Reflection 1

Earlier this week I was avoiding school work and scrolling through Facebook, when I came across a quote shared by one of my high school classmates. The blurb read, “Never forget the truth about Islam. The only extremist Muslim is the one who truly is peaceful.” It was shared from a page titled, “Things Liberals Hate; A Page for Conservative Politics,” and was plastered over a picture of what appeared to be Middle Eastern men at the scene of an explosion. To say the least, this post made me angry. Not only is this statement ignorant, but it is also insulting to so many different people.

This statement suggests that one of the fastest growing religions in America produces only hateful, violent people. It de-humanizes Muslims; creates the image of uncivil heathens, thoughtless rage-machines. How must a Mulsim-American, leading an average American life, feel after reading this post? And what about Muslims living throughout the Middle East; clearly this group doesn’t take into account the thousands of innocent civilians caught in the midst of a war they do not support or par-take in. 

The group’s page title, “Things Liberals Hate; A Page for Conservative Politics,” strikes me as offensive as well. It reminds me of the conversation we had in class about “stirring the pot.” The title is clearly written to make people angry from the get-go. It takes a specific, and very opinionated, group and calls them out. 

But, can this group really be to blame? How often do we turn on the news to find coverage of a peaceful civilian town located somewhere in the Middle East? When do the testimonies of innocent war victims grab the attention of our nation over reports of violence and death? The more I thought about the ignorance of this post, the angrier I became, but what else can we expect, if our country continues to be uneducated on the subject? Needless to say I am no longer friends with this person on Facebook, but maybe I should be, just to let him know I think his opinions are archaic.