Faith. This is a term I have heard all my life but have never given it much thought. Secular. Also a term I have heard all my life, have been taught that it was a property of the society I was growing up in. But in the time I have spent in the United states of America, I have come to hear these often stated yet very rarely explained terms a lot. I have a hard time understanding the rhetoric that I hear on main stream media. And yes, the all important constitution. Every nation has a constitution or a set of principles upon which the law of the land is based and as time passes, education, exposure and mistakes we commit as a society lead us to amend these laws to reflect on the changing world and changing culture. So why am I writing this? Who am I to comment on what I observe around me? I am a human being, a citizen of this world and a person with thoughts and opinions about things that matter to me.
I will start with the tolerance, or the lack of it, that I feel is the root cause of almost everything wrong. This country was founded on principles of equality, freedom and tolerance. Americans are very proud of their constitution and the rights that it guarantees its citizens. Infact, when it is perceived that citizens of another country are being robbed of these very same rights, Americans will wage war on almost anyone to restore civil rights and a humanitarian society. Then why is it that within their own country, they feel happy to destroy these rights and liberties in the name of faith?
My first point is this. The laws in this country are based on the constitution and what will be good for society. Or so they say. The first criticism that almost all conservatives have regarding Islam is that they do not separate church and state. That they impose Sharia law on Muslims, and that they don't follow the law of the country they live in. If the people who said this truly believe in it, they are hypocrites. What is going on in the United States right now is not a separation of church and state. Almost all LGBT laws and laws considering abortion are based on the Bible and how it is interpreted. Of course, only those parts of the Bible that do not affect their daily lives in anyway. But I will not go into that, because I am not here to insult Christianity. If society should live by Christian law, then please do not call yourself a secular country. How can you accuse one faith of wanting to pursue faith based laws when you want to govern everybody by Christian principles? Last I checked, gay marriage is not illegal only if the couple is Christian. Any gay couple cannot get married, even if their faith does not have any problem without homosexuality. A Hindu woman cannot get an abortion even if her faith and her conscience permit her to get one. How is that separation of church and state? How is that allowing everyone to practice their faith without discrimination? It is simply a lie.
The people who hate or are afraid of Muslims, Islam or brown people in general, have never really met or known a one in person. I have seen hundreds of people slam Obama for being "Muslim and not truly American". Well, he isn't, but would it be so bad if he was? The people in those town halls who scream bloody murder when talking about people of non-Christian faiths don't know or understand those faiths and those people. They are told to hate by people who have a vested interest in keeping society divided among lines of faith. So that they can be elected to office based on the religious beliefs they hold instead of their knowledge of law or the constitution. So that you can ignore how unfair life is, because they will abandon you for their rich donors the minute they are elected. Divisive politics are not uncommon in the world ,but preying on the people who feel they and only they are entitled to all this country has to offer because of their race, instead of educating the masses and teaching tolerance and harmony is pathetic. They tell people that Muslims hate America and that all Muslims are indoctrinated against the west. False. Like all religions, Islam has good and bad. But Americans are taught to ignore the fact that people of all races, colour and creed are the same. They are all human. No one ever talks about why Islamic extremism exists. It exists because they feel they have been wronged. Nothing can ever justify 9/11. Nothing can justify killing innocent people. But by the same ideology, nothing can justify killing millions of innocent children, parents, siblings and spouses in the many wars America has waged on Muslim countries. War is never the answer. It will not wipe out your enemies, it will only create more. If you kill an entire innocent family bar one person, that one person will seek revenge at any cost. War can only create more hated and terror.
My second point is the laws on guns. Owning a gun is not necessarily wrong. But it cannot be as easy to buy bullets as it is to buy groceries. The second amendment does allow all citizens to bear arms, but does no one ever ask themselves, at what cost? What is more important? A law that was written when the only arms available were muskets and bayonets or common sense? Is it not incumbent upon the government to provide a society where citizens can live freely, without fear for their lives? Fear that their defenseless children might not come home alive from school? Fear that their bright young students studying towards a great future might be gunned down in their classes while doing it? Why are you spending billions of dollars invading a country to make sure they have no weapons of mass destruction when you cannot protect your own citizens on your own territory? A bomb will kill people but surely, more people have lost their lives in individual events of gun violence that in 9/11. A gun can kill. Its as simple as that. And when allowing someone that kind of power, maybe a little monitoring and a few checks are the least that can be done. If the government can keep a tab on every car bought and sold and every house and business in the country, surely, the same must apply to something that can kill 20 innocent children in two minutes. As I write this, a man in Kansas gunned down three citizens outside Jewish facilities and screamed "Heil Hitler". Maybe we close loopholes that allow raging, anti-semitic lunatics with history of mental illness and a membership in the Klu Klux Klan to own a gun. Just saying.
Americans believe that theirs is the best country in the world. This country is beautiful and is a gateway to the dreams and aspirations of millions around the world. It is a land of vast natural resource, cultural diversity and most importantly, a foundation in science and reason, which allows for the best universities, hospitals, companies and research facilities that are global leaders. Yet people want to take us back to the dark ages, by resisting innovation, evolution and immigration. No, one race is not superior or more entitled than the others. Race and religion are such insignificant issues to pursue , when we have such beautiful avenues to pursue. Let us not let hatred pull us back when acceptance and love can push us into a glorious future.
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