@Femme:
Aww thanks Cappy.
It hurts because I was born and raised in that area, I went to public school in that school system, and though I didn't attend Friday prayers regularly at high school at the time, I did a few times and it really wasn't a big deal. We had a permission slip to sign, we made our teachers aware, and at lunch time a handful of students, like 5-6 would be on the stage (with curtains closed obviously) with a teacher. It would last less than ten minutes, because everyone wanted to leave and have lunch and hang with friends and everything.
We inconvenienced absolutely nobody, and if you weren't muslim, you wouldn't know it was happening.
And now there's bigotry at TRUMP LEVELS happening in MY neigbourhood (the screaming bigots shredding Qurans at the public school meeting at city hall)? Articles being spread targeting high school students? Protests being organized?
Like.. I go to work every day in this area and so many times I'd look at the people around me going about and doing their thing and it's like, I feel so cool to see how incredibly diverse the city is. Like, we're so multicultural that I can hardly comprehend the thinking it requires to hate somebody for what they look like/what they believe.
It's just upsetting. I intend to raise kids here and it's sad that they'll have to go through something so much harder than what I had to experience.
I grew up around hate and it certainly isn't fun. It's good to have somewhere to go, where you can be your self and at ease. It's all this political hoopla right now. Things are going to shit cause of all these company big wigs and political ass holes, and they're using muslims and immigrants as scape goats. I just hope that something happens soon to ease the pressure on society, and that people open their eyes and see what it's like from other people's shoes. I just think back 10-15 years ago when gay people were the big scary thing. Now it seems like a normal thing and people know they're just normal people. That's why I say just keep smiling. Be Ellen and show people how great your muslim community is. Hopefully they will take time and look for themselves.