I received an e-mail the other day from a fan asking me to writesomething about hygiene on campus, and I was going to try to leanthat way. But when I read The Helmsman this week, I found an adthat stinks worse and needs to be noted.
The headline in this paid ad read: "Exposing Islam &Muslims! A Retired Chaplain Tells All!"
I had to do a double take. I couldn't really believe that thiswas going on. The thing I had a harder time coping with was thatpeople might go to it.
What do you mean that you're going to expose Islam and Muslims?Unless this includes a Koran reading or a pilgrimage to Mecca, Ifail to see the goal. Should we take this literally that there willbe some naked, exposed Muslims running around our campus today? Inthat case, I've become more scared than I was when I originallyread the ad.
"What really goes on inside mosques in America?" it continued.I'm sorry if I spoil the excitement for everyone, but prayer iswhat happens inside mosques. Contrary to popular belief, they don'thand you an explosives vest when you walk in the door and assignyou a business building to go into.
"Are Islamic extremists among us?" it threw out in a last resortto crookedly appeal to our national fear factor. No, they're not.I'm sure they spring out of the ground and run for the nearestplanes. Why even ask? The possibility is real, and yet this adpretends to hold a divine insight that's unique. I dare not ignorethe possibility of internal national terrorism, but I'm not goingto run around accusing every Muslim I see of being a terrorist. Itwould be like every one else running up to my Scottish self andcalling me a drunk.
Then the ad throws a picture of a sword next to all of it. No,that's not filled with a menacing connotation or anything.
When it comes down to it, all I can picture this chaplain doingis filling people with more dissent and distrust than is alreadythere. Stereotypes have no place in society.
"Let's start some more hatred, some more bias, and some moreracism in the community -- doesn't that sound like a good idea?" isall this ad said to me.
Even though I refused to glance at the ad a second time, itbrings up issues. I won't go so far as to advocate that people notgo to this meeting. Out of morbid curiosity, I'm even tempted togo. If you go, though, go with a sense of objectivity and weighwhat this man says. How well does he really know what he's talkingabout? Does what he says really make sense? Is this guy biased?
Regardless of the source of the information, you should neverlet anyone tell you how things are or what to think withoutweighing it with some common sense. So if you go, remember to bringsome good ol' common sense with you because I think there might bea deficit.
