Do They Eat Chinese Food Too?

Dreams are irregular for me, but last night was remarkable. To start, it was not a dream. Reminiscing about it, makes it more clear how much of a nightmare it was. It all started in a small town, like one we would find in upper New England. In the midst of just a few shops, the family and I were on vacation. This dream was over a two night span. On the first night, we created a hangout. Even all my grandparents came to spend the time. We met great people from the town, and had a great first evening. The next night, we started off in the same fashion. We headed down to the hangout, my dad got me a cone of ice cream. Just as everything and everyone begins to look like the closing of an episode of "Friends", the police come in. They claim the guy with us is a crook. My dad looks around and sees a something that horrifies him on the wall. Although, he would not reveal to me the slur, I could only assume it was towards the Jews. A shooting broke out at the scene, and I told the family we had to get out of here. It turns out that it was all a set-up. The police, this guy, and maybe even the ice cream seller hated Jews and planned to exterminate us. My mother was ravaged by the savages. My sister disappeared. Just as I felt as alone and sunken as the bottom of the sea, I awoke.

To avoid the fact that I may be psychologically disturbed, let us do some clarifying. When people ask, "How do you deal with the aftermath of the Holocaust or situations in Israel?", remember this dream. My brain is always processing the cruelties Jews have faced. In this week's parshat, it was becoming enslaved in Egypt. Seventy years ago, one-third of our population perished in Europe. In the 21st century, we find ourselves catching antisemitic villains. Hate crimes happen, but nearly to the extent of what my dream may tell. To anyone in a panic right now, do not worry our towns will not turn against us. Antisemitism is a lot more subtle. It seems that all antisemites out there just feel like keeping their hatred a secret.

Watching Christmas come among us this year was quite interesting. For the first time, I felt that Hanukkah was a part of the American way. People for the most part wished me a happy Hanukkah that actual 8 days of Hanukkah. "Conan" brought Hanukkah up each day his show appeared on the holiday. We must not let Hanukkah become a "Jewish Christmas", but it got me thinking. What do other people do without Hanukkah, Christmas, and/or Kwanzaa?

Just like Jews, Muslims have a lunar calendar. Unlike Jews, Muslims do not have any leap year. Ramadan was once in December. Due to the leap years, Ramadan has ended up in September. My question is; "Do they eat Chinese food too?" Islam is the newest of the Abrahamic religions. Muhammad is the Muslim prophet who spoke the word of God to the people of Mecca. In Mecca, he was at first rejected by most and then accepted by a few followers. Muhammad was banished by Mecca and sent to Yathrib which he renamed Medina. Muhammad reclaimed Mecca, but sadly died two year later in 632 CE. Muslims had an empire that spanned from Iran to Spain. Today, they are dispersed all over the world. "Do they eat Chinese food too?"

In history, we have been studying the rise of Islam. On the first day of the unit, my teacher did a very interesting experiment. Each day we do a warm-up in class. On this particular day, the warm-up was to write on the board three words that come to mind when we think of Islam. Some of the most common were 9/11, oil, and women covered. There were two that stick out in my mind, "no women's rights" and "suicide bomber". After the eyeopening experience, my teacher showed a series of video of Muslims combating stereotypes. He showed us a more comical video. For example, the video below, "Video Blog #4: Muslim While Flying" is a funny way of looking at Muslim stereotypes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nolNcJ1G7w
"Video Blog #4: Muslim While Flying" by: ummahfilms

On a more serious note, he showed us a video that showed Muslim extremists committing acts of terror. It said, "If you think all Muslims are like this, then all Christians are like this". The video showed a meeting of the Ku Klux Klan. Islam is probably the prominent stereotype of time.

What is our task? As Jews, we know exactly how Muslims feel in America. My dream may be their reality. We must combat their stereotypes. Americans must prevent, the "Islamacaust". We should never have a Muslim persecuted in the home of the free. Jews are finally assimilating without giving up their culture. Let's help the Muslims out. Maybe we can all eat Chinese food together.