Linda S. Heard wrote in the Gulf News web-site - which I believe when they say "gulf" they mean Persian Gulf, not down Mississippi way because when one clicks "Nation" for national news, they get news about the UAE - in which she calls freedom of speech an "Admirable Concept" and explains how the West doesn’t really have free speech.
The main point of her misguided, but very well written rant, is that while we may think we have free speech, we really don’t. She cites some hate-speech examples in Europe. She believes that some US states have laws against blasphemy which, I have to see to believe. The whole wall between church and state that the left is just so nuts about would seem to impede any laws regarding blasphemy. I could be wrong (but I’m not).
She spends a bit of her time with Geert Wilders’ movie "FITNA" which is causing quite a ruckus with those peace loving followers of Mohamed. So peace loving in fact, that Wilders is under state protection in the Netherlands, and the Dutch are preparing for the worst when the film is finally released.
She states if the Dutch government really wanted to stop the film from being shown, they could. Which is completely false. All Wilders has to do is release the film in the USA, from US servers. See, as much as Heard wants to believe that our first amendment is an "Admiral Concept", what she doesn’t, and probably will never understand, is that it is so much more than that. It is sacred. Freedom of speech…religion…to peaceably assemble…these are not concepts. These are not some high ideals that we only strive for. These are not the edicts of ayatollahs and imams that will get us into heaven, but which are nigh impossible to attain.
Jesus said that if we only had the faith to fill a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move, and it would move. But in reality, that kind of faith is simply unattainable in the human realm, with our limited mind and inability to fully comprehend God in all his glory. Something similar to Heard I think. She simply cannot (or more probably will not) comprehend 1) what this freedom is; and 2) what it actually and truly means to us, as Americans.
There is a reason the framers of our country placed that amendment first. It is the most important of all the freedoms they have guaranteed for us. That document was drafted with copious debate, and nothing is in there, or placed, by accident. Every letter, every piece of punctuation, is intentional. It is where it is supposed to be.
She claims that Wilders’ film will serve as a recruiting tool for extremist groups:
Furthermore, it will serve as a recruiting tool for extremist groups calling for a jihad against the new Crusaders.
Shame on him and shame on those who would prioritise the so-called rights of this imbecile over the heartfelt pleas of Muslims in the Netherlands and around the world!
Shame on us? Shame on the freedom loving people? What about the please of the non-Muslims in the Spain and England who didn’t want their trains bombed? What about the please of the Israelis in settlements constantly being bombed by the Muslims. Are the bombs they send in heartfelt? Probably not.
Heard will never understand what it means to be free. She will never understand what freedom of speech is really about.
As for Wilders’s film, given his known detestation of Islam, one can only wonder about his motives for making it. Rather than exemplifying his freedom to express his views, it is likely to be 15 minutes of pure, unadulterated hate probably designed to cause an even greater rift between Muslims and non-Muslims than already exists.
The question which Heard does not ask. And will never explore, is why does that right exists in the here and now? Why is there such a great divide between Muslim and non-Muslim? Could it be that the non-Muslim is horrified at the Muslim treatment of women? That non-Muslims can’t understand why converting from Islam to a different religion is punishable by death? Could it be that the non-Muslim simply can’t fathom that the victim of a gang-rape is punished, then pardoned by the Muslim government? I’m certain Heard will discount any of these things for helping to create, and keep the divide between Muslims and non-Muslims. I’m certain Heard has some other far-reaching reason, and all fault will be placed squarely on the shoulders of us Westerners. Oh and the Israelis, can’t forget them, it’s their fault too.
Let’s not forget, the reason for the riots last year, the burnings of buildings, and the deaths were not the Muslims. Sure, they perpetrated the atrocities, but who could blame them? Newspapers in the Netherlands and Denmark published the Mo’ Toons. I mean seriously, if that isn’t a reason for wholesale lawlessness, what is?
A group of Arab youths in Brooklyn assaulted and beat Rabbi Uria Ohana this week. It all started innocently enough. The Arab teenagers, being teenagers, and Arab, decided it would be funny to steal the Rabbi’s kippa (a/k/a yarmulka) and run off with it.
