Listen up intolerant people: The world is changing. America is changing. We live in a diverse population, and it’s getting more diverse rapidly. If you’re stuck thinking your way is the only way, or your culture is the best culture, or your religion is the only true religion — you should seek therapy immediately, because you’re wrong and you need to get a grip on that reality.
We’re entering an age when tolerance and bridging cultural divides equals success on a multitude of levels. It is not OK to marginalize people who are different from you. In fact, doing so only puts your ignorance and lack of worldly experience on display. Oh, and it marks you as a scaredy cat. There, I said it. When you lash out at “others,” you’re projecting fear and you make yourself look (and feel) like a weak child.
Stuff like this (below), is completely unacceptable — and not only because of our Constitutional right to worship as we choose.
An Islamic center in South Carolina has been defaced when someone spelled out “PIG CHUMP” in bacon strips, police in Florence said Tuesday.Sometime between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, someone placed the bacon in foot-high letters on a tiled walkway at the Florence Islamic Center, according to Florence Police Major Carlos Raines.
Islamic dietary restrictions bar Muslims from eating pork.
Read the entire Associated Press article, by Meg Kinnard, here.
Some of the best people I know are nothing like me, but curiosity, open minds and open hearts brought us together … and I’m so glad they did. We learn from each other and we grow exponentially as individuals because we share our views and experiences with each other.
If you’ve decided entire groups of people aren’t worthy, you are the one who’s missing out.
I’d like to encourage all of you to reach out to someone who isn’t like you — whether that means they attend a different type of religious service, have a different skin color, live in a different zip code, come from a different country, make more or less money than you do, etc. — and have a five-minute conversation. Nothing big. Just talk for five minutes. I guarantee the two of you will find common ground.
Then, do it again. And again. And again. And again, until embracing all types of people becomes an easy habit.
Tolerance is where it’s at. Embrace it.
Here’s an opportunity tonight: http://www.qcitymetro.com/events/articles/a_conversation_about_islam_in_america104841943.cfm — Qcitymetro.com
Rhiannon “Rhi” Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing’s CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. Additionally, she’s on the steering committee for the Greater Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.
This article appears in Oct 12-18, 2010.
>> It is not OK to marginalize people who are different from you.
Fine. Then you must read the words of Jim Quinn as posted on ZeroHedge:
The current administration is running annual $1.6 trillion deficits, the Federal Reserve has 0% interest rates and is about to monetize another $1 trillion of debt after already monetizing $2 trillion of debt, Wall Street has been handed $2 trillion of taxpayer money, our National Debt is up from $5.7 trillion in 2000 to $13.5 trillion in 2010, and peak cheap oil is on the verge of shocking our system, yet it’s the Tea Party that’s branded as “extremist”.
Tolerance…where is the tolerance from the islamic community toward peole of other faiths? Does their religion not say that islam is the only true religion?
“$5.7 trillion in 2000 to $13.5 trillion in 2010”
That is a new low. Lump the huge deficits of the Bush Administration into your claim of irresponsible spending by the Democrats.
Bush 43 5.7 trillion in, 10 trillion out.
Bush 41 2.6 trillion in, 4 trillion out. (in only 4 years)
Reagan 0.9 trillion in, 2.6 trillion out.
Now the Republicans have the lemmings screaming about the terrible national debt the Democrats have created in the process of trying to repair the incredible damage that the Republican have done to the economy with numerous unfunded tax cuts to the rich. And their recommended cure is MORE unfunded tax cuts for the richest 3% of Americans.
Trickle down economics is a scam. It doesn’t work.
Now, about the article:
EVERY religion believes that they are the one true religion and all others are deluded fools following a false religion.
Since deeply religious people believe that they are in possession of a greater truth and speak for some deity, who’s existence is unprovable and must be taken on faith, they have no tolerance for the beliefs of others.
DLP,
Where did I specify Republican or Democrat? Seems like YOU’RE the one who’s obsessively partisan, whilst *I* am simply trying to SAVE THE COUNTRY.
Bush was just as bad a president as is Obama.
Bailouts are scams – they don’t work.
Stimuli are scams – they don’t work.
Troop surges are scams – they don’t work.
Government healthcare (whether ObamaCare or Bush’s Medicare D) is a scam – it doesn’t work.
The Federal Reserve is a scam – it doesn’t work.
GSEs (Freddie/Fannie) are scams – they don’t work.
Southern Lady,
I distinctly remember a certain non-Muslim stating, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Can you help me identify this individual who obviously has some opinions about what is The Only True Religion (TM)?
V, you began your comment, “The current administration …” and ended with, Tea Party.”
Also, what in the he’ll does any of that have to do with the post? Sounds like you’re an angry person in need of your own blog,
Southern Lady, What would Jesus do? He seemed like an extremely tolerant fellow.
DLP, Religion is brain poison. It seems to eat away at IQs and common sense.
Rhiannon: aren’t YOU being intolerant by stating “If you’re stuck thinking your way is the only way, or your culture is the best culture, or your religion is the only true religion — you should seek therapy immediately, because you’re wrong and you need to get a grip on that reality.” That would tell me you are just as intolerant of other views as the people you are attacking.
Liberals: diversity in everything but thought.
Hi,
As I see in your post there is lots of good information available on Islamic finance. Islamic finance has change a lot in the recent few years. Rest of the world specially American and European countries want to get advantage of these change in there own interest. Innovation of sukuk also one of the big reason that non Islamic countries look on the Islamic finance market.
Sukuk is an alternate way of investment where the investor get the benefits of investment and its treated as rent on investment, to avoid the interest on investment which is strictly prohibited in Islam.I have write on same topic check my post : portfolioanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/09/islamic-debt-bond-market.html, portfolioanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/09/sukuk-bond.html,portfolioanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-big-is-sukuki-bond-market-and-what.html.
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