11 August 2006

An open letter to Al-Qaeda

Gentlemen: (because I presume that you're too sexist to ever have a female member)

Please tell the world just exactly what it is that you hope to accomplish by murdering tens of thousands of innocent people. Really, is the thought process anything like this at all?

"Oh, well, you see, if we kill thousands, suddenly the light will go on for everyone else, and they'll stop being infidels and realize that Islam is the only true faith!"

Look, guys, don't you want intelligent thinkers rather than blindly believing zealots? Islamic followers accomplished so much in the middle Ages in Spain...and the mathematical thinkers of those centuries were all Muslim. I've visited the mosques in Spain and seen the things that were accomplished during a (relatively) peaceful period of coexistence with Christians. Can you not imagine a place and a time where we can all believe in our own faith without repercussions? Spend some time here. America can show you that peaceful coexistence. My best friend is Jewish. I’m Catholic. It works.

Or perhaps you think that there will be some disconnect here in America, that we'll suddenly stop producing Hollywood blockbusters that show too much skin, or that MTV will collapse, if only you kill enough innocent civilians.

I have a hot flash for y'all. I didn't vote for George W. Bush...in fact, most people I know didn't vote for that idiot. The whole country does NOT agree with Condee Rice and Donald Rumsfeld. The foreign policy that they write and take positions on are not ever going to be the opinion of all 248 million of us. And if your plan is to kill all 248 million, well, then, we've got one of the largest armies in the world to stop you.

One of the great things about this country is that I can have the opinion that the entire Bush administration is made up of card-carrying morons, and I can express that opinion as freely as I wish. I can bash the Catholic church if I choose to, I can change my religion if I decide that’s what I want to do. Personal freedom, personal choice. That’s what it is all about.

~Lucy Arin
American since 1974

4 comments:

The Aunt said...

Lucy, you're conflating the fundamentalists with Islam in general. It would be like me thinking all Americans interpret the Bible literally and are hoping for Rapture. Besides, Islam is as varied as Christianity and many variants are very enlightened. Ismaili Islam in particular is very pro-learning, a very important force for development and global commerce for its regions.

Fundamentalists are a minority in every faith. It's a mistake to tar everyone with the same brush.

Lucy Arin said...

Hi Aunty-
You're right. I'm over-generalizing. But I'm at such a loss to understand the behavior of those who want to destroy what I consider basic rights...freedom to assemble, freedom to worship how and when (or not) I choose, freedom to dress however I see fit, even if, at times, it is wildly inappropriate. In my small community, I'd be hard pressed to find someone who is of any of the Islamic faiths, let alone find someone to talk to who is an extremist. But I would so much like to understand what drives Al-Qaeda.

Thanks for reminding me that I shouldn't think "they're" all out to get "us". Is just isn't that simple. If it was, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

And I gotta tell ya....there is a HUGE contingent of Yanks who are just waiting for the rapture...check out my friends CJ and Misha at http://churchmademestupid.blogspot.com where they talk about their fundamentalist Christian upbringing. Scary.

~Lucy

Katie Burke said...

Some of these emotions were stirred up in me this past week, when I went to see "World Trade Center." But mostly, the movie focused me on love, and my faith in humanity was restored. If you have not seen it already, I encourage you to see it and have your heavy heart lifted.

Anonymous said...

The title says it is addressed to Al-Queda. To me that meant she wasn't talking to the whole Muslim community.