The Rabbi, being completely in his right, chased the offending youth out of the subway, where the Arab youth ran into traffic and got hit by a car, suffering a broken leg. That’s when the offender’s friends, blaming the Rabbi (natch!) for their friends broken leg, beat and kicked him while yelling "Allahu Akbar" while regaling in their violence.
The cops say that the Arab youths might possibly, maybe could be charge with a hate crime. They cops, in their infinite wisdom, are claiming the Arab youths who beat the Jewish Rabbi, because he is a Jew, while yelling the jihadist phrase "Allahu Akbar" - probably just didn’t know what the phrase meant. Uh-huh. Sure, okay.
If a kid shows a ham steak to a Muslim, he is perpetrating a hate crime. If someone puts the Koran in a toilet, they are perpetrating a hate crime. If someone puts up a poster, on private property, that declares their dislike of Islamic Supremacists, that is a hate crime. But beating a Rabbi, because he is Jewish, isn’t necessarily a hate crime.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not big on the whole hate crime crap to begin with. I don’t believe in them. I believe if one assaults and/or kills another, they should be punished, and that the law should be blind as to why someone did what they did. If they are guilty of murder, or assault, they are guilty of the crime. The why of the crime should not enter into it. What does it matter? The problem is, we have these asinine hate laws, and we don’t apply them levelly and evenly.
Over the past almost year, we’ve heard stories and rumors of stories regarding Barack Hussein Obama’s minister, the (un)Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s racist views, and his denouncing of America as a country.
Until now, Obama has excused his pastor (whom, in a speech today, he refers to as his ‘former’ pastor). Offering justifications for Wrights antagonistic rhetoric. Wright grew up in the 60’s, an era full of racial tensions and explosive demonstrations. But does that excuse someone who jumps up on his pulpit, and denounces the country he lives in? I don’t think so. There are plenty of people who grew up in that time span, and plenty of people who has experiences almost-but-not-quite-exactly the same as Wrights.
What does Obama’s (former?) pastor have to do with the man? That’s a good question. If everyone had to be judged by their pastor, we might not cut mustard. But Wright is not simply Obama’s pastor. I say ‘is’ and not ‘was’ because I fully believe Obama’s denunciation of Wright today is a completely political move, to try and distance himself from the fire and brimstone and “America stinks” views of his pastor.
Obama has called Wright his pastor, mentor, friend. Obama sat in this pastor’s church for some 20 years, listening to his vile rhetoric, and seems to be now surprised that Wright holds such views. Wright officiated the marriage between Obama and his wife (you know, the one that thinks women should stick to teaching and nursing), and baptized his daughters.
Again, that is what a pastor is supposed to do. What gets me is that Obama was somehow completely blind-sided by the pastor’s anti-American, anti-Jewish, anti-Caucasian views and preaching. Either Obama didn’t go to church as often as he lets on or he was sleeping during the hellfire and brimstone services, or (and most likely) he truly believes in what Wright has been saying.
Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms,…
Perhaps not in conversation, but notice that Obama doesn’t say he has never heard Wright talk about ethnics in derogatory terms, he just hasn’t heard him talk that way in their conversations. Quite an omission if you ask me.
The thing is, that since the beginning of this campaign, Obama and his supporters, have been making excuses for, and trying to marginalize Wright’s hate-filled speeches. This has been an issue which has largely been ignored by the mainstream media, and was disseminated pretty much solely in the blogosphere and via ultra-right wing radio talk shows. But now that the MSM has jumped on this story, Obama had to do more, so he drops his pastor of 20 years, drops the man who officiated his marriage, and baptized his children.
He claims because of one speech made recently. How is that for loyalty? How is it that, after 20 years of spiritual guidance, mentorship and friendship, your pastor makes one speech and suddenly he is not longer your pastor? No, it wasn’t this last speech alone. It was a lifetime of racial hatred towards anyone not black that caused Obama to attempt to distance himself from Wright. But you’ll never hear Obama admit that.
One hater cries foul, and the National Cemetery Administration runs for cover. A complaint, which the NCA is refusing to release, has been lodged about the flag folding ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery. The complaint prompted the NCA to issue a new flag-folding script to be read as each part of the American flag is folded.
The complaint was made about the recitation of the eleventh fold. The recitation is:
The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The twelfth fold mentions Christians:
The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
No folds mention atheists, nor Muslims. In the past, atheist attacks on God and the flag (i.e, the Pledge of Alliegence) have fallen short of anything changing. In addition, no complaint was made regarding the words to the twelfth fold. The only problem the one complainant had was to the eleventh fold. The fold that mentions Hebrews, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Kind of leads one to wonder, who would make such a complaint? Sure, there are plenty of anti-Semitics out there, the white supremacists and the neo-nazi groups, but they have never made a stink like this before. Also, one would have to wonder why the NCA would cave to such a group. I don’t believe they would. These people are not politically correct enough. They are unapologetic Caucasian folks, and thus, the antithesis of political correctness. No, only some group that would fall into a victim category under the thumb of political correctness could make such a complaint, and have the cowards at NCA quaking in their boots.
If one thinks about it for just a little bit, one can come to the same conclusion I have. Which one group of haters can fall into that victim category, and still be so staunchly anti-Semitic that it shames the likes of Senator Byrd?
An article I read this morning has made me think of the differences between Christian living and Muslim living.
Recently a Catholic churct in McKinney, Texas was vandalized. The numerals ‘666′ as well as some grossly offensive and vile words were spay painted on the statue of St. Michael, the Sanctuary doors and in the parking lot. This is what the pastor, Stephen Bierschenk, had to say about it:
It depicts a person who is very angry, I’d say, and prejudice.
What we preach and the way we try to live is to try and forgive them, during the services this weekend I plan to ask everybody to offer a prayer that God will heal the heart of the person who did (it).
While, when a mosque in Tampa, FL is vandalized, the people demand that local and federal law enforcement search for some sort of bias motive. It is almost as if they actually want people to be biased against them. Why? Because biased crimes (a/k/a hate crimes) will usually carry a stiffer penalty.
Just to recap here; The Catholic priest wants to pray for the offender’s soul, so that the offender might come to God and be forgiven and experience eternal happiness. The Muslims want the offender to be punished more harshly because they are Muslim and the offender isn’t.
Just gotta love that whole “religion of peace” thing, don’t ya?
Televangelist Bill Keller sends out a video message to Osama bin Laden. Keller, it may be recalled, had a late night live prayer television show in Florida, which was canceled in part on the demands of CAIR. It seems that CAIR, being the tolerant, benevolent organization it is, didn’t like Keller talking smack on Islam. The video is quite long (almost 10 minutes), and he seems to be nearly begging Osama to convert to Christianity so that he can go to heaven, not “some ficticious place called ‘paradise’ with women waiting to have sex with you, but the home of God where you can find eternal peace and rest when your life on this earth is over.”
For those that say the Islamic Sharia law is only practiced in “Iraq and some remote tribal areas of Pakistan”, I present to you 18 men from Nigeria. Not from Pakistan (remotely tribal or otherwise) and not from Iraq, but from Nigeria. You probably recognize the country as the place where the king/queen/ambassador or [insert title here] has recently died and left a large sum of money (MILLIONS!) that the dead person’s brother/sister/niece or [insert relative here] needs your help to claim. But I digress…
Anyway these men were partying at a hotel when they got really wild and crazy and dressed up as women. OOPS! That is illegal under Sharia law. Their punishment can be up to a year in prison, and 20 lashes with a cane. The men were at the hotel to attend a homosexual marriage. That has to get the lefties panties in a bunch. Who do you root for? The poor misunderstood Muslims, or the gays that are persecuted by them?
Boy, Holland seems to be a real hotbed of racial tensions these days. It seems, ever since the murder of Theo Van Gogh three years ago, the Muslims and everyone else have pretty much been at each other’s throats.
Muslims attacking former Muslims; other people attacking Muslims. Newspapers and reporters threatened. And now, now comes the coup d’etat in my view. In what I can only regard as the ultimate, spineless act of appeasement, Catholic Bishop Tiny Muskens utters this statement:
“Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we well name God Allah?”
