Open Letter Response To Chain Email Regarding Anti Muslim Sentiments And Opposition To Usps Eid Stamp

27 Dec 2007 •

An earlier response.

Oh, brother. There is nothing wrong with this country except that we
need a do-something congress and to way 468 days for a new president.
We live in a pluralistic society. We do NOT live in a Christian
nation, although there are those in the American Taliban who would love
a theocracy as much as the Islamic extremists.

There are millions of MUSLIMS who are also AMERICANS. The two are not
mutually-exclusive.

The atrocities described below were the result of EXTREMISM; the acts
are generally known to be incompatible with traditional ISLAM teachings
so they are not condoned by most MUSLIMS–only a radical extreme
group. And let us not ignore how the below comes off as CHRISTIAN
EXTREMISM EQUALLY AS ABHORRENT AS MUSLIM EXTREMISM (death to the
infidels and all that. The below reads as if it could have simply said
“death to the muslims”).

The swath below uses anecdotes to try to make it seem as if MUSLIMS are
somehow not worthy of any dignity or respect. A similar list could be
written about CHRISTIANS, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have
Christmas stamps, does it? For example:

The Christian Crusades from 1095-1272 resulted in the deaths of 1
million people

The Spanish inquisition from 16th-18th century resulted in the deaths
of 350,000 people. Many were also tortured by some of the most hideous
methods ever devised and carried out by the clergy.

The Witch Hunts from the 15th-17th century resulted in the deaths of
about 100,000 people

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombed and killed many in the disputes
between Protestants and Catholics.

Abortion clinics have been bombed and doctors shot dead by religious
extremists.

…all in the name of religion. And this email wants to keep the
Crusades going I guess.

Or, maybe we can look inward before we “cast the first stone” at those
of other faiths and ethnicities

Remember the AMERICAN bombing of Oklahoma City?
Remember the AMERICAN UNABOMBER attacks?
Remember the AMERICAN and CHRISTIAN Olympic Park Bombings?
Remember the AMERICAN KKK lynchings and other domestic terrorist
attacks?

This kind of us vs. them mentality and religious intolerance,
xenophobia, hatred, and ignorance is exactly what drives the extremists
all religions. I’ll bet there’s a version of this substituting
CHRISTIAN below circulating around Al-Qaeda training camps.

I ask: when can we all at least act like Christians and “love thy
neighbor”?

-Jason

Neil wrote:

Note: forwarded message attached.
…Neil
Subject:
Fw: Subject: What The Hell is The Matter with this Country??
From: redacted@example.com
Date:
Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:54:53 +0000
To:redacted@example.com
--------------
Forwarded Message: --------------
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Subject: What The Hell is The Matter with this
Country??
Subject: What The Hell is
The Matter with this Country??
**_
USPS New Stamp
****
This one is impossible to believe. Scroll down for the text.
_**
**_
If there is only one thing you forward today…let it be this!
_** **
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am Flight 103!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11/2001!**
**REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!
Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID
MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class
_Holiday postage stamp. Bull!
_
REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp
_When purchasing your stamps at the post office. To use this
stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at
the hands of those whom this stamp honors.
_
REMEMBER to pass this along to every patriotic AMERICAN you know!!!**