Hatred and Fear Won out in South Park
Earlier this week, the West Penn Cultural Center announced that it was dropping its plan to convert a former elementary school in South Park into a Turkish cultural center.
The Associated Press reported the group decided to back out of the project because too many people expressed anti-Muslim sentiments at a public meeting on a permit to renovate the building.
In an embarrassing display of nativism, some residents said they feared the center could become home to a terrorist sleeper cell or other anti-American activities.
This is wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin in arguing against hatred and fear of this magnitude, but here goes.
First, WPCC follows the teachings of M. Fethullah Gülen, an Islamic scholar from Turkey who has criticized the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America and Muslims who practice terror in general on his Web site. WPCC members practice the kind of Islam that should be welcomed in any American community.
Second, like millions of immigrants who have come to the United States before them, WPCC members wanted a place where they could adapt to American culture while maintaining Turkish traditions and language.
Third, Turks aren't Arabs. They are as separate and distinct a cultural and ethnic group as the Kurds and the Iranians are.
Fourth, because of the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, which was dominated by the Turks, Arabs and Turks have an uncomfortable relationship to this day.
Fifth, Turkey is the most secular nation in the Middle East where women are allowed to vote, drive, work and wear Western clothes. While it does have an Islamic-leaning government, its constitution is secular, with the military vigilantly keeping it that way.
Sixth, Turkey is a real democracy, making it only one of two in the Middle East. (Israel is the other).
Seventh, Turkey is seeking to reinforce its ties to the West by becoming a member of the European Union. As a member of NATO, it was a staunch American ally during the Cold War
Eighth, some European nations, especially Germany, are having problems today because they erected barriers that prevented their Turkish communities from being integrated into society.
How can we preach toleration and understanding to Muslims when events such as took place in South Park make a mockery of our words? How can we talk about the blessings of democracy when nativism ruled the day in South Park? How can we serve as an example of a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious society when bigotry is so easily justified?
Look around. We are becoming the very thing we fear - and should hate.
Editorial, timesonline.com
- Created on .