A Fawning Media's Rose Colored Presentation Of Islam

     A Muslim man was on television discussing how Islam is a religion of peace, and about the charity work he does with homeless people. Charity and helping the unfortunate is what Islam is all about, he declared to his adoring television hosts. A Buddhist, Jew, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, etc., would not receive the same attention for doing what good people of all religions should be doing; helping the less fortunate. This is to not to subtract from the good work this man is doing. However, it does not make Islam unique. Helping the less fortunate is a core tenet of  Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and many other religions.
      It has become important to the media to portray Islam as a religion of peace, and that those that believe otherwise are phobic and racist, or Islamophobic.
       Help given to dependant, unfortunate people at the bottom rung of society that pose no threat is not the same as the vitriolic and often violent reaction many Muslims give to those that they perceive as opposing Islam or Islamic beliefs. There is an agenda to suspend reality and believe only that Islam is a religion of peace and that only a small, fringe number of Muslims are violent or support the use of violence.
        Islam can be a religion of peace. But it can also be a religion of violence. Depending on what verses in the Quran and Hadiths one chooses to follow can determine what direction a Muslim will follow. Acknowledging and recognizing this duality does not make one Islamophobic. Violent passages in the Old Testament and in the texts of other religions are used to justify verses in the Quran that advocate violence. But there is a big difference between descriptions of violence and prescriptions for violence. There is also the fact that other religions allow for reform and modification, and therefore people are not compelled to commit acts of violence. An eye for an eye, for example, long ago ceased to exist in Judaism.
         Charity given to needy people that pose no threat is not a high enough standard for any religion. What really determines if a religion is one of peace and goodwill is how it treats and respects the people of other religions and faiths, how it treats independent thinkers in its own ranks, and how it treats human beings considered different. All the charity provided to helpless, dependent people is negated if the same religion is without mercy and compassion towards those that are different.
           True compassion is not the charity extended to the helpless. True compassion is the kindness extended to those that are different and that may even be disliked and scorned.
          Wanting Islam to be a religion of peace and goodwill does not make it so. Only Muslims can make it so. If they choose to persecute religious minorities, wage war in order to spread their faith, punish disbelievers and apostates, hate Jews and certain others, and so forth, no amount of public relations spin by a fawning media will help.