Today, more than ever, our country is forgetting one of our greatest assets. Diversity. We have a presidential candidate who is trying to "build a wall and keep Mexicans out" and now use surveillance cameras on Islamic mosques. Michelle Obama said it best: "We don't build walls to keep people out because we know our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere."
I remember growing up in school hearing that America is a huge "melting pot" where we celebrate all religions, races, and cultures; where we were told that our nation accepts anybody seeking to make a better life with open arms; where we should learn different languages to better communicate with people from other countries. When was the last time you've heard somebody use those words in a positive light?
Recent events, such as the Orlando shooting and the Paris terror attack, have our country stuck in fear, and rightfully so. But with our major media sources and our current political leaders, our fear is being directed in the wrong place. Little do most Americans realize that ISIS has targeted and harmed more Muslim people than Americans, but our goal is to filter the Muslims out? Even though the vast majority of the Muslim people are peaceful, caring, giving, generous, and kind, we want to punish them as a group?
Why should we, as a nation, be discriminating against an entire religious group? Imagine if this worldwide terror network were Christian-based, instead of Islamic-based. I think, personally, that the entire response from our country would be completely different. Imagine a political leader trying to ban Christianity and Christian people from entering the US. How crazy is that to think about? For millions of people, the Muslim ban is just as heretical.
There is truly one solution to this issue: education. People aren't remembering how our diversity, our differences, our fears, and our shortcomings connect us. They bring us together, the good and the bad. Our American culture is becoming very one-way. We need education to show us different cultures; to teach us tolerance for other social groups; and to most importantly, make us accepting of all. Our kids are growing up afraid of a different way of life, and that is an extremely dangerous road to head down.
I have an incredible amount of faith in humanity. We need to stand together, and not let anything stop the beauty of diversity.
"An attack on any American is an attack on every American."
-Hillary Clinton
