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180 degrees
Matthew Hall presents a first-hand look at world events from a different angle. Follow @matthew_hallWhy is 'Islamophobia' becoming acceptable?
24 August 2010, 11:57 AM | Source: Matt Hall, SBS
Why is 'Islamophobia' becoming acceptable?
This past Saturday night I was a guest at a friend’s birthday barbecue in deepest New Jersey.
As cocktails mixed, the sun set and midnight approached, conversation cut to the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” that is neither at Ground Zero nor is a mosque.
Watch DATELINE report on the NY centre
How I love grown-up parties.
Discussion soon turned to rage about 9/11, Muslims, and terrorism before someone (it was, maybe thankfully, dark) claimed the proposed Cordoba Institute in lower Manhattan is part of a global takeover by Islamic extremists.
This claim came from someone who appeared to be an otherwise functioning human being and, smoking a cigar, relatively successful in life if you excused his confessed admiration for right wing cable television superstar Glenn Beck, an influential guy who claims President Obama is racist.
So I confess.
I was surprised a seemingly intelligent person really believed in a planned Islamic takeover of the United States but, then, perhaps I live in a bubble.
Or maybe it’s me who is dumb (this is possible).
As it turns out, according to a report last week, one in four Americans wrongly believe that President Obama, a Christian, is Muslim.
One in four.
That figure rises to one in three when Republicans are apparently surveyed, a result that is either way off target or many Americans are very stupid.
There is, however, another point of view more frightening than stupidity.
“The all-too-familiar scent of plain, old-fashioned racism hovers over the affair,” wrote Ramzi Kassem, of the City University of New York School of Law, in Sunday’s Daily News.
“That some are dissatisfied by Obama's policies cannot alone account for what the polls reflect,” he added. “Many past Presidents, perhaps all, sank in popularity during their tenure, but the result was not a widely held belief that the chief executive lied about his core identity.”
According to Kassem, race is being replaced by religion – specifically Islam – as a hate target.
“The Muslim male, as he exists in America's collective psyche, is today's ultimate ‘other,’ a menacing adversary with whom we are locked in existential struggle.
“What could be decried as hateful if directed at other communities is common currency today for politicians and pundits commenting on Islam. Islamophobia remains socially acceptable where other forms of bigotry have been suppressed.”
Protests on Sunday outside the proposed cultural centre certainly hinted at an agenda beyond honouring the memory of those who died during 9/11, as many claim the main issue to be.
This video, shot at the protests, reveals a very ugly side to supposed “patriotism” where a black man is harassed for apparently walking past the building.
“All y’all dumb motherfuckers don’t even know my opinion on shit’,” he tells protestors.
A shout of “He musta voted for Obama,” can be heard from the crowd.
Dumb? Racist? Stupid?
Nuts.
Frighteningly so.
Join the Discussion
Your Comments
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Crusade
Perhaps we should get the Pope to call for another crusade, so that those of you who write so passionately against the evils of Islam. I'm thinking that something along the lines of the People's Crusade where you all stupidly end up killing /being killed by other Christians instead of the Muslims. That would fit your intellectual profiles.
Not dumb, just naive.
It is very easy for the white middle-class urban dweller, protected from the hazards that bedevil most of the world's population, to become frighteningly detached from reality. This same phenomenon was noted in imperial Rome, just before the collapse. Get out into the real world and listen to people from nations where Islam has taken over or just become more fundamentalist, and you will have a very different view. That is, if your mind is not closed.
WHO is intolerant?
Why is 'Islamophobia' becoming acceptable? Because the Muslim made it so. 3 churches Christian schools were burnt Vandalised in Malaysia Easter 2010 because the Muslim don't like the Christian using the word Allah in their translation of the word god. The number of ridiculous excuses they came up with to start conflict and claim to be victims when they didn't get their way is countless. I feel sorry for the FEW who, like Rashid, don't feel the need to bend everyone else to accommodate them
They call them "useful idiots"
Matthew Hall, you must live in a bubble. Islam taking over the US is a stated aim of many Muslim organisations. I don't believe they will of course, not being stupid, but nevertheless it has been said. Of course Muslims will cry "racism", they always do when things don't go their way (remember Camden?). Since when was Islam a race? It's insensitive in the extreme to attempt to site a "cultural centre" so close to Ground Zero, after all the bombers shouted "Allahu Akhbar" on their way to impact.
Mr
The money for fanatics comes from the Mosques and from the ostensibly peace loving Muslims, wake up ! Why come to Australia if you can not embrace the freedom? Why do we need to change to be more accepting of Islam? Why do we accept the denigaation of women with veils and the Burka ? It is not "ploitically correct" to say anything against Ialam, why? We must be free to say something when our culture is being attacked, I love this country,
Discussion
You don't want a discussion you want one sided views and BS otherwise you would see Islam is the common denominator whether it be radical or not they are the ones that have to stop the attacks on it by simply aiding their own and driving out radicals putting in as much effort as us and other charities, so we don't look like the bad guys every time, Islam wants us to make concessions a bit of compromise back would be nice. The belief has not taken a back step since 810 nor evolved with the times
Ground Zero Center.
All Religious Church based fanaticism and its bigotry cause confrontation and disharmony. My Faith system Islam/Quran is not a Religion, has no Church and has no Clergy and abhors disharmony and advises to walk away from mischief and disharmony. The proposed 13 story building which is not a mosque as generally understood but a Civic center, and a bridge building community exercise; has become instead a source of disharmony so the Believers of the faith should abandon it, other wise they are bigots the same as those opposing it.
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