August 5, 2012 - A mass shooting took place at the gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where a 40-year-old American white supremacist fatally shot six people and wounded four others.
June 17, 2015 - A 21-year-old white supremacist, murdered nine African Americans during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the deadliest shooting in an American place of worship in modern history.
On August 5, 2017, three men from rural Illinois bombed the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, in an attempt to drive Muslims out of the United States.
On October 27, 2018, a 46-year old white supremacist/nationalist fatally shot eleven people and injured seven at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The shooting was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.
America is not a stranger to hate, racism, divisiveness and anti-Semitic acts. But something is different now.
Those who harbored these feelings of hate and prejudice are now emboldened. Those who existed on the fringes because of their extreme ideologies are now front and center. They no longer hide in the dark or cover their faces. They boldly express their hate on social media and other sites. The current administration has given license to these extremists to express their hatred in the most dangerous and despicable ways.
Some of you ignored me when I sounded the alarm bells two years ago. Some of you dismissed my fears. I was advised not to pay attention to the news. Some will still pay no attention to the news because they are fine or because it does not affect them.
Think again. You could be next.
Hate does not have a religion. Political ambition obeys no laws, except its appetite for power.
Beware of the fear-mongers and the hate-mongers. Beware of those who seek to divide you. They do not care about you. They only use that divisiveness to further their agenda. They will set fire to your house to toast their own marshmallows.
Speak up and speak out. Take sides. Stand up for what is right. (You know what is right. What would Jesus do?)
Our silence only helps the perpetrator, not the victim.
The Pittsburgh shooter targeted the synagogue for its work with HIAS — a Jewish organization that resettles refugees in the United States. The president of HIAS, Mark Hetfield said the following in an interview:
"We welcome refugees not because they're Jewish, but because we're Jewish."
In related news, Muslims United to Help Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims. The campaign reached and exceeded its goal in two days. Here is an excerpt from the website:
"While these senseless acts have filled us with sorrow, we reflect on the message of unity, tolerance, and mutual protection found in the Constitution of Medina: a historic social contract between the Medinan Jews and the first Muslim community."
All religions promote peace, tolerance and brotherhood.
Those who foment hate, fear and divisions do not have a religion.
Here is the root of all questions - who are you? What do you stand for?
Today, once again, I resolve to stand for love, kindness, acceptance and equality.
June 17, 2015 - A 21-year-old white supremacist, murdered nine African Americans during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the deadliest shooting in an American place of worship in modern history.
On August 5, 2017, three men from rural Illinois bombed the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, in an attempt to drive Muslims out of the United States.
On October 27, 2018, a 46-year old white supremacist/nationalist fatally shot eleven people and injured seven at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The shooting was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.
America is not a stranger to hate, racism, divisiveness and anti-Semitic acts. But something is different now.
Those who harbored these feelings of hate and prejudice are now emboldened. Those who existed on the fringes because of their extreme ideologies are now front and center. They no longer hide in the dark or cover their faces. They boldly express their hate on social media and other sites. The current administration has given license to these extremists to express their hatred in the most dangerous and despicable ways.
Some of you ignored me when I sounded the alarm bells two years ago. Some of you dismissed my fears. I was advised not to pay attention to the news. Some will still pay no attention to the news because they are fine or because it does not affect them.
Think again. You could be next.
Hate does not have a religion. Political ambition obeys no laws, except its appetite for power.
Beware of the fear-mongers and the hate-mongers. Beware of those who seek to divide you. They do not care about you. They only use that divisiveness to further their agenda. They will set fire to your house to toast their own marshmallows.
Speak up and speak out. Take sides. Stand up for what is right. (You know what is right. What would Jesus do?)
Our silence only helps the perpetrator, not the victim.
The Pittsburgh shooter targeted the synagogue for its work with HIAS — a Jewish organization that resettles refugees in the United States. The president of HIAS, Mark Hetfield said the following in an interview:
"We welcome refugees not because they're Jewish, but because we're Jewish."
In related news, Muslims United to Help Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims. The campaign reached and exceeded its goal in two days. Here is an excerpt from the website:
"While these senseless acts have filled us with sorrow, we reflect on the message of unity, tolerance, and mutual protection found in the Constitution of Medina: a historic social contract between the Medinan Jews and the first Muslim community."
All religions promote peace, tolerance and brotherhood.
Those who foment hate, fear and divisions do not have a religion.
Here is the root of all questions - who are you? What do you stand for?
Today, once again, I resolve to stand for love, kindness, acceptance and equality.