This page is no longer active , visit me at
http://engaging-opinions.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Are you afraid of Shaquille O'Neal?
Stuck On Sports: Are You Afraid Of Shaquille O'Neal?by David Stuckey TheChattanoogan.comJune 27, 2005
I am not afraid of terrorism. Maybe it's because I did not live in NewYork City during 9/11 or maybe it's my corny belief that good alwaysprevails in the end. Whatever the reason I find myself unafraid. Evenwith the arrests of alleged Al-Qaeda members, rising terror color-codes and wars raging in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I still find myself unafraid. I am not afraid because no one can tellme what I should be looking for in a terrorist. Well, not really.Maybe if U.S. intelligence could tell me specifically what a terrorist sounds like or smells like or eats. From the things I read and see ontelevision I'm guessing most terrorists are of Middle Eastern descent,heavily bearded and absolutely positively they are Muslim. That's it!Look out for intimidating Muslims in places with a lot of innocentAmerican pedestrians. Hey, somebody quick, arrest Shaquille O'Neal!
Shaq's daddy is a Muslim – did you know that? You didn't see him andSacramento Kings' guard Peja Stojakovic kiss each other on each cheek before Western Conference Playoff games a few years back? Did you missthat? Did you think they were French? Those are two really bigintimidating Muslims right there!* Are they terrorists in training?The media (yes, I am included) uses death, Muslim and terrorism so collectively you would think they were the names of the Three Stooges!Is it fair?
When you look at Shaq in interviews, smiling, giving those incrediblywitty sound bites, do you think of terrorism? Now that you know he follows the same religion as the Iraqi insurgents our American troopsfight daily, will you look at him differently?
The word terrorism confuses me when it is married to the word Islam.Why are there Muslim extremists and not just Iraqi extremists or extremists (solo)? Is it because the extremists that carry out acts ofterror against America hide behind their religion? Isn't it theresponsibility of the media (and individuals) to decipher Islam asjust a characteristic of the extremists and not extremist as a characteristic of Islam?
Throughout history, the KKK has preached loyalty to Christianity butno one dares to label Christianity as a characteristic of racism.Adolph Hitler was also Christian (and also hid behind the religion) but I don't hear Christianity glued to the phrase Nazism. Sexual abuseby priests has just cost the Catholic Church more than $1 billion insettlements but no one believes that being Catholic makes you moreprone to becoming a child molester – and no one should.
So why is Islam automatically related to terrorists? And why do we soeasily link the two?
Honestly. Are you aware that the "Muslim" extremists at war with theU.S. only make up a very minute percentage of Muslims worldwide? And when I say minute I'm talking about brothers playing polo minute,horse jockeys slam dunking minute, politicians getting crunk to LilJohn minute! The same goes for the small percentage of Catholics whorape children and the very small number of Christian bigots who hide behind big white sheets.
Honestly. When you hear the word Muslim, is your first thoughtterrorism? Because when I hear Muslim, the first thing that pops in myhead is one of my childhood heroes, Muhammad Ali. Ali, who as the Heavyweight Champion of the World decided that he would not fight inthe Vietnam War because he could not kill anyone that did him no harm.His assistant trainer Drew Brown took it a step further in 1967saying, "He's fighting for the respect of his religion. He's not fighting for his country." Ali was stripped of his title and labeledan unpatriotic, out of control, radical Black Muslim. As a kid Ilearned on my own that Ali was fighting for what he believed in.What's more American than that?
Honestly. When you think of Islam, do you think of terrorism? Becausewhen I think of Islam, I think of Rasheed Wallace, the only DetroitPiston who entered the stands during the infamous NBA brawl. The only person with a jersey on that actually stopped some of those haymakersfrom landing. Mr. Technical himself became the calm Muslim weatheringthe monstrous storm of gigantic basketball players whaling on scrawnyidiotic fans. Ironic huh, a Muslim trying to make peace.
Honestly. When you think of Islam, do you think about the thousands ofcriminals in our American prisons who convert over to Islam? Theburglars, the rapists, the murderers and drug dealers all flipping the script and trying to get tight with Allah. But honestly, when I thinkof criminals becoming Muslims in prison I wonder what religion theyconverted from in the first place.
Sometimes I wonder how Ali, Shaq and Rasheed feel about the subject. About their religion being labeled as one of the reasons terrorists dowhat they do. I wonder if when they pray five times a day if some ofthose prayers ask for everyone to stop dragging their religion throughthe mud. If the league has phoned Shaq and Wallace and asked them notto openly talk about their religious beliefs in the best interests ofthe game. I wonder when they look into the mirror each morning if theyfind themselves afraid.
I am not afraid. And I will not be afraid if I sit next to a beardedMiddle Eastern man on a plane. I will not be afraid if the terrorcolor-code changes from a cowardly yellow to a ruby blood red. I willnot be afraid if suspected al-Qaeda loyalists are arrested and draggedto GITMO kicking and screaming. I will not be afraid of any personbased on his or her religion without knowing the quality of theircharacter.
And unless I find myself back on defense alone with the 'Diesel'dribbling full speed ahead– I will not be afraid of Shaquille O'Neal.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_68779.asp
* For the record, Peja Stojakovic is not a Muslim, but it does nottake anything away from the subject matter of the article. The authormight as well be referring to Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Nazr Muhammad,Tariq Abdul-Wahad, or any one of the several other Muslim players inthe NBA.
