I've been asked to sit on a panel tomorrow night in Fountain Hills, AZ. The Fountains United Methodist Church is graciously hosting a question and answer session they are calling "A Community Forum on Islam". In preparing what I might contribute, I began thinking how damaging stereotypes can be and how quickly they tend to shatter when you meet someone you thought you "knew" until you actually did.
I quickly realized that I have as many stereotypes about my Christian neighbors as they possibly have about me. Yet unlike how most people think of stereotypes, these were, in some overly-paranoid way on my part, concentrated solely on what I assume they must feel about me. Here's the resulting list of what I realized I'm guilty of assuming:
- I assume you think we are all terrorists...
- I assume you consider me oppressed...
- I assume you think my father/husband/brother forces me to wear this headscarf...
- I assume you would like to tell me to go back to my country...
- I assume you would like to convert me...
- I assume you think when I open my mouth to speak that I will have an accent...
- I assume you are afraid of me/don't like me before you even meet me...
- I assume you think my name will be difficult for you to pronounce...
- and, perhaps most of all, I assume you think I cannot possibly be an American...
So, my friends and neighbors - I'm sorry. I'm sorry for thinking you have these thoughts and feelings about me sometimes. And tomorrow night, through your graciousness, hospitality, and willingness to talk through our misunderstandings, my hope is that we will further break down these misperceptions about each other.
I look forward to meeting all of you.
Recent Comments