The groundbreaking ceremony for the Muslim mosque was yesterday. It came as a great, positive moment for this group in Murfreesboro. Two to three hundred people showed-up to take part in the ceremony. As I watched and talked with attendees of the event, I listened to the Muslim adults on why they had come to America. Their answers were basically the same: they had come here for freedom, something they are very grateful for. Furthermore, they talked about how their friends and family, who are still overseas, long for America. What a testament to the ideals of this country.
However, in the parking lot of the church next to the building site, three men stood and stared with disapproval. They came in a big, Ford truck with a fiery bald eagle on the side and a massive American flag flying in the bed.
So let me get this straight…These men were protesting the freedom of these Muslim people with the symbols of America and the freedom it embodies? Seeing these men and their flag made me rethink what that symbol stands for. The Muslim community looked upon the flag as a symbol of hope, of the possibility of new things. For the Muslim people, yesterday marked an advancement of their culture for future generations in this area.
The “other guys” took the flag to mean that America was a place for safety and security. It was their belief that their freedoms were being taken away because a group of people, they hated, were being given rights. It’s perverted logic, but it is how they rationalize their misplaced fear. They told the local news that it was the Muslim belief system which was so dangerous. I guess they missed the point that the Muslim religion worships the same God as Christians and they believe in Jesus too.
So what does the flag really stand for? We like to think it stands for “liberty,” but if we put stipulations on who can have liberty, then exactly what does our flag symbolize? What has happened to the flag’s meaning? What is clear is that the Muslim people find great hope and opportunity from it. This other meaning, though, is ugly. The American Flag does not seem to stand for what it used to, so I now question what America stands for: Freedom? Justice? These values used to be understood and available to all. If our country is to regain this kind of position, then we are going to need “change”. We must have change in our hearts, our minds and our actions, from being interfering to being accepting. Americans can do this, but the direction we move in must be positive.
