La Opinión (Editorial)
February 4, 2016
Religious
freedom is one of the pillars of our society. The first English
settlers ran away from their country in search of a place where they
could practice their faith,
where the expression of religious beliefs is respected and does not
signify being ostracized, discriminated or hated.
This
is why President Barack Obama’s visit to a mosque in Baltimore at a
moment when animosity against Muslims is growing in the U.S. carries
great weight. The emergence
of ISIS, the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino events have created
an environment of fear and distrust. The fire is being constantly fueled
by the Republican side in their primary campaigns, in which proposals
such as accepting only Christian refugees and
banning all Muslims from entering the country have been bandied.
In
2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, then-President George W. Bush
also visited a mosque as a response to the vilification of the
terrorists’ religion. Unlike the
reception Obama’s gesture is getting today, the Republican president’s
was applauded by all.
A
recent Pew Research survey revealed that people in the U.S. are
profoundly divided about how to deal with Islam. Most Democrats – 71% –
believe that the next president
must be “careful not to criticize” the religion when referring to
Islamic terrorists. Meanwhile, 64% of Republicans think that the
president will have to “speak bluntly, even if critical of Islam as a
whole.”
In
2002, Pew found that 47% of Republicans and Republican-leaning
Independents said that “almost all/most” or “about half/some” Muslims
are “anti-American.” Today, 63%
think that way.
Obama
is right in visiting a mosque to reiterate on site that Muslims are
part of the U.S., that this is their place, that they belong in this
country. The fact that Obama’s
inclusive message is being judged as “divisive” due to “political
motives” by Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is a symptom
of our current political moment.
Religious
freedom is not an exclusive property of Judeo-Christian religion,
especially in a society as diverse as ours. It is unfair for the actions
of a few religious
fanatics to smear the rest of the faith’s adherents. We want to believe
that our society is represented by a tolerant, silent majority rather
than by the ill-intentioned hostility of the campaigning politicians.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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