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Saturday, November 23 Good-bye Miss World
This morning I’m sitting here feeling so happy to be an American I could just plotz. Not only do I have the freedom to walk out of my home in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, (although it’s a tad cold today) without fear of being stoned to death, but I also have the freedom to write something on this web site or for a newspaper in this country without worrying that religious fanatics will storm out and kill oh a hundred people or so. If any of you, have managed to not read or listen to the news since Thursday, you may not know this latest tale of Islamic intolerance. On Thursday after a Nigerian newspaper called, “ThisDay” ran a controversial story about the “Miss World” pageant to be held for the first time in Nigeria. Angry Muslim mobs took to the streets stabbing anyone they suspected to be Christian, setting fire to bystanders, burning down one of the newspapers offices and the list goes on. They were angered by a story in the paper, stating that Muhammad would have not only approved of the pageant, he probably would have chosen a wife from among the contestants. The paper, of course, printed a whopping ass kissing apology immediately, but that hasn’t squelched the mobs. They’re still killing and destroying. So what’s the end result of this madness? Well besides the 100 or so innocent people murdered and the ruined lives of their loved ones, all the hundreds of people injured and the homes and livelihoods destroyed…. The Miss World contest which would have brought badly needed money and tourism to Nigeria is relocating to London. You can bet the Miss World contest, not to mention any other beauty contest won’t be coming to a Muslim country anytime soon. You can also bet, that people around the world who were considering visiting Nigeria won’t be coming. They’ll probably be canceling their trips to any other Muslim countries too. I’m fairly sure that “This Day” not to mention every other publication in a Muslim country is now even more paranoid to exercise freedom of press than they were before. The people of Nigeria can now look forward to even less tourism and money flowing into their country. And there’s this little ditty. Prejudice against Muslims. If September 11th didn’t do it. If the Palestinian suicide bombers didn’t do it. If the Taliban didn’t do it. Stories like this one will take tolerant, liberal, open-minded folks and sour them against this religion. I consider myself to be a liberal, caring, humanistic person. I’ve always felt that if racist were on one end of the spectrum I would be starkly on the opposite end. How can I amidst the granddaughters of the holocaust pass on the terrible lessons of this atrocity by becoming what I hate most? But it’s getting harder. I feel myself tense up in taxicabs when I read my driver’s name is Mohammed. I feel myself becoming colder, darker, everytime another news clip of Islamic fundamentalism wrecking havoc comes on the TV. I try, and I am trying to separate the millions of peaceful Muslims from the hoards of murdering fundamentalists. But, like I said, it's getting harder. And if it’s getting harder for me, someone who strives on a daily basis to be open, kind and tolerant. How is it for the people out there who are more easily swayed? So I say to you, the leaders, the voices, the scholars, the spokes-men for this religion, reach out, speak out, act out. Show your fierce non-approval of these acts. Stop this flow of hate before there really is a World War Three. I’m frightened. Partially because I’m seeing, every day, violence and blind hate spilling out into the world. And partially because I feel my own heart hardening. We are all born innocent. Life teaches us to become evil. That’s a lesson I don’t want to learn.
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