they are, extremists, in every sense.
But even them, I do not reduce to a certain religion or region. A terrorist can be defined in many ways and
they are found in every part of the globe.
So what has me so ticked off so
that I need to dedicate a whole blog to them?
A friend of mine posted a comment
about the bombing and slow genocide of the Palestinian’s. By her words she is staunchly opposed to what’s
happening and moreover is able to recognize massacre for what it is. She had facts backing up her status, and I “liked”
it. Then I proceeded to read the
comments. For the most part her friends
were supportive, understood the situation for what it was and did not reduce it
to a “Jew vs Muslim” conflict. I was
glad for this and yes, relieved. Until
that is…one of her ‘friends’ wrote and I quote, “There will never be peace with any Muslims alive”.
Can you say small nuclear
explosion within the cranium? Have you
ever had that happen to you? It’s
uncomfortable. Rage fills your vision,
your heartbeat kicks up ridiculously so and you feel slightly dizzy and sick to
the stomach. The ability to think
rationally flies out of your will house as you try to comprehend…just
understand how in the world someone could write such…crap.
I sat motionless for many minutes
trying hard to wrap my mind around what I was reading. I even attempted to look at it from some
other view but no dice, those words are clear, more or less, death to all
Muslims, basically. You think I’m being
a bit dramatic? Not really.
I had to breathe…a lot. To calm myself down before responding and
this was my response: “Never be peace
with any Muslims alive?” Really? Who says that in this day and age? I’m Muslim and damn proud and yet not a
terrorist. Go figure. And crazy enough I do not support any sort of
terrorism…period nor do my friends, family and I haven’t been hearing
encouragement of it at my local mosque. I
suggest you take a moment to know a Muslim first, Sir, before making such broad
and ludicrous sweeping generalizations of a religion 1.7 billion strong : ) you
may be shocked at what you learns. As
for this whole thing? It’s got nothing
to do with Islam vs Judaism. It’s about
land and dominance and greed. Don’t fool
yourself to think otherwise.
I’m not going to talk about
Gaza. I’m far too heart sick to repeat
and repeat and repeat and yet nothing.
Not a damn thing is being done to stop this by anyone that matters and
can. Yes, I’m looking at you US
Gov. But I will be patient and keep
praying and hope that God intervenes somehow.
It’s time.
What I will talk about is this
ridiculous premise that if a whole religion is wiped clean, there will be
peace. Um, excuse me? Is that still what popular sentiment seems to
believe? That Islam is full of
terrorists and only terrorists therefore as long as they inhabit the earth, there
will be no harmony?
Do you see why I may have
been/and am ireful? Would that not
create a bit of angst within your being?
Good God people (this is aimed to
those who think on the same level as the dude who wrote that comment), do
yourselves a favor and pull your head out of your…um…rears. If you believe that the world would be a better
place without us Muslim’s, then you need a reality check or do what I suggest
above, grab the nearest Muslim and ask her/him to explain to you what popular
belief/sentiment/teaching is within the faith.
Trust me when I say, you will be surprised, pleasantly so, to learn how peace-loving
and beautiful is not only the religion, but the people.
Are you scoffing? Are you laughing? Do you think, ‘yeah right’? Are you thinking to yourself, no other
religion has ever had violence associated with it quite like Islam? Are you maybe even saying, ‘definitely not
mine!’ Think again, Sweetheart. You would be dead wrong. Still, I encourage that after you talk to the
Muslim, how about you jump onto the internet and look up what the Crusades were
all about or the Holocaust. Through the
ages there have been wars due to religion along with a breathtaking amount of
slaughtering the innocent in the name of the same and subsequently one group or
another have been demonized. You think
your religion is free and clear of ever having been labeled as a ‘terrorist organizations’
(although at that time this precise phrase had not been coined) at one point or
another? You would be wrong.
So, you want to wipe out 1.7
billion Muslim’s, eh? Or maybe you
wished that no Muslim’s ever existed, ever?
