Friday, September 06, 2002
The Anniversary
September 11th approaches and it seems to me that the onslaught of media coverage that will undoubtingly happen is just so, well, inappropriate. I get the feeling it'll be a national holiday in the U.S. within the next few years and it's already been given a name. I'm not positive but I think Patriot Day is it. It also seems inappropriate to wrap yourself in the flag as a supposed way of remembrance to me as well. That all being said I'm at a loss as how best to mark the passing of what is obviously an important date, place and time in our lives. One thing I think is very important is to continue to discuss the issues surrounding it to not only better understand the world at large but also to understand ourselves. With that in mind I think these are some important issues:
1. Has the Muslim world, and indeed Muslims in our own communites, made any headway to either admiting what was done was wrong or to stand up and say hey, let's fix this extremism in our own religion? I for one am sick and tired of reading and hearing about how they feel misunderstood and prejudiced against. You want some sympathy, take a stand for Allah's sake.
2. Religion is a powerful force and not only when it's politicized. The dangers are completely self evident to me and yet there are many groups, and to me this is including the U.S. Government, that fail to see this. It's one thing to believe in god, attend church, and absorb yourself in whatever myth helps you to make sense of the world. It's quite another to force that upon the entire country and believe it's our righteousness against theirs.
3. Do we believe, or have we ever believed, that one has a right to a) freedom of religion and b) individual rights? How about the respect of other cultures when they so obviously disagree with our own viewpoints of what's right and what's wrong?
September 11th approaches and it seems to me that the onslaught of media coverage that will undoubtingly happen is just so, well, inappropriate. I get the feeling it'll be a national holiday in the U.S. within the next few years and it's already been given a name. I'm not positive but I think Patriot Day is it. It also seems inappropriate to wrap yourself in the flag as a supposed way of remembrance to me as well. That all being said I'm at a loss as how best to mark the passing of what is obviously an important date, place and time in our lives. One thing I think is very important is to continue to discuss the issues surrounding it to not only better understand the world at large but also to understand ourselves. With that in mind I think these are some important issues:
1. Has the Muslim world, and indeed Muslims in our own communites, made any headway to either admiting what was done was wrong or to stand up and say hey, let's fix this extremism in our own religion? I for one am sick and tired of reading and hearing about how they feel misunderstood and prejudiced against. You want some sympathy, take a stand for Allah's sake.
2. Religion is a powerful force and not only when it's politicized. The dangers are completely self evident to me and yet there are many groups, and to me this is including the U.S. Government, that fail to see this. It's one thing to believe in god, attend church, and absorb yourself in whatever myth helps you to make sense of the world. It's quite another to force that upon the entire country and believe it's our righteousness against theirs.
3. Do we believe, or have we ever believed, that one has a right to a) freedom of religion and b) individual rights? How about the respect of other cultures when they so obviously disagree with our own viewpoints of what's right and what's wrong?
