Spin, bigotry unfairly demonizing Islam

Aug. 11, 2006

FROM THE NEWSROOM/Leila Kheiry

Like his parents, grandparents and ancestors as far back as memory can go, my father prayed to Allah five times a day. He fasted during Ramadan, he didn't drink

alcohol, and he never

knowingly ate anything that came from a pig.

He also never killed anyone.

He was a peaceful person, like the majority of Muslims in the world - estimated at more than 1 billion and growing, according to the World Almanac. He lived his life, loved his family and worked hard. If he had lived to see it, he would have been appalled when terrorists used his religion as a reason to kill thousands on Sept. 11, 2001, and by subsequent acts of terrorism worldwide.

If cancer hadn't gotten him first, he also would have been targeted by bigots who used the attacks as a reason to discriminate against Arabs and Muslims who live in the United States.

Bigotry is founded in ignorance. My father was a highly educated engineer, but he had his own bigotry to deal with. He was Palestinian, and didn't much like Jewish people. The big problem was, he never met any Jews, except a few who pointed guns at him. If he had, I think he would have realized that most Jews, like most Muslims, are good people.

He would have been willing to learn, as others have been willing to overcome their ignorance and fear of Islam. Some bigots don't want to learn, though. They prefer to hate. They refuse to see the truth, even when it is blatant, and they like to spread lies.

Bigots claim the Koran teaches violence. If they read it, they would realize the stories in the Koran are almost exactly the same as those in the Christian Bible and Jewish Torah. Muslims believe in Noah and the great flood, Abraham and the sacrificial lamb, Moses and the burning bush, David and Goliath, and Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The primary difference is, in Islam, Jesus was a great prophet rather than the son of God, and was the last true prophet before Mohammed.

Muslims believe Christians and Jews are &#8220people of the book,” meaning they follow the correct path and will be accepted into heaven.

Muslims also believe &#8220thou shalt not kill.”

Some bigots have made a certain effort to read the Koran, but they made no effort to learn or understand. You can find their interpretations on the Internet, along with direct quotes that make Islam seem as evil as they want it

to be.

You can find similar quotes in the Bible, by the way, a fair number of which have been compiled on a Web site, www.evilbible.com.

In response to all the bad quotes bigots can find in the Koran, I offer my favorite passage: &#8220He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh.”

That's a clear call for more Muslims to study stand-up comedy.

A lot has been made of the Muslim martyrs who think they'll get 72 virgins in heaven if they kill for their religion. Yes, there really are a couple sentences in the Koran about the righteous getting to frolic and drink wine with pretty, allegedly virgin women (no definite number is designated). But the holy book says nothing about the &#8220righteous” blowing people up to get that reward, and most Muslims consider that passage a metaphor for

the joys they might find in heaven, rather than a literal description.

Muslim extremists take it literally, though, and put their own violent spin on it. Those extremists make the news with their offensive behavior, leaving normal Muslims in the shadows.

History is riddled with religious conflict. People have killed and died in the name of religion ever since religion was created. The Crusades, the Inquisition and the Holocaust are only a few examples. The only way to cure this ongoing pandemic is to end the hatred, but it has to start individually, and must include everyone.

It's unlikely I'll see an end to mindless bloodshed in my lifetime, but I have faith that bigotry in all its forms eventually will die, and someday the world will indeed be at peace.

Leila Kheiry is a copy editor and page designer at the Frontiersman. She enjoys wine and has been known to eat bacon on occasion. Contact her at leila.kheiry@frontiersman.com.