If that’s so, then let me list a few things that we violent crazed
radicals gave to the modern world and if not for us you may have had to go
without:
Coffee (stop drinking now!!! Uh oh, a Muslim Shepard actually came up with
it so spit it out!)
Algebra (although I would rather
this one be skipped right over because I suckeddddddd at it, I’m sure others
can appreciate it. Still, regardless,
how disturbing because a filthy Muslim dared to be brilliant and now it’s
ruined! Someone quickly go inform the
PTA!)
Student grants (shocked? Ah but yes, conceived by and created for the
furthering education of qualified students that were learning in madrasa’s and
by whom? Oh, Muslims, check that out! Look up Ijaza and you’ll see for yourself. And once you realize I ain’t lying, give back
that Pell Grant or student loan ASAP please, because you know, Muslim’s are
gross.)
Marching Bands, military style
(yeah, even that…weird. Stop listening
now though, plug up your ears because those disgusting violent Muslim’s came up
with that too.)
Cameras (yup, and double
yup. Cameras. Oh no, what will you do? In a world obsessed with pictures what will
you do now? Go on, return those fancy
Nikons and reject any phones that have one of them handy dandy built-in’s. It’s time to bust out the paper and pencil
and start a-sketchin’ because otherwise…you know what I’m gonna say…)
And to add to that already
impressive list, the Muslim world also gave of itself these following innovations:
Surgery, flying machine, music, toothbrush, the crank (crank-connecting rod
system) and last but not least, hospitals.
(I stopped here with my research because it’s late and I’m giving into
my naturally lazy impulses.)
Yeah, we are nothing but savages
and we need to be wiped clean off the face of this earth, don’t we? We have added nothing to the advancement of
human life as we know it, have we? We
are all, regardless of where we live, what we do, what we say we believe or how
we behave, at the end of the day nothing but terrorists and peace can NOT be achieved
if we are alive.
I’ll tell you what, I can guarantee
you that by even thinking such an atrocious thing about any group of people (due
to their religion) doesn’t make that group the terrorist but rather the title
should go to the person who is thinking it in the first place.
Want peace? Educate yourself, and then educate your
neighbor. Maybe then your neighbor will
do the same and so no and so forth. Before
we know it, we will be far more well-informed humans occupying the same planet,
possibly even be tolerant of each other. Ignorance, as I have said before, isn’t always
bliss, it is dangerous, as is apathy.
Put them together and you have a volatile mix that will annihilate everything
in its path.
To this person, I wish I could
meet him and sit him down and tell him about myself, my religion, my
beliefs. I do not know if this will
help. Some are willing to listen and
learn while others would rather live within the walls of their own illiteracy. That is fine, I suppose. I cannot and will not force anyone to listen
to what I have to say. Even you, my
dearest readers, have the option to stop reading me at any point. But for those who want to know, I’m more than
willing to educate and yes, even ask questions in return about your belief, what
makes you tick, what makes you feel the way you do.
Anyhow…I’m tired. My soul continues to be saddened by the
madness about the world. Today it’s
Gaza, tomorrow will be…? I hate to leave
that as a fill in the blank kinda option but inevitably something like this
will happen again and again we will take to sending emails, organizing rallies
and protesting via social media. But you
know what? I think that’s
fantastic. Even the common every day
folk now has a voice, regardless.
Someone in one of the other posts commented that one voice hardly makes
a difference. Tell that to Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi or any of the myriads of leaders that inescapably
proved that one voice can make a HUGE difference.
Stay blessed, my friends. Hug your children tight, thank God (or
whomever you wish to thank) for your safety and comfort, be appreciative for
the life you have, and rejoice in the luxury in knowing when one of your loved
ones goes out to get a pint of ice cream, that (InshAllah) they will return and
not end up lying in a pool of blood somewhere due to a bomb having been dropped
right on top of them and that most importantly, safe in the knowledge that you
are not stopping peace from reigning upon the earth simply because of your
chosen religion. I can’t say that for
myself since…well I’m a Muslim and it’s my entire fault.
Happy Ramadan-ing.
From a very sad, disheartened blogger.
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