How Much Better Are We?

We look down on radical Muslims as being hypocrites at best and savages at worst. Many believe that the notion of Islam as the religion of peace went up in flames along with the Danish flag burnt in response to the Mohammed cartoon shown in Dec 2005 and the effigies of Pope Benedict XVI in response to his remarks in Sep 2006 that portrayed Islam in an unfavorable light. But how much better are some Americans?

The Dixie Chicks received death threats in response to their remarks about Bush back in March 2003. Evangelical Christians wrote to NBC recently over an offending song about Jesus that Conan O’Brien performed. The big event now is the email written by an employee of Discount-mats.com to a soldier who was inquiring about the purchase and shipment of mats to Iraq because he and his fellow soldiers were sleeping on bug-infested floors. The reply was the following,

“We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.”

Obviously, the company has been bombarded by emails and phone calls, most of which are filled with condemnation. Some, however, are filled with threats. The reply is reprehensible to say the least. A person should be able to distinguish between the commander-in-chief and the soldiers who have to follow orders. The company should have had a standard system for dealing with emails and they deserve every bit of the condemnation they’re receiving.

However, one of the areas America prides itself on, especially in comparison to radical Mulsim countries, is the freedom to speak and not fear for one’s safety. I’m not sympathizing with the company. Nor am I implying that the proportion of Americans who respond in such manners is equivalent to that of a radical Muslim nation. I do think it’s interesting to note that some of the same Americans who criticize these radical groups and countries are the same ones who threatened the Dixie Chicks.