Received on 9/11

Today I got an e-mail that really disturbed me. Here it is:

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm Flight 103! REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993! REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon! REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military barracks in Saudi Arabia! REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa! REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE! REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001! REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!

Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class holiday postage stamp. REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp when purchasing your stamps at the post office. To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors. REMEMBER to pass this along to every patriotic AMERICAN you know.

Here’s my response:

While no one condones any terrorist attack, it is inappropriate and unfair to blame “Muslims” in a blanket fashion for the attacks on our country. Some Muslims are bad guys, some aren’t. Let’s not be simplistic in our understanding of a complex situation.

The call to boycott the stamp fans the flames of hatred and scapegoats a group of people instead of pinning the blame on militant fundamentalists.

If there’s any reason to boycott the stamp at all, I’d vote for lack of separation between church and state.

Here’s a little bit about Eid from Wikipedia:
“It is a joyous occasion with important religious significance. Happiness is observed at attaining spiritual uplift after a month of fasting. Muslims dress in holiday attire. After attending the special congregational prayer in the morning, worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace, love, and brotherhood. Visiting friends and relatives is common.”

Every day is a day to pray for peace. Today we also pray for those whose lives were lost, and those whose lives were irrevocably changed.