As I have said before, there is no way I would have ever classified myself as a predujice person. I hung out with the 'different' kids no one else would in school. I never cared that it meant I was not part of the 'in' crowd. It just never bothered me.
I will say, first, that I thought a muslim temple built on the ground of the world trade centre was a horrible idea. It was like rubbing salt in the wound. But it was mainly because I thought the US people would not accept it. I figured someone would just blow the place up as soon as it was done. And I wondered why it wasn't stopped.
Anyway, back to my story. I was surprised when I became exposed to Muslims through working at my friend's company. When the company started out, everyone was one big happy family. It seemed most of the people were generally happy to have a job and had a lot of respect for the management team, my friend included. Now, four years later, everything has changed. They make impossible demands on management, and then say if they are not met, they will strike. They say THEY run the company. We have to do what THEY say. They don't understand democracy or the voting process. They use mob style tactics to get people fired and things done their way. They threaten others in their own community who don't follow. They distrust all authority figures, like police.
But most of all, I am surprised by the level of hate they have for us. During Ramadan, one told the office girls that they should all be wearing burkas, and when they take over the company, that will be the required dress code. When told that was sexual harrassment, they threatened people until it was buried. That's just one example of how they think we are lesser to them.
The management team is scared sometimes. There was a point where they had to hire dog-wielding security guards. By now, they are all wondering if this company is worth it. Probably next year, they will close the company. I don't think a single one of them will ever work with a muslim again, and, sadly, this includes me. My mind has put them in a different category. So now, if anyone asks me if I am a predujice person, I would have to answer yes. I don't like muslims.
I could go on and on, but I want to address the point of this entry, the Christian pastor who is considering burning the koran. When I first heard about it, and about people from all over the US sending him a koran to burn, I didn't think much of it. I thought, turnabout is fair play. They burn our flags, bibles, and leaders in effigy all the time. But then the muslim world started to protest, and I got a little angry. I thought, here they go again, using mob mentality, screaming and hollering, to get what they want. And I thought, maybe it might be good to show them not everyone is tolerant of them anymore. Burn the stupid book.
And then they said the pastor might not burn the koran if they relocate the temple planned for the world trade centre site. And....I was shocked. There is no other word for it. It took my breath away. This one man.....ONE MAN....had the power to change something the government was not willing to do. ONE MAN stood up. In a world where we placidly sit on our asses and shake our fists at the tv news, or grumble to each other over the water cooler when we hear the government has taken away some funding or some right that affects us, here was ONE MAN who made an impact. It didn't even really matter to me what it was about, only that one man had gotten results.
Wow. Really...wow. Can we please take this as inspiration that the squeaky wheel still gets the grease, no matter how small it is? Can we please get off our apathetic butts and show the government that there are issues we need addressed?
I am going to try to be better about getting involved in issues I mentally support but don't do anything about. Yip, starting right now, today. Tonight when I watch the news, I'm gonna shake TWO fists at the tv!
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