Now, I don’t know what this guy is spiking his Holy Water with, or what he is burning in that incense decanter he’s swinging around, but I am pretty darned sure, based on prior statements regarding Islam, that Pope Benny probably doesn’t think very highly of that idea.
What’s next Tiny? Encourage the females to wear headscarfs? Because, really, what does it hurt? It won’t hurt anyone to wear a scarf. It will protect from the sun and the cold, and keep one’s hair from being mussed by the wind.
Some people. Some people give Christians a bad name. One of those people is Rodney Wright. Rodney is black, and a Christian. He is also (presumably) an American. The Islamic Center of South Florida needs and/or wants a bigger mosque (doesn’t matter which). They have the money to pay for the land and build the mosque. They chose the Florida community of Pompano Beach in which to build their new 29K sq ft. mosque.
Then along comes Rodney. He doesn’t like Islam, thinks Islam is the religion of the devil and believes that Muslims, by and large, are all terrorists. Rodney files a suit in court to try and prevent the mosque from being built. The question is…why? He states that the mosque “presents a substantial harm to the well-being, safety and health” of the community.
I get his point. He’s an idiot, but I do get his point. He doesn’t want the mosque because the people using it would be Muslims, and let’s face it, 100% of the hijackers of 9/11 and 100% of the insurgents killing our good soldiers, seamen, airmen and marines in Iraq are Muslim.
I can see where his misguidedness comes from. But because I can understand his lunacy, does not mean it is not lunacy. Mosque in my neighborhood? No problems. Let ‘em build it. The problem I would have is when (and I believe it would be a when, not an if), when those that frequent the mosque begin to complain about the behavior of the neighborhood. About the people next door who are barbecuing ribs, or roasting a pig in their backyard. Complaining about the way the women in the neighborhood dress.
This is where I would start to have a problem. When they start to demand that the neighborhood conform to their way of thinking so as not to offend them. That is where the problem would start for me. But until then, everything would be peachy. That is the American way. Live and let live, just don’t mess with me.
Some people will refuse to see the growing trend, and thus the growing problem. Some will cheer this trend as a giant leap in diversity, or multi-cultural ism or what-not. Others will cheer this trend as something that is long overdue and with particular glee since the trend is decidedly anti-Christian. The trend I am speaking of is the Islamification of North America. It is starting, of course, in Canada. I say ‘of course in Canada’, not because of any ill feelings to the Canucks. I have some very good friends that are ex-pat Canucks. I have spent quite a bit of time in Canada traversing the Al-Can highway, and spending time in little towns waiting for auto parts for a broken down motor home, but that is another tale.
I say ‘of course in Canada’, because the Canadian government, by and large, is what can be defined as a ’secular progressive’ government. That is, they are more and more of the ideology that everyone is OK, no one is bad - it is their environment that made them do bad things. That they must do everything for everyone. Cradle to grave entitlements are the better way to go, everyone who has their own language, and doesn’t want to learn the language of the majority, can demand that all signs and packaging support their own language. And so on and so forth.
A group of Muslim students in Canada banded together and form the “Task Force on Needs of Muslim Students.” Boiled down, what they are after is for everyone to kow-tow to their demands. Their demands enforce, in essence, Sharia law, the law of the Koran. Their list of demands are long and vast. Their list of demands include indoctrination of non Muslims and the edict that all non Muslims interact with Muslims the way Muslims want to be interacted with. In short, it seems the Muslim students are saying it does not matter if one is a Muslim or not, as long as they act the way Muslims act, it is okay (for now anyway).
They cite the experiences of some Muslims to support their demands. Some Muslims feel put upon and unwelcome.
“A participant from the University of Windsor wearing the hijab echoed this sentiment: ‘I feel that other students are not welcoming…’”
While this may seem bad, there are many, many people, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, who feel unwelcome by others. To single this out as a Muslim problem is terribly arrogant and exhibits a great degree of narrow-sightedness.
