Assignment #5 - Essay:Religion and Race (Biasy)

The building of a Muslim Mosque in New York City has been a large topic of controversy. I believe the Muslims do have a right to build a Mosque anywhere in America as any other religion has a right to build their place of worship where they want it. However, I also think they Muslims should step back and realize that while it was only two of their men who took innocent lives from us, that is a major tragedy that can’t be undone. Americans are now scared of Muslims. No, I do not believe the entire Muslim group should be tainted by the gory blunder caused by a very small portion of their assembly. What I do think is that it is understandable that the Americans are scared of them and the Muslims should have enough respect to find another location for their Mosque. This behavior, on both ends, is much like that in the immigration issue.

    In New York City stands Lady Liberty declaring freedom that we “send these, your homeless, your tempest-toss” to her as she lifts her “lamp beside the golden door”. We tell everyone that America is a refuge for all who yearn for a better life but then we put up walls and station soldiers at every border line. If they are a different color or speak a different language they should not be allowed to just waltz into here like Lady Liberty actually meant what’s engraved on her…is this really the foundation of America? Is this the message we want to send to the future Americans? “Don’t trust Muslims because a few of them made an unforgivable mistake and one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. Oh, and by the way son, I know we took this land from Mexico but the Mexicans don’t belong here anymore so it’s ok to be prejudiced against them.” These are the messages we are portraying to the next generation of baby Americans. We can close our eyes and pretend like all this bias nonsense is not there but guess what!? When we count to twenty and open our eyes all of this racism and religious stereotyping is going to remain. It will not grow legs and disappear behind a tree or under a bed. It’s going to be there and eventually you will have to open your eyes ready or not. We can stuff all of our predetermined labels into a trash bag but it is not going to take itself to the dumpster. It is up to us to start freeing ourselves from the chains of preset judgment. We need to expand our horizons and be open to new things. America needs to stop being scared of change! Sometimes I feel like the only thing that is keeping the United States united is the same thing that is tearing it apart and making it hypocritical. Forthrightly, America’s foundation is now more duplicitous than it is the safe heaven Lady Liberty intended it to be. Mexicans can no longer freely walk around in Arizona without being asked for their papers. People of certain heritages can not run for leadership positions without being labeled Muslim or Jew etc. Our states maybe united, but under what circumstances? Just because our forefathers never specifically said that the United States should be united under welcoming circumstances does not mean it is ok to strip ourselves of the pride of diversity. It does not make it ok to ask every Mexican in Arizona if they are legal. It does not make it ok to burn Korans, and furthermore it does not make it ok keep out the people summoned by Lady Liberty in “The New Colossus”.

    What is America becoming? Is there even a word for it? Moreover, how do we correct this issue if it is even correctable? Have we lost control of “the home of the free and the land of the brave”? In degrading other religions and other races we are degrading our names as Americans. We have fought too many wars and lost too many lives to tear America down with whether or not Muslims should build a Mosque by Ground Zero and so on. If it is united we stand then let’s stand united under good circumstances. Let’s stand united with the Muslims and the Mexicans and all others who come to America. Because as soon as one person decides he or she cannot join hands with someone due to their religion or race, we are no longer united. We will become 50 sates instead of 1 country. Then before you know it we will be 310,322,000 people instead of 50 states. Don’t play hide and seek with the issues we are faced with. Don’t expect them to solve themselves either.