Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/809553
8 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 7 Editorial I t is no secret; the United States has been locked in a war on terrorism for the last 16 years. Our longest war ever. I, a high school senior, cannot remember a time in my life when we weren't involved in places such as Iraq or Afghanistan. Terrorism is not only destructive. It is constructive and productive. Its main export being Islamophobia. I am not here to editorialize the politics of war, simply to put Islamophobia through the Rotary Four-Way Test. First I ask, "Is it the truth?" Every man, woman and child knows what it is to feel fear at some point in his or her life. Many Americans see radical Islamic terrorists running around on TV and immediately generalize that all Islam is dangerous. A Gallup poll taken on Americans revealed that only 40 percent respect Muslim societies. Even more recently our country has attempted to ban immigration from several majority Muslim nations where Islam is the primary religion. Islamophobia is not only real and the truth, it is on the rise. Secondly I ask "Is it fair to all concerned?" We live in a fair and just society. What better shining example of justice is there than the FBI? The FBI has interviewed over 700,000 Islamic Americans in the past 16 years. The population of Islamic Americans is only about 3.3 million people. This means that 1 out of every 5 Islamic Americans is interviewed. This statistic is shocking because if 1 in 5 whites were interviewed by the FBI that would be 40 million Americans. The statistics show a bias toward suspicion of Islam based on pure Islamophobia. Therefore, Islamophobia is not fair to all concerned. Thirdly I ask, "Will it build goodwill and better friendships?" Trust is the fundamental basis of friendship. Islamophobia causes us not to trust the Islamic community based on stereotypes of their religion. We feel as though we should not reach out and love first because their religion differs from ours. But Christ taught us to love our neighbor, to pray for those we saw as the enemy, to treat others as we would have them treat us. Who are we to deny friendship and goodwill to someone of a different faith when we are blind to the teachings of our own? Yet we continue. Islamophobia does not breed goodwill and better friendships, only distrust. Finally I ask, "Will it be beneficial to all concerned?" The only benefit to Islamophobia is a false sense of security for those who persecute. It isn't fair to those we cast aside for their faith. It is not fair for the immigrant trying to achieve a better life; It is not fair for the women and children fleeing a country where small groups of radicals, those who make a bad name for Islam, have taken over. Islamophobia is certainly not fair to those who are persecuted, generalized and stereotyped. We fear Islam because we do not understand it. Imagine that: America the brave, afraid of what it doesn't know. Jack Grist is the winner of this year's Rotary Speech Contest. He is the son of Joel and Rebecca Grist. He is a member of Christ Episcopal Church. After graduating from Mount de Sales Academy with honors, Jack plans on attending the University of Georgia and majoring in international business. Jack has been an active member of the Mount de Sales community. He is the team captain of the mock trial team, the team captain of the tennis team and the president of the World Language Club. Passing Rotary's Four-Way Test >> By Jack Grist