From Mecca to Madonna

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

Norwegian Carnage: The Problem with Sweeping Statements

Raincheck on the cool post. Depressing news of the Norway tradegy got me boiling inside, but moreover got me thinking about how twisted prejudices can dictate fear around the world. For those who haven’t heard, police have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, with coordinating a bombing in Oslo and a shooting in Utoya Island. Prior to the conviction, there were strong insinuations that it was perpetrated by an Islamic terrorist group, namely Al Qaeda. Soon behold, overly convincing evidence proved that it was indeed a middle aged White Christian man. 

Should now every Caucasion be “randomly checked” at the airport? Is it now appropriate to have augmented security checks for anyone that has a crucifix dangling from their neck? Are we now finally convinced that churches are safe houses for international terrorism and that any attempt to build a church near Oslo would indicate a celebration of Christian violent victory? I think not. And understandably not. An action of one man or group of individuals should never dictate the moral direction of an encompassing entity, religion, etc. Generalizations destroy any chance at honest relationships. And worst of all, it only perpetuates racism, the class system, and other forms of revulsive xenophobia. I promise the next post will be funny! 

Confessions of a Sappy Brown Boy

It’s begun. A post among many to-be posts. I’ve thought long and hard about having a focused blog, but I’ve never had the right motivation. Until now of course. I’ll keep my reasoning short and sweet: I want to rant and I want others to connect to my pent-up diatribes. I want people to slip in my sleeve and understand that a 19 year old American Muslim student can bring bridge the gap between jihadist fundamentalism and American societal norms. I want to write about fact and fiction, Gossip Girl and the polar bear hunting Palin family, and basically anything meaningless my mind can conjure up.