I am not afraid of terrorism. Maybe it's because I did not live in NewYork City during 9/11 or maybe it's my corny belief that good alwaysprevails in the end. Whatever the reason I find myself unafraid. Evenwith the arrests of alleged Al-Qaeda members, rising terror color-codes and wars raging in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I still find myself unafraid. I am not afraid because no one can tellme what I should be looking for in a terrorist. Well, not really.Maybe if U.S. intelligence could tell me specifically what a terrorist sounds like or smells like or eats. From the things I read and see ontelevision I'm guessing most terrorists are of Middle Eastern descent,heavily bearded and absolutely positively they are Muslim. That's it!Look out for intimidating Muslims in places with a lot of innocentAmerican pedestrians. Hey, somebody quick, arrest Shaquille O'Neal!
Shaq's daddy is a Muslim – did you know that? You didn't see him andSacramento Kings' guard Peja Stojakovic kiss each other on each cheek before Western Conference Playoff games a few years back? Did you missthat? Did you think they were French? Those are two really bigintimidating Muslims right there!* Are they terrorists in training?The media (yes, I am included) uses death, Muslim and terrorism so collectively you would think they were the names of the Three Stooges!Is it fair?
When you look at Shaq in interviews, smiling, giving those incrediblywitty sound bites, do you think of terrorism? Now that you know he follows the same religion as the Iraqi insurgents our American troopsfight daily, will you look at him differently?
The word terrorism confuses me when it is married to the word Islam.Why are there Muslim extremists and not just Iraqi extremists or extremists (solo)? Is it because the extremists that carry out acts ofterror against America hide behind their religion? Isn't it theresponsibility of the media (and individuals) to decipher Islam asjust a characteristic of the extremists and not extremist as a characteristic of Islam?
Throughout history, the KKK has preached loyalty to Christianity butno one dares to label Christianity as a characteristic of racism.Adolph Hitler was also Christian (and also hid behind the religion) but I don't hear Christianity glued to the phrase Nazism. Sexual abuseby priests has just cost the Catholic Church more than $1 billion insettlements but no one believes that being Catholic makes you moreprone to becoming a child molester – and no one should.
So why is Islam automatically related to terrorists? And why do we soeasily link the two?
Honestly. Are you aware that the "Muslim" extremists at war with theU.S. only make up a very minute percentage of Muslims worldwide? And when I say minute I'm talking about brothers playing polo minute,horse jockeys slam dunking minute, politicians getting crunk to LilJohn minute! The same goes for the small percentage of Catholics whorape children and the very small number of Christian bigots who hide behind big white sheets.
Honestly. When you hear the word Muslim, is your first thoughtterrorism? Because when I hear Muslim, the first thing that pops in myhead is one of my childhood heroes, Muhammad Ali. Ali, who as the Heavyweight Champion of the World decided that he would not fight inthe Vietnam War because he could not kill anyone that did him no harm.His assistant trainer Drew Brown took it a step further in 1967saying, "He's fighting for the respect of his religion. He's not fighting for his country." Ali was stripped of his title and labeledan unpatriotic, out of control, radical Black Muslim. As a kid Ilearned on my own that Ali was fighting for what he believed in.What's more American than that?
Honestly. When you think of Islam, do you think of terrorism? Becausewhen I think of Islam, I think of Rasheed Wallace, the only DetroitPiston who entered the stands during the infamous NBA brawl. The only person with a jersey on that actually stopped some of those haymakersfrom landing. Mr. Technical himself became the calm Muslim weatheringthe monstrous storm of gigantic basketball players whaling on scrawnyidiotic fans. Ironic huh, a Muslim trying to make peace.
Honestly. When you think of Islam, do you think about the thousands ofcriminals in our American prisons who convert over to Islam? Theburglars, the rapists, the murderers and drug dealers all flipping the script and trying to get tight with Allah. But honestly, when I thinkof criminals becoming Muslims in prison I wonder what religion theyconverted from in the first place.
Sometimes I wonder how Ali, Shaq and Rasheed feel about the subject. About their religion being labeled as one of the reasons terrorists dowhat they do. I wonder if when they pray five times a day if some ofthose prayers ask for everyone to stop dragging their religion throughthe mud. If the league has phoned Shaq and Wallace and asked them notto openly talk about their religious beliefs in the best interests ofthe game. I wonder when they look into the mirror each morning if theyfind themselves afraid.
I am not afraid. And I will not be afraid if I sit next to a beardedMiddle Eastern man on a plane. I will not be afraid if the terrorcolor-code changes from a cowardly yellow to a ruby blood red. I willnot be afraid if suspected al-Qaeda loyalists are arrested and draggedto GITMO kicking and screaming. I will not be afraid of any personbased on his or her religion without knowing the quality of theircharacter.
And unless I find myself back on defense alone with the 'Diesel'dribbling full speed ahead– I will not be afraid of Shaquille O'Neal.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_68779.asp
* For the record, Peja Stojakovic is not a Muslim, but it does nottake anything away from the subject matter of the article. The authormight as well be referring to Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Nazr Muhammad,Tariq Abdul-Wahad, or any one of the several other Muslim players inthe NBA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)