Recently, Muslims have been prominent in the media promoting diversity and tolerance. Meanwhile, critics of Islam routinely routinely receive serious death threats. Do Muslims truly value differences?

Muslims have been in the media promoting diversity and tolerance because they are being oppressed and mistreated by people who claim diversity and tolerance as their ideals. We live in a country whose laws dictate freedom of religion, promote equal opportunity and denounce hate speech and crimes. Yet recently, there has been the opposite from a growing sector of the population. It is as if these individuals are of the opinion that the rights granted by the laws of this country don't apply to Muslims. So the question should be asked: Do Non-Muslims truly value differences?

Some of the more recent 'criticisms' of Islam have included the following: a Muslim taxi driver was slashed in his cab because he was Muslim, a mosque construction site in Tennessee was sabotaged by arson, copies of the Qur'an were burned, mosques in other parts of the country were picketed with offensive remarks, protesters at the Ground Zero construction site shouting 'Kill all the Muslims!', Non-Muslim men beaten up by protesters because they 'looked Muslim', a 'Draw Muhammad Day' in order to incite the Muslims because of their belief that no graven image should be made of the likeness of anything, not to mention the endless accusations and allegations in the media. So the question should be asked: Do Non-Muslims truly value diversity and tolerance?

Islam itself promotes diversity and tolerance, despite what others may have you believe. When 'critics' (interesting word choice) receive death threats, it is not an Islamic response. When Sinead O'Connor canceled a concert promoting peace in Jerusalem, it was Israelis who sent her death threats, not Muslims. When Pat Robertson didn't like how Hugo Chavez was running his country, he called for his assassination on-air, not Muslims. When abortionist Dr. George Tiller received death threats and was finally murdered in his church, it wasn't Muslims. Anger is something that is common to every human. Some go beyond bounds and want to kill someone they disagree with. So, just like we don't go around saying Jews or Christians don't value diversity because of a few extremists, we shouldn't attribute the same for Muslims when they do it.