Washington Post: Why I Published Those Cartoons

[Belinda Wong-Swanson]

I enjoyed reading the various perspectives regarding this issue on Friam. It is through considered and open discussions as these that we can enable mutual understanding and respect.

 I believe that most Muslims are non-violent just as I know that most Americans are kind and considerate. I for one have benefitted so much from the kindness of Americans, without whose financial assistance I would never have received my bachelor degree, let alone advance degrees. As another example of American kindness, there was a young lady who grew up in Santa Fe, NM who was killed violently by a mob of blacks when she was working as a volunteer against apartheid in South Africa. Her parents not only forgave her killers but has created a foundation to help the local communities. As another example of American kindness,I currently am working with an American of Jewish decent from New York who has created a foundation to help the Surmang community in Tibet, which has suffered tremendously under Mao and the Red Guards. He has helped built clinics and schools for the local people and is working to help create micro-finance business so the local community can be self sustaining. For more information about this organization, refer to surmang.org

 It is unfortunate that people with extremist views, though minor in number they may be, get all the publicity, when majority people all over the world just want to co-exist peacefully, and will sacrifice, each one in our own way, to help make this world a better place.

 Belinda

Belinda Wong-Swanson, Principal
Innov8 LLC, 624 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Tel: [phone]
Email: bws at innov8llc.com
Url: www.innov8llc.com

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> I, for one, "get" what you are trying to say, at least in a few small
> ways.
[...]
>
> I soon came to straddle those two worlds. Like a shaman, or like a
> pariah, depending on the moment, I had to take in the best and worst of
> both cultures. And I saw hugely bad behaviour from both sides, each,
> in turn threatening, dismissing, resenting, hating the other. With
> my feet (and head) in both worlds, I was burdened and honored with
> having to see both sides, to hold the same resentments and harms along
> with the insights and inspirations of both.

You certainly do get my point, thanks Steve.

It is quite rare to find people who straddle multiple cultures and who are
able to appreciate the complexities and beauty that makes each one of them
special, and though they might formulate their own independent world view or
be attracted to whichever culture, they are not dismissive of the "other".

[...] I don't suppose most of the muslim world was all
> that surprised that we took the use of our own airlliners as suicide
> bombs against our most revered symbols of military and economic power,
> as "fighting words" and responded the way we did. Most of the people
> suffering our wrath did not plan or execute those attacks, many
> probably did not even tacitly condone them, yet suffer they do. And
> sadly, those of us who did not satirize the prophet of Islam, etc.
> will suffer the indignation and perhaps wrath of the muslim world for
> some time to come.
>

Ignorance feeds ignorance, and extremism on one side creates and extremism
on the other. Unless there are more people like you in the west and the
Muslim world who can see beyond the demonized "other" and their own self
righteous indignation.

> They do this, we do that.
> The fued continues,
> as fueds always have
> and always will

I sure hope the vicious cycle stop, if there is a future for humanity beyond
the next 100 or so years.

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