The Things You're Not Suppose to Talk About.

So, I'm going to do it. It was bound to happen sooner or later....talk about the things you are not suppose to talk about. Politics and Religion. That's right, I'm going to talk about them both, in one blog posting. For those that don't know me, I am a Democrat, Muslim and I 100% believe in healthcare for all.....just getting that out there while I'm at it!

I have been reading the US news about the horrible shooting in Fort Hood. I want to first say that I feel awful for the families that lost their loved ones in such a horrific way. This post has nothing to do with them, their families or you and your families. This post has to do with how politics and the news continue to blame the religion of Islam on horrific crimes like these.

I want to complain tonight. That's right complain and my target is the US news. I sat and listened to it, read it, watched it and complained about it in my own home (and to a few of you) over the last however many years since 9/11 (when I truly became interested in it...don't we always start paying attention once it starts affecting our own life?!). Actually, I have also been one to watch TV programs and news programs from an objective eye. I have always liked to watch TV and get upset at how the black guy is always the one who is killing someone or getting thrown in jail and how the white person is always lending a helping hand to the black guy, like the black guy always need help or something. Or how the woman is always shown crying with a close up view, but if the man cries it is shown from behind in a group hug or something (unless its Brett Favre retiring, then it's okay to show his face..LOL). Seriously though, the media teaches us how to think. It puts the idea into our heads of what is okay and what is not okay. And when the US media is continuing to bombard their viewers that Islam is the culprit behind all the evils in the world, then viewers like you and me may start believing them.

The truth is that man who killed all the soldiers at Fort Hood, was a Muslim. But that doesn't mean that Islam is what caused him to kill the soldiers. In fact, Islam may have been what kept him sane for a little bit longer. I mean it may be what kept him from doing this act now instead of days ago, weeks ago or months ago. Lets look at other factors of his life. He was a physician. A psychiatrist. Pop quiz: Who knows what the highest suicide rate based on occupation...give up...physician's (suprising huh) and psychiatrist are amongst the highest number of those physicians who kill themselves. I know this guy didn't kill himself, but the idea of killing others and killing yourself fall along the same ideas. Their rates of suicide are based on the fact that they have demanding jobs with long hours and a intense stress level, many of them have type A personalities. On top of that psychiatrist deal with, listen to and try to solve other peoples problems and issues on a daily basis. They have little opportunity to discuss the cases they are working on or to have someone help them solve their own problems. The stress eventually wears on them in the form of relationship problems, divorce, substance abuse or...suicide. Now lets take another look at this mans life, he was in the military. From what I know from friends who live this life, the military is a very difficult, high intensity and high stress level as well. He was facing deployment. This alone raises many questions, fears and a new intensity of stress to any ones life. Lastly, he was an Arab and a Muslim. Many Arabs and Muslims report added stresses in the military because of 9/11 and the racists thoughts that came from with those terrible events. Lastly, he was human and sometime humans just snap for whatever reason if any reason.

The US media is so fast to find a Islam link and make a political link to continue to justify these horrible wars and to make the American people afraid of Islam for whatever reason. Sometimes they forget to look at themselves, Christians. They forget to mention that it was a Christian man, Hitler, that started WWII and all the terrible events that occurred in the camps. It is Christians who are members of the KKK and all the terrible things they do. In Oklahoma City bombing, it was Christians. In the USA there were 16,272 murders, 89,000 reported forcible rapes, 441,855 robberies, 834,885 aggravated assaults committed in 2008......I don't have the numbers for you, but I assure you that nearly none of these were not committed by Muslims! Just for interest, here are the rates for Saudi Arabia (the scariest, worst Islamic country per the media) 202 murders, 59 rapes, 598 robberies and 13,864 assaults. (USA population 307,881,579 and Saudi Arabia population 27,601,038.) I'm not saying that all Christians are bad, so quit saying/thinking that all Muslims are bad!

I guess what I am trying to say is, I don't know this man and don't want to know him. What he did was disgusting and horrible. And what he did had nothing to do with Islam. I am just so sick and tired of people/media blaming Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion that teaches us not to hate, not to kill, not to be wasteful, not to gossip, not to be jealous, not to hate, not to want bad for others. It does teach us to respect each other and our self, to take care of the poor, to take care of our families, to love our parents, to obey God, to appreciate all the things God has given us, to pray, to give charity, to learn and study, to do good.

I want to be clear that I am not defending this guy and what he did, so don't get any ridiculous thought about that. All religions and all people have bad people within their group. Just as all religions and all people have good people within their group. Let start focusing on the good of our religions so that we can better understand each other and start to work together.