“Regular prayer is a fundamental tenet of Islam. It is common practice for Muslims to pray 5 times a day at specified intervals. Such practices can significantly overlap with students’ time on campus and in class. Participants of the Task Force’s campus hearings regularly outlined conflicts between prayer and their in-class academic obligations often with consequences to participation marks and tests or assignments.”
I am uncertain of what universities in Canada are like, but in the US, university students generally chose their own schedules. Classes are offered at a variety of times and days to accommodate the schedules of students. It is very easy for a student to simply not take a class at a time that will interfere with their prayers. Short of that, they student has to make a decision on whether they want to pray, or go to class. The choice is theirs. The universities are in place to offer people the opportunity to obtain an education. The universities are not there to ensure that everyone’s special needs are met and accommodated and that their class schedules flow around each specific groups’ wants and needs.
“…an institution is required to evaluate the needs of a group, including accommodations for religious observances and holidays.
Most participants of the Task Force’s campus hearings lamented that Islamic holidays are not recognised by their institution. Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid ul-Adha, were most frequently mentioned as a day that students would like to be recognised.”
Simply put universities cannot recognize the holidays of all the different religious groups. If they did, there would be no time for students to actually learn something. Currently, some universities recognize the holidays for the predominate religion. That is, the religion of the majority. If there were a university where the religion of the majority of the students was Islam, then the university would recognize that religions holidays, to the exclusion of others. Somehow, I don’t believe that the Christians would be whining about having to go to class on All Saints Day.
“…students reported the frequent experience that when stereotypical views of Islam were discussed, they were commonly accepted and not challenged by professors or other students.”
There is a difference between not challenging something, and accepting it. But it looks like, if you don’t stand up and declare Islam to be a good and hearty religion, that is correct and above all others, then you are accepting the stereotypes placed on the religion.
And this is where it really gets tricky:
“Students stressed a desire to see curricula place a greater emphasis on representing Islam,…
Specifically, suggestions included more courses on Islam and consideration of Islamic history, themes of the Quran, and the Islamic world today.”
This is at the root of all of their demands. They want to indoctrinate regular students into Islam. They want to make sure that every student and teacher on campus has a positive view of Islam. If one does not agree with Islam, or believe in Allah, they are Islamophobes. If one says that Jesus is the saviour, and Muhommad a false prophet, they are Islamophobes. To these people, the people who want to change, by force, the minds all people, whomever does not believe in Islam, whomever does not hold the view that Islam is the end all and be all, is an Islamophobe, and should be dealt with as such.
This is their list of demands.
Recognise at the administrative level, the institution’s obligation to accommodate the needs of Muslim students in a way that is consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Expand awareness and educational anti-racism campaigns to target Islamophobia on campus.
Encourage students who have experienced Islamophobic and racist acts to immediately register that with the appropriate campus office (security, equity services, ombuds, etc.) and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Students’ unions and Muslim students’ associations should be familiar with reporting mechanisms at the institutional level and through the Ontario Human Rights Commission in order to help encourage and facilitate a culture of reporting Islamophobia and racism on campus.
Institutions and their security staff should take seriously and promptly address reports of Islamophobic incidents.
Statistics regarding the number of Islamophobic complaints and their nature should be compiled and maintained by the institution, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, students’ unions, and other relevant bodies.
Conduct a review of institutional policies that relate to discriminatory practices to ensure sufficiency in dealing with Islamophobic incidents and creating a permanently safe and welcoming environment.
Convene meetings among relevant administrators, students’ unions, Muslim students’ associations, faculty associations, and the campus media to recognise the collective responsibility to identify and stop Islamophobia and racism on campus.
In consultation with students, develop a institutional response to Islamophobia and a plan to streamline, and make more effective, reporting mechanisms for Islamophobic acts.
Improve and enhance institutional counselling services to properly address Muslim students’ needs by, for example, hiring Muslim chaplains, similar to those that exist for other denominations.
Implement mentorship initiatives to connect new students to students of similar faith.
Develop training modules on Islamophobia for campus security and maintenance staff. Islamophobic graffiti, for example, should not be removed until it has been properly documented by security staff.
