Author's Note: In light of new information on the possible director of the film in question, I have made a couple of changes to the blog entry.Eleven years ago yesterday, I woke from my bed, stumbled into the living room and turned on the television to see the World Trade Center on fire. My heart sank into my stomach, and as I saw the events of 9/11 unfold I said a silent prayer for peace and understanding. Granted it was only one of the emotions going through my mind at the time, but my overriding hope was that my fellow Americans would not succumb to hatred.
By and large, the people around me kept calm. Granted, there was considerable anger at Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, but immediate condemnation of Islam was practically non-existent in my circle. Gradually, though, some people around me began to make straw men out of a religion and suggested harsh punishments for people who had no ties to the attacks aside from religious affiliation.
This morning, I woke up, looked at my smartphone and saw the news that there had been riots in Egypt and Libya. The riots had resulted in many deaths, including the US ambassador to Libya and several aides. Reaction to this incident in the US was swift. Blogs, pundits, and Facebook posters took a united stand and heaped their scorn upon the obvious target... President Obama.
Continue reading...
146 comments )