No wonder the Supreme Court afforded corporations the same legal rights as people: they say and do stupid things just like the rest of us.
Case in point: Lowe”s, that other giant home improvement store, recently started a gigantic flame war by pulling its advertising from the TLC show “All-American Muslim” after the Florida Family Assn., a conservative Christian group, lobbied the North Carolina company to promote “traditional, Biblical values.”
The reality program showcases five American Muslim families in Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim population. The show debuted last month and depicts how the families” faith affects their life choices.
Seriously, are we still going through this? The whole anything-Muslim-is-bad-because-a-group-of-radical-Muslims-planned-9/11-so-we-must-demonize-them-all-to-Hell attitude that ran rampant in the wake of that nightmare of a day? I mean, really?
If anything makes me sad to be an American, this is it: blatant intolerance based on ignorance.
Muslims in America, as well as Sikhs, Hindus and other folks who happened to, or were presumed to hail from the Middle East became the targets of numerous religious hate crimes following the horrible events of 9/11.
As if these folks had anything to do with those awful events.
Now, more than 10 years later, we are still having things like this go on all the time. Last year, it was the mosque that was planned near “Ground Zero” in New York that shook up the country. Now it looks like this is poised to do the same.
Why can”t we get past our past and make waves toward a positive future where we all coexist peacefully? I understand that the wounds of 9/11 are still quite fresh for many but that should be a motivator for working toward Muslim tolerance, not the opposite.
The families on “All-American Muslim” are normal Americans like you and me.
They only wish to live in a world where they are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I think some really smart guy might have said that.
My point is this: just like the rest of us, they deserve that right.
We can”t keep having this debate about which religion is the “right” religion and demonize the others. Religion should be a personal choice that we leave up to the individual. I also believe it should a private right, but that”s my own personal belief.
Whatever the case, Lowe”s pretty much showed its hand on post-9/11 tolerance in America.
I”ve never been a Lowe”s customer. I had a Home Depot near my home for years before a Lowe”s was put in around the time I entered high school. Not that there”s one near Lake County anyway, but they certainly aren”t going to be getting my business now.
Let”s build a better America where everyone is equal.
That”s what the Declaration of Independence declares. We should honor Dr. King”s words and tolerate each other. For if we don”t, the terrorists really have won.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
