hey everyone, im Jason. im new here and i am not Muslim, I come from a different faith and i will not be trying to preach or convert anyone.
i am tired of hearing on tv, my government and in almost every church how Muslims are the enemy, the devil, want to kill us all and all the rest. I would like to know more about Islam, the truth, and i would like to hear it from Muslim people, not the ones that hate Muslim people.
why is there so much anti Muslim propaganda in the US and Europe?
Some things to consider, as I see it;
People fear what they don't understand, and Islam is often misunderstood. In much the same way I'm sure you are likely familiar with people bashing Christianity with misunderstood "Gotcha!" verses, or just outright lying, this goes on a lot with Islam. I myself was a victim of this. I believed Islam to be an archaic, violent, religion with served to do nothing but oppress. Then when I actually read the Quran... well, I ended up becoming Muslim. Some people spread the misinformation with no malicious intent, but because they think it is true, while others know what they are doing and lie on purpose to further spread their agenda of hate and fear.
Why?
That leads me to my next point, which is by generating an "Other" for the masses to focus on, an enigmatic boogey man that could be your neighbor or co-worker, who, if you believe certain talking heads or agendas, are just a day away from being radicalized, if they aren't already part of a sleeper cell! When you create an enemy Other," it serves as a decoy. The more focused the public is on the "Enemy," the less they will see the problems and rot in their own system. In the US, this isn't working quite as well as it used to. Sure, there are plenty of extreme Right-Wingers in the US who buy into this agenda blindly, but even more finally speaking up against such systemic hate. With the current US president, the one thing I have to give him props for, as unintentional as it is, is he has served as a catalyst to bring people together in opposition to the hate of basically everything and everyone not a white, straight, Christian, male. It is far from being an ideal time, but in dark times, the light in people can be seen more easily.
Of course, there is no denying that there are extreme, radicalized, violent Muslims out to destroy all things not their own distinct brand of Islam (as un-Islamic as it seems to be, as far as I can tell, in my days as a newb in Islam... much how, despite technically being a Christian organization, the KKK doesn't accurately represent Christianity). And while there is also no denying that the West has a history of terrible foreign policy and power plays which cause destabilization, death, and destruction in the Middle East, if, as many claim, Islamic terrorist activity were the proverbial equal and opposite reaction to said Western intervention, I personally doubt these terrorist groups would target Muslims and Islamic countries as much as they do. Western-caused destruction serves as an easy catalyst for extremist groups to take advantage of and radicalize more Muslims, but the agenda of such groups is clearly domination of their version of Islam and their rules. This is apparent when you look at such groups objectively, and realize their targets, and the terror they instil, targets those who, if these groups were actual representatives of Islam out to protect Muslims from the West, they wouldn't target Muslims as they do, which is significantly more than they target the West (or even Western forces).
That said, and even if for the sake of argument we said terrorist actions were justified due to Western behavior in the Middle East (it isn't), it wouldn't change the fact that with every attack they make in Western nations does nothing but help instigate the further spread of hate against Islam and Muslims by the West, who then step up their actions in the Middle East, which is then used to radicalize more people. It is a vicious cycle, with every step along the way propagating every other step.
There is no easy solution to this, though I think the answer is more personal than anything else. What I mean by this is a de-mystification of Islam, a de-Othering, so to speak. As people get to know Muslims in their day to day life, seeing they are just people like anyone else, trying to make their way in the world, provide for themselves and their families, and so on, and not actually primitive warriors fighting a secret crusade, then that can go a long way. And this happens more easily, and probably more effectively, on a day to day, person to person level. By interactions with co-workers and neighbors, a smile and hello at the grocery store, and so on. And as more people get to know more Muslims in the West, the less effective the "Other" narrative will be, and a large change in how Islam is spoken of in the media and by the government. Maybe it can be said that such notions are idealistic and unrealistic, if so, then just call me a dreamer.
eace:
(Peace be upon you)
