[Ahmed Rehab is Communications director for the Council on American Islamic
Relations-Chicago.]
I was gravely disappointed by a political cartoon on the Sept. 9 Editorial
page that collectively portrayed Muslims as hypocrites. The cartoon
suggests that Muslims are indifferent to the massacre of children and
innocents.
There is no evidence that the Muslim world is in anyway accepting of, or
even indifferent to, the tragedy in Beslan, Russia. All indications coming
from all corners of the Muslim world clearly point to a strong condemnation
of the heinous act.
The cartoon is demeaning to Muslims as it is a rudimentary show of
primitive stereotyping and gross generalization.
Irresponsible and sensational media pieces that demonize Muslims feed
heavily into the anti-Muslim frenzy that is on the rise in America. They
help create an atmosphere that is conducive to, and even incitive of, hate
crimes.
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