This seems a common and deplorable thing recently - the immediate connection in the minds of some between Islam and terrorism. In a religion with a worldwide following of more than a billion people the actions of a few have swayed many ignorant people to the belief all Muslims are somehow involved. In some cases people have even threatened to bomb new mosques, if built (which boggles the mind…last time I checked that fit the definition of terrorism, so how could bombing a mosque make one any better than the “terrorists” they hope to repel?) Without getting into detail because a book could be written, there has been tremendous outrage because a mosque is planned in lower Manhattan, not far from Ground Zero. A mosque is also slated for construction in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and that is the one this cartoon refers to. While many intentionally offensive and angry slurs were visible and audible at a recent protest against the mosque an attempt was made to explain the opposition in terms of street congestion and noise - which clearly weren’t central to the protestors arguments against it. In fact, the clear atmosphere at this protest (and that of protests against the lower Manhattan mosque) was one of pure uninformed xenophobia. Arguments against these mosques generally refer to Islam and terrorism as interchangeable concepts and rely on a litany of poorly compiled logic in support. It’s worth noting that wars based on religion never end well for anyone but attempts at understanding go a long way towards settling differences and generating the peace opposing groups hope to achieve by rubbing each other out. The vast majority of Muslims haven’t a shred of interest in terrorism but groups who marginalize them out of fear only serve to increase anger, and with that comes the opportunity for the radicalism so many of these people fear. In short, displays like this are instrumental in generating the fear that generates displays like this. All of this behavior only leads to escalation and division, and with that problems become infinitely more difficult to solve.