So if we're going to make any improvements in these basic principles -- the same
ones that were the basis of the creation of this nation -- then maybe we should
lighten up on xenophobic typecasting of the Muslim faith.
It's an extension of the dominant American religion of Christianity, after all. Just like Christians, Muslims believe that Christ was born to the Virgin Mary by the grace of God, and that He performed miracles, rose from the dead, holds the throne in the kingdom of Heaven, and will return one day for rapture.
And while many associate Muslims with terrorism, those attacks and actions are not based on religion. Those are attacks by extremist Muslim groups, and in retaliation on political bases, not religious ones. Osama bin Laden and the Taliban were once allies of the U.S., for example, and received aid from the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
In fact, our oldest allies are Muslim nations. The first nation to recognize the United States as a nation independent from England was Muslim, and our oldest and still on-going treaty (230 years) is with a Muslim country.
There have been assaults in the U.S. by Muslims, but not on grounds of their religion. They were political retaliations. And the number of attacks in America by Christian groups outnumber those by Muslims by astronomical proportions. Timothy McVeigh, the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta, and continuous attacks on women's health clinics are just a few examples of Christian terrorism in the U.S.
Maybe all Americans could rebuild confidence in First Amendment freedoms, and to the same level as U.S. Muslims, if we could take down those incorrect typecasts. That would involve listening to and even seeking out differing opinions, and respecting them despite any differences.
And to do so, maybe we should follow our Muslim citizens' examples. They are, in fact, slightly less likely to believe that Americans won't listen to different opinions.
And one great way to begin this positive trend -
and a restoration to our First Amendment rights, as well as our confidence in
those rights - would be to keep xenophobic politicians like Donald Trump and
Ted Cruz out of office.
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