"The last time there was no seperation between church and state, people were burned at the cross" (Bumper Sticker Seen on Street & Mearns Rd)
The "Uptight Suburbanite" is a monthly publication that appears to defy description. It has a potpourri of local goodies and monthly diatribes by its publisher Allan Hermann.
In the August edition Hermann writes about his feelings about woman of the Muslim faith, the Burqa, and his assertion the religious garb should be "banned" in the United States because it is a sign that Sharia law is on the horizon in Bucks-Mont PA.
I interviewed Hermann and a spirited conversation took place about a number issues but the bottom line is this for Hermann; The Burqa and and all that it embodies is something to fear.
"Yes I want them to be scared"(his readers), pointing out that "the Mormon's had to make some concessions when joining the Union" said Henderson, and so should Muslims he contends.
As much as that Henderson might be right in saying that the image of a Muslim woman wearing a Burqa in this country might very well elicit fear, the other end of that spectrum is the idea of interruption of ones own religious beliefs and practices. And since the Constituition has not been changed or amended in the last 24 Hours, its safe to say that all who are born and come here are still allowed to practice a faith by virtue choice.
A plethora of woman walk the streets of Philadelphia, for example, wearing the garb of the Muslim faith. So do a number of nuns, priests, rabbis, etc and I do not see anyone calling for them to disrobe and disown what is the fabric of the lives they live and beliefs they have.
The equation can be simplified like this. Every time a priest approaches a young man he should fear for what was done by others of his faith? That's the essential argument Henderson makes, that the specific dictates the general. A fallacious argument at best, especially when you you strip away all hyperbolic buzz words and talking points.
As the interview winded down we talked about another "culture war" issue of the day. Fundamentalism of any kind can be, and is "dangerous" in terms of opening up political and and creating community discourse. I asked what he thought about the 2010 local elections, "I'm not really up on that at this point" he replied.
So how "Uptight" can he really be if only outspoken on issues of national prominence? What of the issues affecting the local community?
How Surburban is that oh "Uptight" one?
Jeff Bohen (JBohen@buxmontnews.com)
Staff Writer
The "Uptight Suburbanite" is a monthly publication that appears to defy description. It has a potpourri of local goodies and monthly diatribes by its publisher Allan Hermann.
In the August edition Hermann writes about his feelings about woman of the Muslim faith, the Burqa, and his assertion the religious garb should be "banned" in the United States because it is a sign that Sharia law is on the horizon in Bucks-Mont PA.
I interviewed Hermann and a spirited conversation took place about a number issues but the bottom line is this for Hermann; The Burqa and and all that it embodies is something to fear.
"Yes I want them to be scared"(his readers), pointing out that "the Mormon's had to make some concessions when joining the Union" said Henderson, and so should Muslims he contends.
As much as that Henderson might be right in saying that the image of a Muslim woman wearing a Burqa in this country might very well elicit fear, the other end of that spectrum is the idea of interruption of ones own religious beliefs and practices. And since the Constituition has not been changed or amended in the last 24 Hours, its safe to say that all who are born and come here are still allowed to practice a faith by virtue choice.
A plethora of woman walk the streets of Philadelphia, for example, wearing the garb of the Muslim faith. So do a number of nuns, priests, rabbis, etc and I do not see anyone calling for them to disrobe and disown what is the fabric of the lives they live and beliefs they have.
The equation can be simplified like this. Every time a priest approaches a young man he should fear for what was done by others of his faith? That's the essential argument Henderson makes, that the specific dictates the general. A fallacious argument at best, especially when you you strip away all hyperbolic buzz words and talking points.
As the interview winded down we talked about another "culture war" issue of the day. Fundamentalism of any kind can be, and is "dangerous" in terms of opening up political and and creating community discourse. I asked what he thought about the 2010 local elections, "I'm not really up on that at this point" he replied.
So how "Uptight" can he really be if only outspoken on issues of national prominence? What of the issues affecting the local community?
How Surburban is that oh "Uptight" one?
Jeff Bohen (JBohen@buxmontnews.com)
Staff Writer
No comments:
Post a Comment