The news has been filled with reports on the 17 people who were killed in terrorist attacks at the offices in Paris, at a kosher supermarket, and on a police officer. Three of the suspected terrorists were killed in a shootout with French police. If you read any comments on a website article on the subject, you’ll see plenty of talk about how nothing less is to be expected from Muslims and that Islam is a religion on violence. No single news agency shied away from referring to the attackers as terrorists.
But what about American terrorists? Most of us probably missed the news story last January about the arrest of three would-be terrorists from Georgia, that’s the southern state of Georgia, not the country. And we probably didn’t catch the update this month that the charges for these would-be terrorists were upgraded from conspiring to obtain explosives to the more serious, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. And who remembers the four would-be terrorists from 2011 that were arrested for being part of a plot to use guns, bombs and the toxin ricin to kill federal and state officials and employees? They were also from Georgia and like their three successors, were members of a militia. Well, praise Jesus and pass the ammunition!
While we all remember the name Timothy McVeigh, do any of us remember the headlines that identified his religion? Where are the articles about the seven Georgia terrorists that mentioned their religion?
Why is it that whenever the terrorist is a Muslim, it’s always mentioned? For some reason it’s not only okay, but seems mandatory, to mention the religion of a terrorist if they’re an adherent of Islam, but not if they’re a southern Baptist or other non-Muslim religion. It’s not just the mention of race that’s different between stories about Muslim vs. non-Muslim terrorists. It’s also use of the word terrorist. In articles about attacks carried out by Muslims, it’s a given that the word terrorist will be used to describe the attackers. But, non-Muslim terrorists are simply bombers, gunmen or attackers. And, when a terrorist is identified as being Christian, why isn’t anyone screaming about how all Christians must be terrorists?
The thing is, it’s as ridiculous to say that all Muslims are terrorists as it is to say that all Christians are terrorists. It’s ridiculous that the religion of Muslim terrorists is mentioned in every news story written and reported. It’s ridiculous that we still have people killing other people in the name of religion. It’s time for the peaceful Muslims and the peaceful Christians to come together in a show of solidarity that terrorism and violence perpetrated by anyone isn’t acceptable, and isn’t what their religion teaches. And, if it is what their religion teaches, it’s time they started changing their religion.
Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and graphic artist. You can reach her at rabirdsell@gmail.com.
My God’s the Bomb
Rachel Birdsell
The news has been filled with reports on the 17 people who were killed in terrorist attacks at the offices in Paris, at a kosher supermarket, and on a police officer. Three of the suspected terrorists were killed in a shootout with French police. If you read any comments on a website article on the subject, you’ll see plenty of talk about how nothing less is to be expected from Muslims and that Islam is a religion on violence. No single news agency shied away from referring to the attackers as terrorists.
But what about American terrorists? Most of us probably missed the news story last January about the arrest of three would-be terrorists from Georgia, that’s the southern state of Georgia, not the country. And we probably didn’t catch the update this month that the charges for these would-be terrorists were upgraded from conspiring to obtain explosives to the more serious, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. And who remembers the four would-be terrorists from 2011 that were arrested for being part of a plot to use guns, bombs and the toxin ricin to kill federal and state officials and employees? They were also from Georgia and like their three successors, were members of a militia. Well, praise Jesus and pass the ammunition!
While we all remember the name Timothy McVeigh, do any of us remember the headlines that identified his religion? Where are the articles about the seven Georgia terrorists that mentioned their religion?
Why is it that whenever the terrorist is a Muslim, it’s always mentioned? For some reason it’s not only okay, but seems mandatory, to mention the religion of a terrorist if they’re an adherent of Islam, but not if they’re a southern Baptist or other non-Muslim religion. It’s not just the mention of race that’s different between stories about Muslim vs. non-Muslim terrorists. It’s also use of the word terrorist. In articles about attacks carried out by Muslims, it’s a given that the word terrorist will be used to describe the attackers. But, non-Muslim terrorists are simply bombers, gunmen or attackers. And, when a terrorist is identified as being Christian, why isn’t anyone screaming about how all Christians must be terrorists?
The thing is, it’s as ridiculous to say that all Muslims are terrorists as it is to say that all Christians are terrorists. It’s ridiculous that the religion of Muslim terrorists is mentioned in every news story written and reported. It’s ridiculous that we still have people killing other people in the name of religion. It’s time for the peaceful Muslims and the peaceful Christians to come together in a show of solidarity that terrorism and violence perpetrated by anyone isn’t acceptable, and isn’t what their religion teaches. And, if it is what their religion teaches, it’s time they started changing their religion.
Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and graphic artist. You can reach her at rabirdsell@gmail.com.