Most of us know the First Amendment because it gives us the right to free speech. As a writer, I appreciate that right and honor the responsibility it conveys. Thankfully, that amendment also gives us the right to freedom of religion.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Because of this amendment, in this country we are free to practice our various faiths as we see fit. I’m especially aware of this freedom since if I lived in another part of the world, notably in Iran or Egypt, I’d face serious persecution since I’m a Bahá’í. I’d be denied an education and denied the right to marry. My property and material possessions could be taken away by the government. Or if my next door neighbor decides to steal my car, as a Bahá’í in those countries, I’d have no legal recourse.
Yes, if I lived in another part of the world, I might be arrested and imprisoned because of my beliefs.
Tortured. Executed.
As a teenager, I was horrified by the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a young Persian girl executed for teaching Bahá’í children’s classes. She was only sixteen and was hung along with nine other Bahá’í women.
Thankfully, because of our First Amendment, I don’t have to worry about that. Here in this country, someone might be mean to me and tell me I’m going to hell, but compared to the possibility of being hung or shot by a firing squad, I can deal with that.
Despite the persecution of my Bahá’í brothers and sisters taking place in countries that are majority Muslim, I have nothing but love and respect for those who practice Islam. I believe that all of the world’s great religions come from the same source, God, and are truly only one faith, even if some of the social laws of the religions may change.
Of course, not everyone feels that all religion is the same truth. Even among Christians, there is lots of fighting and arguing about which version of Christianity is better. Some people trash Catholics. Others trash Baptists, Methodists, and so on. Atheists and agnostics get lectured, and likewise do their share of lecturing.
We clearly have not yet learned how to be unified and respectful of each other’s beliefs, which is the exact opposite of what religion actually teaches.
As I listened to the news today, I found myself thinking specifically about how as a nation we have not addressed our religious prejudices against Muslims. In fact, we are guilty of a great deal of religious prejudice toward our Muslim brothers and sisters.
I thought about all this while listening to a couple of news pundits debating the use of Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein. A typical statement was, “Well what’s wrong with saying his middle name?”
Nothing’s wrong with Barack Obama’s middle name but what is wrong is the intent behind saying it over and over. It’s used to fan the flames of anti-Islamic fears and prejudice and get people to erroneously believe that the man is a Muslim.
Months ago, someone forwarded me one of those, “Freak Out Because Obama’s a Muslim” kind of emails and it made me feel profoundly sad. The email was full of horrible lies and needed some serious fact checking. Despite this, such emails have been circulating and circulating like a toxic poison in our collective conscience.
No, Obama’s not a Muslim. But if he was, so what? What’s wrong with that?
I wish the talking heads on TV would say this. I wish Obama would stand up and say it.
Instead, he passes out fliers featuring images of him at church. Instead he mentions being a Christian in his rallies. He should do those things because being a Christian and going to church is an important part of his life. I hope this is why he’s doing these things.
