Mosques, Gassing, Ignorant Fears – This Must Stop

I just finished reading an article about an incident in Ohio where a mosque, filled with children, was gassed. In America. Though it shouldn’t be surprising because this is the same country that brought us slavery, lynchings and killing people for their sexual orientation.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my country, which is why I’m writing this post. We can’t stand idly by while ignorant people shout hate at political rallies. “Kill Him” ring a bell with anyone? Some blame this on videos recently sent out by McCain supporters (not the actual campaign itself) in swing states to create fear in uneducated voters.

We have to stand up and say enough. It has to be a concerted voice, the many of us sane, intelligent and moral people, united and loud. We can’t say to ourselves ‘too bad’ or ‘how awful’. We have to stand up, in unison, and say ‘this is enough’.

We have to. For my children’s sake. For your children’s sake. And for the generations to come. We can’t collapse within ourselves as a country. We can’t allow hate and bigotry to have her way with us.

Not every Muslim is a radical jihadist. And we have to understand this. Yes, their holy book talks of killing infidels. But the Christian and Jewish bibles speak of stoning those who work on the Sabbath or sleep with their neighbor’s wife. Most people understand that those sections are not for modern society and do not practice them. (I’m referring to the practice of stoning itself.)  Many Muslims do not believe in killing unbelievers. We cannot, and should not, classify every Muslim as being radical. We have to, with clear forethought,identify and fight the real enemy.

Are these times scary? Yes. Is is hard to determine always who the enemy is? Yes. But does this mean we should approach every Muslim, or every Arab who might ‘look’ Muslim, with fear and hate? No.

There was a time when America imprisoned thousands of Asians in ‘concentration camps’ because we were fearful in a time of war. It was wrong then and it is wrong now to act in such a manner.

We need to stop this. We need to make sure we don’t have yet another stain on our history to apologize for later.

Please. If you agree with me, stand up against this. Tell your neighbor. Tell your friend. Tell your children. Speak against this evil rising in our midst and stop it.

Today it is gassing a mosque. Tomorrow it could be a bomb. Today, we wipe away the tears of a scared child, not understanding why someone would put pepper spray in her face. Tomorrow, we could be wiping away the tears of a mother, and a nation, as we mourn the death of children bombed in a mosque. Please, let’s not have another Birmingham.