The Monster In The Mirror

I have been frequenting the MSNBC photoblog as of late. When work slows down, and the only web-sites you can access are that of your employers, MSNBC, and WebMD, you work with what you have. What greatly surprised me was the lack of knowledge about other cultures... particularly Islam. A particular picture stands out in my mind. It is of an Iraqui man that has been arrested. He is handcuffed, blindfolded, and facing a wall. A soldier stands a bit in the background with his gun pointed down towards the floor. Many used the photo for political statements about the war. Others used the photo to make negative comments about the "awful terrorist" that they managed to arrest. I could not help but feel angry and sad at the narrow mindedness of the American public. For starters as an American I believe in the concept of innocent until proven guilty (no matter what our system dictates now). We have no way of knowing from the photograph if the man is or is not a terrorist. All we know is that the soldier is doing his job and arresting the man on suspicion. It could be the man looks dejected in the picture because he got caught doing terrible things... or it could be because he's guilty of no crime and is being unjustly arrested. Just as we have no way of knowing... neither does the soldier holding him. One commenter pointed out that if it was the American handcuffed and blindfolded, and it was the Iraqui holding the gun, there would be a public outcry that it was unpatriotic of MSNBC to publish the photograph. I can't help but think that they're probably right. Where do we get off? We claim to embrace diversity and religious freedom, but it is clear from the general tone of the responses of the American public that is not the case. A nun can choose to wear a habit, a Hindu woman can wear a Sari, and an Israeli woman can choose to wear a cover over her hair, but if a Muslim woman chooses to wear a Hijab (head scarf), Niqab (face veil), or a full Burqa, she is oppressed and/or brainwashed. We claim to respect the beliefs and cultures of other people... but the largest response I see is that other countries are backwards and barbaric. 20 years ago this nation was crying, "Death to the Commies! Communism is unAmerican!" Now it is "Death to the Muslims/Terrorists!" Because... haven't you heard? Muslim is now synonymous with Terrorist. I love the country I was born and raised in... but sometimes you have to face the monster in the mirror before you can go out and slay the monsters of the world.