For a religion that claims to promote tolerance, it's interesting to see how many of Islam's leaders react to those who disagree with them. Even the not-so-extreme figures tend to (by Western standards) overreact to what would otherwise be trivial slights and grievances. One could make the argument that it's human nature to be offended, but I don't buy that. I think it goes a little deeper.
First of all, there's the idea that any perceived criticism or profiling falls into the category of "Islamophobia." The Council for American-Islamic Relations (funded by Saudi Wahabbists, incidentally) is big on this. For instance, when three men tried to take a cargo truck past a checkpoint at the Port of Miami without the proper paperwork Sunday, they were detained. It turned out to be a false alarm - there was nothing of interest in the truck (except the passengers, which the driver initially denied were there). Two days later, CAIR held a press conference at which the men claimed they were treated like animals because they are Arab Muslims.
Let's review: they had improper paperwork, the driver tried to conceal the presence of his two passengers, they were attempting to take a 40-foot truck into an area which could be considered a reasonable terrorism target, and they're complaining because authorities were suspicious of them. Must be Islamophobia at work. After all, there's no sense profiling the group responsible for most explosion-related deaths, is there? Especially when said group hasn't done much to distance itself from its more, shall we say, aggressive members.
Like I said: It goes a little deeper.
I've noticed over the years that some of the most frustrated people on earth are those who blame others for their own actions and circumstances. Learning to take personal and group responsibility is a core component of emotional and mental maturity. Likewise, learning to handle criticism, both personal and impersonal, without flying off the handle is a sure sign of growth. It strikes me as odd that the leaders of one of the world's foremost religions don't seem to have mastered these basic life skills.
And for the record, there are Christians, lots of them, who haven't mastered these skills either. But you don't see Billy Graham calling for the head of Richard Dawkins during his Sunday sermon. You can't walk into a Christian bookstore and buy a video praising abortion clinic bombers. Fred Phelps and the "God hates fags" crowd? I think I can safely say every Christian I know (and that includes myself) fervently wishes they would just shut up and go away. We know they're not helping anything and, more importantly, we know they're dead wrong. Just as important, though, is that Christian leaders go to great lengths to publicly decry their behavior and call for tolerance and peaceful resolution.
It's human nature to feel angry when confronted with an opposite or unpleasant viewpoint. But reacting to a basic insult or even a routine and appropriate security measure with claims of discrimination and calls for redress is inappropriate - and, let's face it, whining doesn't win you any brownie points with the public. Islam leaders need to realize this. After all, if Allah is patient and merciful, wouldn't it be good for them to show a little patience too?
Write to Joanna at jllees@bsu.edu
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