Move Toward the Light, and Show the Way

It is indeed unfortunate that Sen. Obama's campaign volunteers asked that two Muslim women wearing head coverings or hijabis not sit behind the Senator during a speech. While this policy might protect him from discrimination, it does nothing to stop the curernts of hatred and bias sweeping up Muslim Americans.

If we only stand up against prejudice when it doesn't cost us anything, we can't really say we are on tolerance's team.The women who wear head scarves are not the problem, though we often put the responsibility on their shoulders. ("If  they changed, this wouldn't be happening to them," the popular thinking goes Therefore, it is THEIR fault..)

 The problem is that some Americans do not yet have the appropriate cultural tools and global insights to understand the customs and thinking of other cultures, religions, and peoples.

Rather than develop hurtful policies that protect us as individuals from society's biases (as the Obama volunteers did) we must  broaden our educational system so it prepares us to live and work as global citizens.

We can't allow people with biases or prejudices to hold America back. Let's invest less time protecting ourself - and more time eliminating misinformation and hateful rumors..

:  Move  toward the light with out the resistors, and then embrace them with open arms when they are ready to catch up with the rest of the group.

Comments

[Lance_K]

I can't quite wrap my head around how after the very, very big hallabaloo that was given to Obama's Christian pastor that there could possibly be anyone with more than half a brain who thinks that Obama is sympathetic to Muslims with anti-American agendas.