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7 Jul, 2015

Ramadan is a good time to question crude stereotypes – Sydney Morning Herald

By Jeremy Hillman

As with other religions, Islam contains teachings that can be misappropriated by those seeking power, vengeance or destruction. Yet, for the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Australia and around the world, their lives are a daily quest for one thing: peace. Understanding this better might turn out to be a more potent weapon against radicalisation than border protection, metadata storing or citizenship stripping.

The more people can forge connections with another culture, the less likely they are to be swayed by fear campaigns and crude stereotypes. We know stereotypes are dangerous things, but how many of people go out of their way to test stereotypes? How many people have had a positive brush with a Muslim to counter their caricature as terrorists and sympathisers who want us all to follow sharia law and eat halal food?

Source:Read the rest: Ramadan is a good time to question crude stereotypes – Sydney Morning Herald