Civil rights leaders are upset that Glenn Beck has proposed a big gathering at the Lincoln Memorial, a sacred place to followers of Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave his "I have a dream" speech there. Beck's "Restoring Honor" gathering is on the anniversary of King's speech. ("Conservatives' plan to rally at site of famed King speech sparks debate, Kathleen Hennessey, Duluth News Tribune, 2010-08-25)
One can read many things into this. Was the place and time just happenstance, or was it deliberately planned that way. If Glenn Beck is upset about a mosque being built two blocks away from the World Trade Center site, shouldn't he be equally concerned about upsetting people over his choice of venue?
I'm not going to keep a scorecard on who is complaining about what, but I do hope we all would get on with life instead of turning everything into a monument to the past.
Showing posts with label Moslem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moslem. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, May 30, 2008
How portable should customs be?
Some Muslim women have sued their employer because they were required to wear a certain uniform. They said the uniform violated their religious freedom. Would a Muslim country allow a western women to wear whatever she chose?
It has long bothered me that Americans are supposed to adopt certain customs in other countries, but non-Americans should be allowed their own customs in the U.S. We should eat in a certain way in Japan; but Japanese should feel free to slurp their noodles and soup in the U.S.
I remember learning in school that U.N. envoy Ralph Bunche graciously accepted the sheep's eye in a stew while he was in North Africa. But will a Muslim accept a ham dinner in the U.S.? If not, I should be freely able to decline a sheep's eye.
Closer to home, some people wear their shoes in their houses, and some don't. Many of the latter request that their guests take off their shoes. Some of these latter even insist on taking off their shoes when their hosts are wearing shoes, often cluttering up a hallway with their shoes.
Che paese vai, che usanze trovi! Whatever country you go to, adopt the customs that you find. Or, when in Rome do as the Romans do.
But if the Romans are throwing the Christians to the lions, should you do likewise?
Addendum 2009-07-26
As I was planning a similar entry today, I double-checked the Italian phrase above. I made two mistakes, one in word order, the second in making a word plural. The correct phrase is "Paese che vai, usanza che trovi."
It has long bothered me that Americans are supposed to adopt certain customs in other countries, but non-Americans should be allowed their own customs in the U.S. We should eat in a certain way in Japan; but Japanese should feel free to slurp their noodles and soup in the U.S.
I remember learning in school that U.N. envoy Ralph Bunche graciously accepted the sheep's eye in a stew while he was in North Africa. But will a Muslim accept a ham dinner in the U.S.? If not, I should be freely able to decline a sheep's eye.
Closer to home, some people wear their shoes in their houses, and some don't. Many of the latter request that their guests take off their shoes. Some of these latter even insist on taking off their shoes when their hosts are wearing shoes, often cluttering up a hallway with their shoes.
Che paese vai, che usanze trovi! Whatever country you go to, adopt the customs that you find. Or, when in Rome do as the Romans do.
But if the Romans are throwing the Christians to the lions, should you do likewise?
Addendum 2009-07-26
As I was planning a similar entry today, I double-checked the Italian phrase above. I made two mistakes, one in word order, the second in making a word plural. The correct phrase is "Paese che vai, usanza che trovi."
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