“I learned over time that extremists of all shapes try always to feed their extremism, and the way they do that is by digging into the news or searching in the religions of the ‘others’ so they can rationalize and feed their hate.” –Contemporary Muslim scholar
As we move into the season that Christians consider the occasion for peace on earth and goodwill to all, we should remind ourselves of the critical importance of being alert to the ever-renewed messages of hatred.
There has been increasing media attention to the scourge of Islamophobia infecting our vulnerable and perhaps fading democracy, but little in the way of understanding the problem.
Certainly vicious propaganda, disguised as objective consideration of “facts,” is abundant in print and in pseudo documentaries.
The claim, for example, that later statements in the Koran (sometimes condoning violence) always nullify earlier statements in the Koran (including many messages advocating peace, and demanding that women, children, and other noncombatants always be protected) is rejected by serious Muslim scholars.
Yet many people prefer to accept the propaganda than to seek greater knowledge and understanding of the Koran.
If Islam is like what [the propagandists] say, then why aren’t the vast majority of Muslims carrying arms and killing non-Muslims everywhere in the world? If Islam is evil, and if Muslims are blood thirsty people, then how do they explain the behavior of hundreds of millions of Muslims who live in peace? (One third of the world’s countries have a Muslim majority, and Muslim minorities live in almost every country in the world.) — Contemporary Muslim scholar
Be alert. Ask yourself, what do the purveyors of hatred seek through their messages? Peace? Justice? A moral life? Or the power that can come from scaring citizens and convincing them that sacrificing democracy and human rights can somehow make them safe?
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology
