Imagine if a child told you he was afraid of the monster in his closet. Would you tell the lad you will do everything you can to keep the door locked and hopefully it won’t get out? Of course you wouldn't. The poor kid would be up all night hoping the door holds. The right thing to do is to tell him the truth – that there is no monster.
But not the GOP; they know that as long as voters are afraid of Muslims, they can work that fear to their political advantage. It’s shameful.
Last weekend Republican presidential hopefuls paraded their islamophobia as a badge of honor. During the New Hampshire debates. Several ant-Muslim statements were made. The most offensive comments came from Herman Cain when he stated he would be “uncomfortable” including a Muslim in his cabinet. He incoherently tried to explain his reasoning but the take away was that they can’t be trusted. This poppy-cock was followed by Newt Gingrich asserting we should presume a Muslim to be guilty until proven innocent. Mitt Romney explained that he promised to enact laws against “sharia” – Muslim code of laws – as if our constitution didn’t have the brilliance to stand on its own. Such quackery.
This Muslim fear is such a waste. We don’t believe that these candidates actually believe their own words but are playing a political game, doing whatever it takes to win the nomination.
That’s why Voxometer is working to get folks to really think about what it means to be a Muslim in these United States. We are sharing stories about the real Islam– to make sure Americans understand there is no monster in the closet.
