Peace of sorts

I found out last week I was being replaced in my job! The guy came up and said he was my replacement and I was supposed to train him. I didn't know anything about it, but I figure it's for the best. Even though it's kind of a step down from what I was doing, this new job should give me a little extra time to do things I need to, like sleep, workout, and so on.

The incident with the Koran recently riled up the locals here, and they were out in mass doing protests and generally causing trouble. It's funny, though. Of the folks protesting, I don't see them at the 5 times daily prayers. I guess religion is only good when it allows you to do bad things. The response to the protests has been we expect these people to riot and get violent. I have to ask why we expect that?

Some of it comes from our own racism, that that we put all Arabs in a stereotype. You're Arab, therefore you're Muslim, therefore you are fundamental, therefore you will riot and cause trouble. But is that any different from when the same people we put in a box think all Americans are terrible and evil because of the acts of 1 or 2 people?

The problem is this: I've seen friends die in combat, but was I expected to find the first Arab I saw and shoot him, then destroy his home and kick out his family? Am I allowed to have violent protests and riots about it? The obvious answer is no because no one would allow it. But we allow it for these people here why? Are we so afraid of Muslims we won't hold these people accountable? If we believe what we say about Afghans meaning as much as Americans on a PERSON context, why are we allowing for one to scorn the other? To me, that sounds like bad parenting, and we shouldn't be surprised when the one with no accountability of discipline grows up to be a criminal.

The fact that we expect rioting is based in fact, however. Part is our racism, but an equal part is the pattern and history of such events. Islam across the world has shown when it is bothered, it protests and doesn't mind violence. No other religion causes violent protests in completely unrelated parts of the world just because they are of a different faith. If Islam wants to be a Religion of Peace, like they claim, they need to be a peace of the process.