Everyone's talking about the attacks on Paris. About 129 people have already died, and I don't know if that number is stable or if more people are sitting in hospitals on the edge of death. But this is not the first attack perpetrated by ISIS. A Russian airline downed, bombs in Ankara, Turkey, and the attacks on Lebanon and Tunisia - ISIS has made a clear statement through their actions. They are not afraid of killing people to achieve their goals.
But ISIS is not the Muslim religion. I fear for Muslims when I read quotes and articles that act as if what ISIS is doing reflects the majority of Muslims. I fear for the refugees who now have to face prejudice because of actions by the group they are running away from, because some people now think all Muslims are potential terrorists.
But calling all Muslims potential terrorists because of ISIS is like saying all Christians are potential terrorists because of the KKK. Both ISIS and the KKK are fringe organizations that have nothing to do with the majority of believers. And for those who would argue that the KKK isn't a religious organization, what about the Army of God? The Phineas Priesthood? The Lord's Resistance Army? All of these are supposedly Christian organization that are violent, promote kidnapping and murder, and are in no way representative of the vast majority of Christians.
We need to stop assuming all Muslims are like those in ISIS. We need to stop looking at all the refugees like their are guilty because of their religion. I believe that people are good, regardless of their religion.
We cannot save the dead. They are beyond our help. But we can save the living, and we can help those in need. We need to keep helping the refugees because they have nowhere left to go. If we don't, if we let fear and uncertainty taint our responses, then the refugees become victims of ISIS again.
But ISIS is not the Muslim religion. I fear for Muslims when I read quotes and articles that act as if what ISIS is doing reflects the majority of Muslims. I fear for the refugees who now have to face prejudice because of actions by the group they are running away from, because some people now think all Muslims are potential terrorists.
But calling all Muslims potential terrorists because of ISIS is like saying all Christians are potential terrorists because of the KKK. Both ISIS and the KKK are fringe organizations that have nothing to do with the majority of believers. And for those who would argue that the KKK isn't a religious organization, what about the Army of God? The Phineas Priesthood? The Lord's Resistance Army? All of these are supposedly Christian organization that are violent, promote kidnapping and murder, and are in no way representative of the vast majority of Christians.
We need to stop assuming all Muslims are like those in ISIS. We need to stop looking at all the refugees like their are guilty because of their religion. I believe that people are good, regardless of their religion.
We cannot save the dead. They are beyond our help. But we can save the living, and we can help those in need. We need to keep helping the refugees because they have nowhere left to go. If we don't, if we let fear and uncertainty taint our responses, then the refugees become victims of ISIS again.
Very true. John Scalzi wrote a good post on this, too, that I shared on my WP blog.
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