Scare Tactics in the US
Ok, I’m going to try to keep this short but honestly, I feel like I’ve got to say something. Since being in the US, I’ve seen a lot of “news” articles and even billboards that seem to have this scare tactic approach about Islam in America (and in other Western nations). I’m not denying that there’s an increase in the amount of Muslims living in western countries as it’s something we see daily in Europe however I really have to question the whole use of ‘scare’ tactics. When you use scare tactics, what is the result? Yes, some people may never look at the reality of what’s going on without these methods (hence the reason the nightly news almost always has a teaser of something like “What have you touched today that will surely kill you?”) however when people come to an understanding of the what is going, what will their response be when you use scare tactics? Usually something not productive. It wasn’t so long ago in US history that we heard similar rhetoric about Communists and we even had “witch hunts” for communists within our government. The response wasn’t an end to the situation but a 40 year “Cold” war. The reality is that most Western thinkers do not understand how those in the Muslim world think and most in the Muslim world do not understand how Westerners think. Using scare tactics is not going to help us understand one another but is only going to drive an even larger separation between us. Since most people that read my blog are Christians, let me say to you — If you seriously want to understand what is going on, talk to and befriend a Muslim. To help you get some perspective, I recommend going to the website –> Why Do You Fear Me?
On another note, as a Christian, I believe that if we give into or promote these scare tactics then we are denying that Muslims have the right to see the Gospel lived out which the Bible repeatedly says otherwise. No one is to be denied this right. I love the following video and believe this should be our response in light of what is going on these days:
Friends from Lava Lamp Productions on Vimeo.