The ferocity of anti-Muslim hatred is astonishing. It’s not astonishing because it exists, rather, it’s astonishing because it has become mainstream in many quarters and rarely challenged, even on the floors of congress. This hatred has old high school classmates of mine believing that every Muslim is required to kill all non-Muslims. Other myths are that Sharia law is imminent, all Muslims are terrorists, that they are taking over and that American citizens who practice Islam should be deported. The details may be different but the outline of the tropes date back to before the founding of this country when it was necessary to dehumanize the indigenous population and Blacks in order to treat them with utter disregard. That tradition has continued until this day where anyone who is not white or does not practice a particular brand of Christianity, or speak the correct language, or love the right person or just seems different, is deemed sub-par and, in many cases, sub-human.
None of what I’m saying is new or unique, but in my Buddhist practice I am taught pause and question – is this true, is this right? And right now, we need a pause in the ongoing horrific rhetoric that is causing so much harm – not only to Muslims, but to anyone who isn’t in the ‘chosen group’. Author and teacher Valarie Kaur has written and spoken so eloquently about the impact of anti-Muslim hatred on Sikhs after 9/11. Sikhs are not Muslim but what the hell, they look the part. But in the frenzy whipped up about the ‘other’ many fail to pause and consider.
Anti-Muslim hatred falls in with anti-immigrant hatred. If we could just get rid of “them” everything would be great. This has never worked and it’s not even true, yet we have tried it countless times in the last 250 years. If I tried to enumerate all the groups who were subject to this dehumanization, I’m sure I would leave someone out because it is not a short list. This habit is lazy and easy and offers a false solution to suffering. Again, the invitation is to pause and to ask – what is this? What is happening? How do we move toward seeing the big picture? How do we identify the source of true harm and injustice – who benefits from this division? How do we recognize that we have more in common, that our shared humanity means we are siblings?
We stop. We ponder. We see ourselves in the other and we recognize that empathy and compassion are not bad things, but instead, are priceless gifts we offer to each other, and to ourselves. It’s not easy, but there is no other way. Hatred makes everyone less safe. “Hatred never ceases through hatred, only through love. This is the eternal truth.” Truly, our humanity is grounded in love.
I love you.
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