On Sunday, two armed men were killed by police when they opened fire on an auditorium in Garland, Texas. The quick action under fire by the officers on duty is commendable and impressive (besides the two felled antagonists, no on was killed), but what sparked the ire of the gunman was nothing short of an act of hatred: an art exhibit on cartoons and caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. The event was put on by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), an organization described by many as a "hate group" -- I heartily agree.
For those that don't know, Muslims believe no images of their founder, the Prophet Mohammad, should ever be made and any depictions of him are considered blasphemous. With so many terrorists in the world inappropriately claiming Islam as their motivation, metaphorically spitting in their faces is just asking for trouble.
According to the AFDI, they put on the event in support of "free speech" and people who are challenging the "American way of life" (I assume that "American way of life" they're talking about is being mind-bogglingly stupid). What the AFDI should really say is that they're a bunch of intolerant cowards that can't stand it when people do things differently than them, because that's the truth of the matter. Yes, there are a bunch of radical Muslims in the world that are committing terrible acts, but they are the minority. Judging an entire group of people based on the most extreme examples will only lead to trouble, as was seen on Sunday.
When I heard about what had happened, I felt a brotherhood with the peaceful Muslims in this country. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have seen my religion mocked (and that mockery being praised), I have read about "radicals" that claim the same core beliefs I do but practice things that are denounced by Church leaders, and I have had people tell me to my face that I am going to hell. The major difference is, of course, that the Church is true, but no one should be mistreated because of their religion.
While I still believe that Americans have the right to be stupid, I really am disappointed with how some people choose to exercise that right.
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