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Posts Tagged ‘Muslim’

Less ‘never forget’ and more forgiveness

Posted in Social Commentary, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I cringe every time I see a “Never Forget 9/11” sign. Is it because I’m insensitive to the unimaginable loss of victims’ families? No. Is it because I’m unpatriotic? No.

It’s because I’m tired of the victim mentality that’s gripped our country since that fateful day, and am even more weary of the negative effects it’s had on our economy, our civil liberties, and our government.

The quotes that follow put better words to my feelings than I can myself. The first refers to Auschwitz, but is also very relevant to the 9/11 tragedy. The second is from an article in Wired. Both are well worth reading.

Maybe the answer isn’t just to ”never forget” But to SEE the wounds of our past actions, to ACKNOWLEDGE the suffering and brutality that happened to all the people, to FORGIVE and LEARN.
We can’t change history. But we can learn from it, and be thankful for its lessons. They were given for a reason, and it was to teach us something. Perhaps the only way through it, is with forgiveness.

—Chloe, in response to “Can We Heal If We Never Forget? An Album From Auschwitz”

We can honor the 9/11 victims without being permanently haunted by them.

—Spencer Ackerman in “How to Beat Terrorism: Refuse to Be Terrorized”

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A little humor! The REAL definition of Passover

Posted in Humor, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 10, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Osamabama's Passover Feast!Clever Secret Muslim Obama Throws White House Seder To Throw Birthers Off Scent of Truth

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The Power of Fear

Posted in Religious Tolerance, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Recently The Seattle P-I published a story about a taxi driver assaulted by a drunk 21 year-old during last year’s Apple Cup. The perpetrator’s motive? The driver, Sukhvir Singh, looked like an “Iraqi terrorist” – he was wearing a turban and had a long beard.

There are numerous holes in the “intellect” used to arbitrarily determine that Singh, actually a Sikh, was a terrorist – none of which are worth belaboring. What is worth mentioning is how powerful unchecked fear can be, especially when intoxicated or in a similar state of altered consciousness.

A spiritual teacher once told me that the sole purpose of fear is to protect one from bodily harm that may be caused by a clear and present threat – to act as the trigger for “fight or flight” mode. Using fear in any other way is harmful to the individual and to society as a whole.

The great majority of humanity’s problems can be traced to inappropriate use of fear. Pick any national or global problem that springs to mind and ask yourself what role fear plays in it. Then bring it down to the personal level and ask yourself, “What is one of my biggest fears?” and “What have I allowed this fear to take from me?” The answers might surprise you.

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