Islamophobia

Last month, there was a deadly attack on Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral (Our Lady of Salvation Church) in Baghdad. The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes a number of extremist organizations and has ties to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 70 and wounded 75. In recent days, twelve suspected terrorists have been arrested. This attack was the first of many targeting Christians over the past few weeks.

While there might not be a direct connection between these attacks and the current culture in the United States, I think that the United States is in an interesting position. The United States cannot ask those in the Middle East to stop targeting Christians with the current amount of Islamophobia found in our country. As a dominant world power, we need to set an example for the rest of the world. The heightened prejudice against Muslims in the United States does nothing to help soothe the relations between the United States and Muslim groups. So while I am not arguing that everyone should join hands and sing “Kumbayah”, tolerance of Islam can only help our image abroad.