Critical Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Reaction Paper - Essay Example Indeed, he did not expect much opposition from them towards the idea of building the â€Å"Park51† mosque. However, he later learned that the whites hates Islam and refers to it as a religion of hate whose aim is to wipe out Christianity (Ghosh, 2010). He even thinks that the white Americans view Islam as a recruiting agency for terrorists. Indeed, Ghosh hold the view that opponents of Islam cast Muslims as sympathizers of al-Qaeda, which is false. According to him, white Americans consider Muslims as murders but reckon that even Christians have greater social vices and thus should not judge Islam. He asserts that America has the most diverse Muslim population in the world where the Muslims represent every race and sect in America. Additionally, Ghosh reckons that the Park51 resistance reflected an aspect of intolerance against the Muslims that has been alive since 9/11 only to deepen in the recent times (Ghosh, 2010). In fact, he observes that hate speech against Muslims and Islam is on the rise and Islamophobia is the new form of racism in America. Indeed, he holds the idea that the mosque protests and political influence cemented Islamophobia in America (Ghosh, 2010). Actually, the views expressed in lower Manhattan and in Sheboygan County are not isolated since a study revealed that 46% of Americans believe Islam is the most probable cause of violence against nonbelievers than other faiths (Ghosh, 2010). Nevertheless, he confirms that Muslims are safer and freer in America than in any other Western country. Indeed, Congress has two elected American Muslims and for the first time in 2010, Miss USA was a Muslim. Additionally, there are plans to the country's first Muslim college in Berkeley (Ghosh, 2010). However, he establishes the core arguments of the opponents that assert that Muslims are not and can never be full Americans (Ghosh, 2010). He states that such hatred manifests clearly in the places of worship, which are on the increase. He further no tes that such hatred is not only limited to proposed mosques and Muslim centers but also on the Koran where a pastor in Gainesville, initiated plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (Ghosh, 2010). On the same note, pastors are taking the Koran out of context to support their assertions that Islam requires believers to kill or convert all others. Moreover, he claims that the most vicious attacks on Islam are on the internet where bloggers are making Park51 a national issue and making that hatred viral. Ghosh holds the view that although religious intolerance does not apply to Muslims only, the American society reserves the most dominant hostility and hatred for Muslims (Ghosh, 2010). Conversely, he claims that since Saudi Arabia does not permit the building of churches and synagogues, America should also forbid Muslims from building Islamic places of worship. Nevertheless, he notes that many Christian, Jewish, and secular groups have opposed naked an ti-Islamic. He even suggests that Muslim is a very small group in U.S, which should receive little attention according to the 2007 release of the Pew Research Center report Muslim Americans that estimated Muslims to be a mere 2.35 million of the American population (Ghosh, 2010). At the same time, he recognizes that upon becoming President, Obama sought to promote the American image in the Islamic world (Ghosh, 2010).