Students’ unions, Muslim students’ associations, and campus women’s centres should promote the right of all women, especially Muslim women, to participate in campus activities free of discrimination and misinformed stereotypes.
Notify offices of human rights and anti-discrimination on campus of factual errors and prejudicial depictions in the campus media and encourage campus publications to acknowledge the problem and remedy damage done.
Students should continue to critique media analysis of Islam and Muslim students via letters to their local and student newspapers.
Encourage Muslim students and faculty to write for their student or community newspapers and other communications materials.
Increase and institute recognition of religious observances on campus and in college and university policy by ensuring that information on Muslim religious observances is available to college/university administrators, faculty, academic and support staff, and students.
Send out memoranda to professors and teaching staff in advance of religious holidays and observances.
Increase flexibility for assignment due dates and exam scheduling to minimise or eliminate overlap with Friday prayer. Make provisions for alternate academic arrangements that are not more onerous than regularly scheduled assignments should be made.
Ensure that students are not penalised for missed class or lab time associated with religious observances.
Integrate education modules on Islam and Islamophobia into training sessions for general teaching staff.
Institutional academic bodies should seek to ensure more courses offered on Islamic studies and Muslim culture.
Require academic instructors to rely on resource materials for courses on Islam that are based on evidence and scholarship.
Ensure diversity within course materials. Ensure that materials discussed in the classroom meet academic standards or be presented in the context of academic analysis.
Teaching staff should not target discussion of Islam to Muslim students in the class and
Muslim students should not be made to feel that they are subject of class discussions regarding Islam.
Train teaching staff in anti-racist teaching practices and methods for identifying and responding to racism and conflict in the classroom.
Encourage Muslim graduates to consider working within academia.
Extend equity considerations in hiring to include Muslim candidates.
Promote the retention of Muslim faculty by ensuring a positive work environment.
Federal and Ontario student financial aid that is delivered through the Canada Student Loans Program and Ontario Student Assistance Program respectively should reduce reliance on a loan-based financial aid system.
Governments should reduce financial barriers for students through tuition fee protection in the form of tuition fee freezes and reductions along with targeted financial aid delivered through need-based grants.
Income contingent loan repayment and other forms of regressive financial aid schemes should be rejected by policy makers.
Education related government loans should not accumulate interest, even after graduation.
Ensure that adequate prayer space is acknowledged as a human rights issue and made available by the institution.
Develop a campus plan that involves students and ensures multiple prayer spaces across campus for easy access from all points and that new building plans account for prayer space and ablution washing facilities if necessary.
With involvement of students, conduct regular audits of the adequacy and availability of prayer space facilities including the size, convenience of locations, ablution washing facilities and separate accommodation for women.
Make prayer space audit results publicly available, especially to new students who need them in order decide where to study.
Ensure permanency, upkeep, and proper location of prayer space on campus.
Conduct a food service audit with campus food services to assess kitchen facilities and food service delivery processes to determine areas of implementation and improvement of halal food provisions.
Universities should expand their food choices on campus and provide more halal options, especially in residence cafeterias and food services. Halal food should be provided at the same quality and costs as non-halal food.
Clearly identify halal options on menus and in campus food service facilities. Ensure clear labelling of halal food, and food ingredients.
Improve training of food service staff in the preparation of halal food, including training food service employees to change sanitary gloves and wash cutlery and surfaces after preparing non-halal food.
Include a requirement to provide halal food and halal practices in any new contracts with food service providers. Modify existing contracts to provide both halal food and halal practices.
Create standard policy to allow Muslim students to bring outside food options for larger catered events, including allowances for Muslim students to bring in culturally appropriate food on Iftar and other religious holidays.
Ensure that orientation planning is open to, and reflective of, Muslim students and their organisations.
Provide inclusively training for orientation event organisers.
Include in orientation packages and summer mailouts the information necessary for Muslim students to properly access necessary campus and community services, such as local mosques, prayer room locations, Muslim students’ associations and central students’ unions’ contact information and opportunities to meet with Muslim students who attend college or university for mentorship and advice.
