Dear Terrorist,
You just attacked innocent civilians in a public place in a major city in my country. Why? How does this benefit you?
Is this because of the supposed promise of 72 virgins after death? Do you truly believe that?
I, too, follow a religion that says certain things are "right" and certain things are "wrong", but I am instructed NOT to kill people. Do your holy writings actually tell you to kill? Is this in the Quran? Or is it one of the hadiths put forth by an imam or other Muslim cleric?
I understand it is easy to be misled by religious leaders. It happens in Christianity, too. And that can create a negative image of Christians in the eyes of non-Christians. Do you realize that when you, a Muslim, attack innocent people, you are simply adding to an already negative image if Islam? I know many Muslims, and have visited countries strongly tied to Islam, and the people I meet there are lovely individuals, helpful and friendly, as are the majority of people I meet on a daily basis. They are often confused why Americans do not like Muslims.
Do you realize that when terrorists like you, blatantly stating your ties to Islam, attack and kill wantonly, that you are the only face of Islam to many Americans? The only aspect of Islam that many Americans know is the hatred and intolerance exhibited by the most radical and incendiary extremes of your religion. Are you trying to spread the word of the Quran and the messages of Mohammed by killing? It isn't working.
I'm confused by your actions. I believe many of your fellow Muslims are confused by your actions. Do you realize that you are hurting them by turning so many against you? To those of us who do not follow Islam, we often cannot differentiate between the subtle beliefs that each person holds. We are being told that Islam preaches hate and murder. How do you think you are helping your religion?
I really wish I could ask you these things. I do not love all people perfectly, but I do not hate anything with the ferocity that you apparently do.
I have no reaction on social media because to me, it does not make sense. Social media appears to be dividing into two camps: This is a religious thing vs. This is a gun thing, and I do not believe either.
I know it is not a religious thing because your actions are not founded in Islam but in a radical sect of extremists. I honestly doubt you have ever read the Quran.
I know it is not a gun thing because on September 11, radical Muslim terrorists brought down four planes and two buildings using box-cutters.
This is about hate, and I do not understand your hate. You may hate me, but all I feel for you is sadness. Sadness that you have killed, sadness that you feel such hate, sadness that you so blindly have followed those who led you into these actions.
Personally, I may be momentarily stunned by your actions of hate, but you will not stop me from carrying on. If my American lifestyle so offends you, I will not apologize. I am able to travel freely, purchase within my means freely, love freely, worship freely, and I will continue to do so. You do not scare me, nor does your brand of hatred.
I am a Christian.
I am an American.
I love and am loved.
You have changed nothing.
I think they are getting exactly what they want. The division of the American citizens. We are hating each other. Social media is playing such a huge part in all of this, I am afraid!! Good thoughtful post!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good point. Social Media has divided our nation more and more on every issue and every event.
DeleteI just can't look at facebook right now.
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ReplyDeleteI understand the perspective, and everyone who belongs to a minority religion always gets more scrutiny than the people who belong to the majority one. Take that man who specifically said that he killed a doctor because of his Christian faith. Other Christians automatically get the benefit of the doubt that they are not also killers.
ReplyDeleteBut even if accepting that hate was the cause (and perhaps it was; it might not have been religious hatred, though, given reports, it could have been self-hatred coupled with rigid religious beliefs) the truth is this:
Guns make it very easy to hate someone to death.
That is why it is always about the guns. Always. No matter what the motivation, it is the gun that accomplishes the goal.
Do you really believe that guns are the sole source of murder? Is September 11th so quickly forgotten? Have we so quickly passed over our comrades in Europe where public transportation is the common location for a bomb explosion?
DeleteI'm not saying guns are always used for good, I'm just saying focusing on the weapon utilized is missing the forest for one tree. And heaven forbid we revert back to the colonial period where the only people able to bear arms were our oppressors.
I'm saying that an average of 31 people are murdered by guns every single day. I'm saying that if this man didn't have access to a gun that fired 45 rounds per minute, Saturday would have gone very differently, regardless of what he might have believed or not believed, might have repressed or not repressed, or his mental state.
DeleteHonestly, I think what you are reacting to is something that minorities--whether of religion or skin color--have experienced for centuries.
Some people are going to hate you just because of who you are.
Sometimes people will want to kill people just because of who they are. It's horrible, and not acceptable.
But that is not something we can fix or cure. It's not a fun realization.
What happened after September 11th? We changed the way airports work. We changed the way security works. We took steps to make it more difficult to hijack planes.
Why not do the same with guns? The issue isn't why. It's how.
Amen, Red! I am glad that I am not the only one that feels this way.
ReplyDeleteIt is all about hate. Religion, orientation, none of that is the point. It might be what someone uses as the basis for their hate, but it boils down to hate. If they didn't hate the people, why else would they kill them? It obviously wasn't self-defense, which some people think is a crime in itself, unfortunately.
There are people so stuck in the idea that getting rid of guns will get rid of the problems, that they totally miss the reason that guns or any weapon becomes a problem. They probably also think it is okay to punish every kid in the house for the missing cake when only one kid has the frosting all over his/her face and tongue.
Statistics prove nothing. Anyone with even a minimal education can manipulate statistics to say whatever they want them to say.
Maybe if any one of the victims in that club had a gun that night, not so many people would have died.
This is about hate, pure and simple. Thank you for your sensible post!
Thank you Suzanne.
DeleteI really wrote this without knowing what to say. Not just this issue, but the way the entire country is perpetually torn in two on everything. There is no middle ground anymore.
You're welcome, Red. I agree. There is no gray area on anything anymore. In some things, being either black or white, no gray area, is a good thing. One knows where they stand. But it doesn't always leave room for compassion, though. And for all the griping about tolerance on this or that, there is none. It's just a messed up world we live in now. That is very sad.
DeleteHave a blessed day.