Hello, Halima, Yus, and tohers...
     Yus, I have to make an apology for comparing the detentions of men here
in America to the detentions in The Gambia.  At the time, I saw a
connection, and I can understand where that connection may have been
short-sided or wrong.  So for now, I am leaving that issue.
     However, I think I have to agree with Halima as far as how Americans
perceive Islam.  I would say that at least half if not the majority of
Americans do associate Islam with violence, terrorism and the oppression of
women.  And I think 9-11 may have sadly cemented that view in the mind of
many people.  In fact, I just had an experience with a job developer a few
weeks ago who, on hearing I was a Muslim, made the comment to me that she
could never be a part of a religion which considers a woman beneath a man.
And this is of course after 9-11.
     The sad fact is, many people are still very ignorant as for as Islam
goes, and though it is a positive sign that some people are learning what
Islam really is, I think that there is still a long way to go.
     As far as the Bush Administration goes, although Bush may be honestly
trying to assure Muslims that this is not a war against them, it may indeed
seem to some that this is indeed a war against Islam.
     As far as John Ashcroft's illeged comments against Islam, I would
myself be more concerned with what he says, than what someone in small town
America says, only because he has so much more influence as far as the
implementation of laws goes.  If he indeed made those comments, obviously
George Bush's message of Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance did not
get through to an important memeber of his administration.  So if that
message didn't get through to John Ashcroft, how then do we expect it to
have gotten through to the everyday person on the street?
     As far as the Palestinian/Israeli conflict goes, that is of course a
very complex issue, and as I said before, there is wrong on both sides.
However, what bothers me is that as far as America seems to be concerned,
Israel is absolutely always right, and the Palestinians absolutely always
wrong.  Giving weapons and money to one side and then telling the other to
stop the violence just doesn't seem right to me.  However, the Palestinians
use of suicide bomgins is also wrong.  However, I would argue that when you
oppress a people and push them up against the wall, they will resort to
things they may not have ordinarily resorted to to defend themselves...
There are two sides to every story, and this situation is no exception, and
it just seems to me that most of us here in America only hear one side of
the story.
     I am not sure what other comments I can make here.  I hope that I am at
least making some kind of sense, even if maybe we don't agree on certain
things.
     Again, I apologize for making comparisons between the US government and
the Jammeh government in The Gambia.  It seems I may have touched a raw
nerve, and I didn't mean to offend you or anyone else.
     Anyway, thta is all I have to say for now...
Ginny

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