Include dry options in events and programmes, where alcohol is not served. Events in the evening can, for example, be “dry” for the first hour or so before making alcohol available.
Liaise with responsible university officials to determine decision-making structures for scheduling athletics and recreation facilities.
Conduct a student survey on athletic requirements to determine the need for gender specific hours including a use assessment of athletic facilities (i.e. identifying peak and off-peak hours, usage, etc.).
Improve access and athletic facilities for Muslim women students.
Provide women-only gym time. Provide curtains or screens over the observation windows looking into the swimming pool during women-only swim times.
Ensure that more Muslim dons are hired for campus residence, or contact information for Muslim dons at the residence complex be made available.
Provide training for residence dons and general information to residence occupants about the needs of Muslim students, especially as they pertain to alcohol.
Increase availability of halal food in residence and allow flexibility for students to prepare their own food.
Allow Muslim students to opt-out of mandatory meal plans where insufficient halal options exist.
Institute alcohol-free residences on campus.
Implement equity and diversity programming in campus events, including those organised by campus students’ unions and administrations.
Cross promote student union and Muslim Students’ Association services.
Ensure proper funding of central students’ unions and Muslim students’ associations to properly service Muslim students.
Some of these demands are not too far out. For instance, the food. I don’t see it as unreasonable that the university offer halal food, like they do now for kosher food. But some of these, c’mon now. Zero interest loans because Muslims don’t believe in paying interest? WTF is that? Alcohol-free residences? I understand that Muslims do not partake in alcohol, by why does that mean that no one else can partake? I am not seeing the reasoning here, unless it is to force others to conform to the beliefs of the Muslims (but that can’t possibly be it…can it?).
This next quote gives a very real glimpse of what we are looking at:
“‘Even though I haven’t, myself, experienced any physical acts of aggression or any outright Islamophobic comments, it feels like there is a measure of mistrust and suspicion and undue attention to my personal appearance.’”
Translated from newspeak into real English it reads, while nobody has treated me different, I know they are thinking about me differently.
People will undoubtedly read this and mark me as an Islamophobe. Fact is, I am no Islamophobe. The fact that I do not agree with the Islam religion, or its teachings and laws does not make me an Islamophobe. It does not make me a racist. I do not agree with the gay lifestyle either, and believe that it is wrong. That does not make me a homophobe. Frankly, I could care less if one wants to practice their religion in anyway they see fit…as long as it does not impact me, I don’t give a flying leap. One can worship the devil, they can dance around in the woods naked worshipping Diana, they can throw chicken bones in a circle and recite voodoo cantations to their hearts delight. I don’t care.
What I do care is when those worshiping Diana want to dance around naked in the city park. Or the voodoo folks start throwing chicken bones on my doorstep. Or when I have to make special arrangement, on my dime and my time for someone to pray the way they want to pray. I should not be forced to build a prayer facility with my tax dollars…for anyone, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrianism anything. I should not be forced to change my own standard or way of living, to accommodate your choices. And yes, I said choices. Religion, folks, is a choice. One chooses to follow a certain religion. One chooses to pray and participate in whatever religion they belong to. I should not be required to be inconvenienced in any way shape or form because of the choices made by others.
People do not have a right to ‘feel welcomed.’ People do not have a guarantee to be ‘included’ or not to feel ostracized. While it would be nice if we could all be like kindergartners, where no one really cared who you were or where you were from, only if you were nice to play with, that is not the way of the world. People today are expecting too often to be coddled and cared for some reason or another, if someone is in the minority, the majority must do whatever it can, must make whatever sacrifices are required of it, in order that the feelings of the minority are upheld and that the minority does not lose their self esteem.
Thanks to LadyPredator for bringing up this story.
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A group of Arab youths in Brooklyn assaulted and beat Rabbi Uria Ohana this week. It all started innocently enough. The Arab teenagers, being teenagers, and Arab, decided it would be funny to steal the Rabbi’s kippa (a/k/a yarmulka) and run off with it.
Over the past almost year, we’ve heard stories and rumors of stories regarding Barack Hussein Obama’s minister, the (un)Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s racist views, and his denouncing of America as a country.
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