This is exactly the sort of person I fear. Lack of common sense, stupidity and racism know no bounds and it’s that sort of mentality that causes such tragedies to happen.
I’m tired. I’m tired of having to defend myself and other Muslims out there who had nothing to do with what happened on September 11th 2001. The last couple of days have drained me emotionally but I fear it’s not over.
It’s a mix of emotions right now. Obviously sadness, disbelief and shock. I’m worried about people I know, love and care about over there and over here. But I’m becoming this defensive individual, who’s jumping to verbally retaliate when Muslims are being harassed. An individual who’s trying to keep track of threads at Metafilter and occasionally having to remind someone “We’re not all the same.” Trying to explain to someone that “carpet bombing Kabul” isn’t going to get us anywhere, that those are innocent people too. Reading newspaper reports of attacks on Muslim children in Australia as they take the bus to school in the morning and feeling their pain aswell as the pain of those who have lost in America. Hurting for the woman who is nearly run over by a drunk who claims she is “destorying his country” and hurting for the families who are anxious to find out where their loved ones are amongst the rubble.
I feel like my energy is going towards all this when it shouldn’t. I shouldn’t have to defend myself, prove myself. Why should I have to make clear that I condemn what happened? Of course I do. I’m human. And I am a Muslim. That doesn’t give someone an open right to ask if I’m happy about what happened. That hurts me more than I can describe.
On the other end of the spectrum, my heart has been warmed by how the majority webloggers have dealt with it all and am proud to be part of the weblogging community. Small comments saying how we should keep cool heads and not let racism dominate our actions have reaffirmed my belief that most of us are rational and intelligent beings. We’re not all the same.
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The world has changed. The rules have changed. Nothing will ever be the same again, as this is something that we have never seen before. May God keep us safe.
Well said, Saima. I sincerely hope that common sense and humanity will prevail. One day, perhaps, we’ll all learn to love one another regardless of petty, insignificant differences.
I’m afraid that we as Muslims have to accept that there are more than a few people in this country and elsewhere that look upon us as second-class citizens, and will always associate Islam with terrorism. The only way we can combat this is to try and set the highest example of human behaviour, and disassociate ourselves from the acts of so-called Muslims. We must lead our lives the way we want to, and not be dictated to by those people who act first and then think later. We must be strong, and stand firm together. Otherwise those scumbags will have won, and that will be a tragedy.
as far as i know..people in australia arent blaming the muslims but the afganis, there’s a difference there, there are billions and trillions of muslims, they cannot be blamed as a whole, thats just plain rediculous..and stupid…
most of the common ppl in every part of the world…feel like you and i do…everyone condemns terrorism..we all kno caste and religion distinctions are against what our holy father taught us.we know that the average muslim does not support these kinda attacks made all over the world in the name of islam.we know that regardless of hindu-muslim-christians we are human beings first. we interact and love and help people irrespective of their religious backgrounds.
then why do we allow these fanatics..these power hungry maniacs ruin a dn destruct a nd control us.why dow e allow them to destroy in the name of islam..is nt that against everything any religion stands for. may be we will finally stand up for ourselves,our beliefs and and our faith. its upto us citizens of the world not to let a few demented ppl to make us live in fear and pain.hwo can we let 35000 men bring the lives of 6 billion ppl to a standstill like this. we are stronger than them and this si test to see hwo we as human beings tackle this crisis. sincerely hope that we rise up and deal with the situation w/o creating another war. like mahatma gandhi said hwo canw e let 200000 british soldiers rule 50 million indian unless we let them. lets just pray and hope and have faith and love. it ll beat all odds soon.