Fear of the unknown common MOHAMMAD NAYEEM TELI • APRIL 5, 2010

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When I was a little kid, I used to be scared of beards. My mom told me that once, I was so scared of a guy with a beard on a bus that I would not stop crying until he deboarded the bus. At the request of the bus driver and the fellow passengers, that poor guy had to deboard before he reached his destination.
  The man suffered because of my fear of something I did not understand. That was then and now is now. My fear of beards is long gone, and I wouldn't mind sporting one, particularly in winter. However, I realized fear of something that is unknown is a very common phenomenon.As karma had it, I had to be on the other side of this fear. I was denied an apartment because of being a Muslim. The landlady was scared of Muslims, and she did not hide this feeling. Having lived most of my life in Muslim-majority Kashmir, being denied something because of my faith was totally unfathomable. However, the place was different, and so were the perceptions about Islam. Then a few years later, 9/11 happened, and the perception about Muslims further changed drastically. Muslims were generalized as violent and blood-thirsty barbarians.The fear caused by a few lunatics who associate themselves with Islam created the fear of Islam in the hearts of people who know little about this religion. It is easy for humans to fear something that is not apparent just like children are scared of the dark because they can't see what is behind that darkness. This is what I call the fear of the unknown.Well, a lunatic fringe brought a bad name to my beautiful religion through mispresentation. I wish to correct that. I believe in the essence of the following verse from the Quran, "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).[49:13]," we all are essentially one.While the people who create fear of Islam in the hearts of others have had their chance, I have mine to fix it in my own little way. While they create fear of Islam, I will dispel that fear by sharing Islam with those who don't know, so that Islam ceases to remain unknown.Mohammad Nayeem Teli is a student at Colorado State University and a Not In Our Town Alliance Web site developer. This Soapbox has been written in association with NIOTA, Fort Collins, a nonprofit organization, whose goal is to fight discrimination against any group or individual. NIOTA can be contacted via e-mail (niota.hotline @yahoo.com) or phone (970) 797-1841 to report any incident of bias or discrimination. http://www.coloradoan.com/gci/gc/article_comments_top_bg.gif); float: left; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 10px; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">In Your Voice|READ REACTIONS TO THIS STORYhttp://www.coloradoan.com/gci/gc/p6/hideshow_sprite.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; float: right; width: 114px; height: 15px; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">      Newest first    Oldest first      
    COinFC wrote:Thank you for taking the time to write this - and for all your work in helping people understand more about Islam and its followers. You're a hero in my book!
4/5/2010 8:58:35 AMRecommend(3) New PostReply to this PostReport Abuse  EightFoldPath wrote:It is a shame that you and others experience discrimination because of a few. People need to educate themselves about the ACTUAL religion, culture, PERSON, before make rash judgements that cause so much division and hatred. 

4/5/2010 7:20:04 AMRecommend(3) New PostReply to this PostReport Abuse  tatur wrote:Well Said Mr. Teli!
4/5/2010 6:25:40 AMRecommend(2) New PostReply to this PostReport Abuse   Add your comment (max 1000 characters)
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