by Andrew Searns
Fundamentalists from any culture pose problems to society. Christian fundamentalists, Hebrew fundamentalists, and Islamic fundamentalists alike cause problems with the natural order of today’s society. Proposing radical concepts, like uniting the church and the state, or refusing minor social beliefs like acceptance of gay rights, the fundamentalist groups historically stir up trouble. However, that does not mean that every follower of these religions agree with these beliefs. With the recent rise of the ISIS group in the Middle East, an unnerving amount of Americans are persecuting non-ISIS Muslims.
Fear and paranoia has developed in America in response to the rise of ISIS. It has become so common that a word was coined for the fear of Muslims: Islamophobia. Islamophobia, while it has been in existence for a while, has recently dramatically increased in it usage. The frequency of the word Islamophobia has drastically increased since the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York. Understandably, this event is one of the only historical events with significant precedent to the paranoia of today. After the terrorist attacks in 2001, the nation stopped. Holding its breath, the great nation of America, stopped. Everywhere, people can relate the events that happened in their life that day. Everywhere, people can recant where they were when the towers were struck. Since that September day, security in the nation has changed. Everywhere, airport security now takes much longer. While the security hasn’t stopped every terrorist attack since 9/11, people feel more comfortable. Obviously, this security hasn’t entirely been for safety, but it also acted as the country’s moral backbone. Providing some support, security has limited the paranoia generated; nevertheless, the rise of Islamophobia traces its strongest roots to 9/11.
Anybody can describe the instability of the Middle East, but very few take the time to understand the irrational fear of Islam generated from the region. While Islamic states like Iraq and Afghanistan have produced some of the world’s worst terrorists, not everybody is a terrorist. Similarly, not every American will start a school shooting. Yet, many Americans are terrified by their Muslim neighbors. Comedian Bill Maher has recently been expressing his views on the subject. Arguing that “Islam ‘is not like other religions.’ It is ‘like the mafia that will fucking kill you’ if you cross it.” Surveys have shown that Maher is not alone in this belief. 45% of Americans suffer an ‘unfavorable view’ on Muslims . Incidentally, the statement goes in two ways. Half of the Muslim students in California schools reported that they have been subjects of bullying as the result of racial and religious discrimination . These statistics demonstrate the abnormally high tension between innocent Muslim’s and Americans.
Anti-Muslim campaigns extend from comedians and politicians. As of September 29, advertisements will be displayed throughout the New York City public transportation supporting the anti-Muslim campaign. Posters displaying brutal messages will be displayed throughout the subway systems on the busses. The posters use images to make horrific comparisons. One even makes a comparison between the Jihadists and Hitler. The posters, presented by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, or the AFDI, are intended to fight against Jihadism.
“The term jihad refers to a holy war or personal struggle done in devotion to Islam. ” The advertisements, intended to prevent jihads only appear intended to provoke American hatred towards Muslims entirely. With bold statements like “Islamic Jew-hatred: It’s in the Quran” posed next to a picture of Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini, it becomes easy to see how this advertisement is effective. Other headlines claim “Yesterday’s moderate is today’s headline.” This title is accompanied by a pre/post photograph set that establishes the position of a moderate Muslim as identical to a radical, head-chopping terrorist. A final poster, using only words says, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”
With slogans like “It’s not Islamophobia, it’s Islamorealism,” it becomes evident that these advertisements cannot possibly explain why Muslims deserve such hatred. This hate campaign, similar to Bill Maher’s is undeniably oppressive against non-ISIS Muslims.
Another terrifying form of oppression sparked from Islamophobia is the recent ban of the burka in France. Outraged Muslims, justifiably, are speaking out against this cruel injustice. Banning the burka is essentially banning a core part of the Muslim religion. Banning the burka is slightly hypocritical of the French government due to their freedom of religion. Banning the burka would be akin to banning a cross necklace or banning the Star of David. The irritation expressed by French Muslims, therefore, is understandable. Furthermore, in their effort to explain this moral crisis, Muslims point out that this act of religious intolerance is an obvious intrusion into rights, and the Muslims noted that the same power could be expressed over any other religion or social right. It depicts a weakness and corruptness stemming from the fear of the Islamic women in the nation. Irrational, though it may be, the fear is real.
With the increasing fears stemming from the Muslim world, political leaders elsewhere have to be certain that they come up with solutions quickly. Obviously, ISIS needs to be dealt with, but nonviolent, non-extremist Muslims don’t. For the sake of stability of the United States as well as the European Union, this fear should be managed, not perpetuated with horrific advertising. Elongating the paranoia can only cause future problems.
Honeybees are arguably one of the most important insects, as they provide invaluable service agriculturally and environmentally. Unfortunately, they are declining rapidly. The reported loss of percent of bee colonies decreased from 30%, the average from 2005 to 2013, to 23% in 2014. However, in just this past year, more than 40% of honeybee hives have died, and this is the second-highest annual loss ever recorded. Colony losses have been at a record high throughout all seasons.
If these losses continue, it could easily threaten the economic health of the pollination, not to mention the literal health of many crops. The cause of these losses is yet to be discovered. The cost of honeybee pollination services would rise, and these would cause increased costs to consumers. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating innumerable crop plants: onions, cashew, celery, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, coffee plant, melons, lemon, strawberries, mangos, avocado, and the list goes on. A world without honeybees would be a very deprived world indeed.
