It’s one thing to disagree with a person, but it’s another thing to terrorize a public forum.
Yup, I said it – terrorize.
When I applied for this job, I knew I was going to get a lot of hate mail. After all, I do primarily write about Islam and the Middle East. What I didn’t expect was crazy people harassing me and stalking me.
If anyone has ever read any of my columns online at lsureveille.com, the first thing they probably notice is how many comments my work generates. The next thing they notice is most of these comments come from ignorant people who come from anti-Islamic Web sites, like www.jihadwatch.com.
Most of these people aren’t associated with the University at all.
So, I dedicate this column to you, haters.
First of all, I’d like to point out that I don’t read 80 percent of your comments because they hold no weight with me.
For everyone else, let me first enlighten you on the schizophrenic personality that has been harassing me for every semester I’ve written for The Daily Reveille. You can find her easily in the comment section under my columns because she likes to use words like “Taqiyya” and “Dhemmi,” but she often uses different names.
She claims that I practice a doctrine of lying called taqiyya. However, Islam – like many other religions – forbids lying and considers it a major sin.
These people who spread hateful comments don’t care what the topic of the column is. What they say has almost nothing to do with the topic at hand.
They will regurgitate everything they learned from Robert Spenser, the creator of jihadwatch.com and one of the most deceptive people alive.
The Web site basically lists all the misconceptions people have about Islam, and tries to sell them as truth. They take verses of the Quran out of context and present fabricated sayings of the prophet along with his true saying – and what is true is misinterpreted.
The comments have gotten so out of hand that nine out of the 12 columnists have gotten comments under their columns that were anti-Islamic, and the absurd part is that these columns have absolutely nothing to do with Islam.
I feel sorry for these people that have nothing better to do than to try to spread their bigotry. Mostly, I feel sorry for them because they think they matter.
So why do I say they terrorize? To terrorize is to instill fear into someone. And I can think of nothing scarier than thinking about bigots raising little bigoted children.
I have a purpose when I write my columns about Islam, and these people validate that purpose. There is so much prejudice out there and so many misconceptions that we can’t truly prosper as a country and succeed until we build these bridges of understanding.
Islam is not a religion that started after Sept. 11, 2001. People tend to forget the decades if not centuries of Muslims living in America peacefully. It has been noted that many of the blacks that came to this country on slave ships were Muslims.
Imagine what America would be like if blacks didn’t stand up for their rights and dispel the misconceptions surrounding their race? Imagine if they didn’t try to show people that they were as equal as any other color in the world?
I, as a Muslim living in America, have a duty to show people what Islam really teaches – not what the media say Islam teaches.
I’ve been told before that if I don’t like something, I should “go back home” or “go live in an Islamic country.” I was born and raised here in Baton Rouge.
America is my home. And since when is pointing out social injustices and misconceptions non-American? That’s about as American as a person can get.
Further, I want these people to be aware that if I continue to be harassed I will go forward with legal action. And that, bigots, is the American way.
For everyone else, be on lookout. I expect you’ll see my point very soon. Peek-a-boo, Islam-o-phobes, I see you.
Finally, I want to thank those people who are open-minded and have given me all the nice, beautiful e-mails and comments. They really are appreciated.
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Contact Shiren Elmasraya at selmasraya@lsureveille.com