Posted on 08/03/2002 1:27:38 PM PDT by sarcasm
Muslims are shoe bombers.
Hijackers. Suicidal terrorists.
They have no respect for our laws and stick to themselves.
They raise money for destruction.
Some cover their heads with cloth; others have suspicious sounding names.
Mustafa Ujaama. Abdullah Higazy. Al-Muhajir.
They need to be watched. They live in America but are un-American.
They're the enemy.
Those impressions -- ignorant as they are scarring -- would strike a visitor from outer space who crash-landed in America.
Stepping from the flying saucer, the alien's antenna would be atwitter, picking up media messages, a lot of which show Muslims as a threat, as a cause for fear.
Therein lies a problem.
Reporters must cover events that happen and the people involved, regardless of who they are. Sometimes, however, journalistic heat is absent of light.
Insight is AWOL; depth is shallow.
And the public gets a lack of context and balance.
Which is why a travel-weary Martian would scamper back onto the spaceship, even if the kindest Muslim on Earth walked up.
But history, recent and distant, shows that Muslims have richly shaped our world and country.
Do the math. Literally.
One of the most influential mathematicians on the planet was a Muslim -- Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, who lived during the ninth century.
He wrote "On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals," which helped spread Arabic numerals in Islamic territories -- and to the West.
Al-Khwarizmi also penned a groundbreaking book on a topic that has kept high schoolers quivering in the centuries since: quadratic equations.
His book of numerical proofs was translated into Latin.
"The word in its title, al-jabr ... gave the entire process its name in European languages -- algebra," according to a PBS documentary on Islam.
Medieval Muslims contributed to our world in other ways.
In medicine, Ibn al-Haytham, dubbed "a father of optics," explained how human vision occurs; and a Persian doctor, Al-Rhazes, was the first person to distinguish measles from smallpox.
In astronomy, Muslims created one of the first observatories to study the heavens.
Even the paper you are holding has a connection to the religion and culture.
Muslims transferred papermaking from China, where it was invented, to Europe, which later gave rise to the print revolution.
If you are reading this sitting on a sofa, you can also thank Muslims for that: sofa comes from the Arabic word for the raised platform, or "suffah," that the prophet used to welcome people.
That's, of course, ancient history.
The bridge connecting those epochs to the present has been this:
Islam.
At its core, Islam calls on believers not only to practice virtue but to eradicate that which is harmful or evil in the world. What makes up moral behavior of the devoted Muslim has been summed up by a prophet like this:
To remain conscious of God (Allah) in private and in public; speak justly whether angry or pleased; show moderation when poor or rich; and rekindle friendship with those who have broken it off.
The religion also says, "If anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind."
That doesn't sound at all like a belief that encourages people to fan out into the world, jump on planes and crash them into skyscrapers, killing thousands of innocents.
The Sept. 11 terrorists, who justified their actions by saying it was all done in the name of Islam, bastardized the religion.
They cast shadows on millions of good Muslims, in particular those in America who are as red, white and blue as you and I.
Muslims are doctors. Lawyers. Small-business owners.
They follow the law of our land and vote -- nearly 80 percent of them are registered.
They reach out beyond the mosque or religious community: More than nine out of 10 Muslims support donations to non-Muslim social service programs.
They are involved in local schools, politics and the military.
The women wear hijabs -- headscarves -- to show modesty; some Muslims have names you might recognize or even admire.
Muhammad Ali. Cat Stevens. Hakeem Olajuwon.
They are more than 6 million strong in the United States, coming in all hues.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
Muslims.
Cat Stevens endorsed the fatwah of Rushdie...I've heard that Cat has moved away from that position.
What drivel.
FMCDH
They are involved in local schools, politics and the military.
The women wear white cloaks--sometimes red or black--even green-- with little hoods--so do the men; some have names you might recognize or even admire.
Nobody knows how many they are. They may be more than 6 million strong in the United States, coming in all hues.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
Members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Name one.
FMCDH
Except for Jews.
I guess the old question, "What have you done for us lately?", as in the last 500 years comes to mind.
He wrote "On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals," which helped spread Arabic numerals in Islamic territories -- and to the West.
Well, that's true. He copied some mathematics from the Hindus and got the name "al jabr" stuck on it. The Hindus really get tired of Muslims trying to steal the credit for their ancient mathematical achievements.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
Nazis.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
The Mafia.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
Communists.
They are patriotic, love this country and denounce terrorism.
They are our fellow Americans. Our friends.
Heroin pushers.
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