Since September eleventh, America has been drowned with a constant barrage of anti-Islamic sentiments. The racist and xenophobic fringe types still entwined within America’s social fabric have again cast their nets of fear and hatred against Islam. Moreover, in the presidential race we can see how the sick pathologies of xenophobia and racism are playing a factor in the candidacy of Barack Obama. A recent photo of Obama was leaked on the Internet, showing him draped in traditional Somali garb. A reasonable individual might say, of what consequence is this to presidential capabilities of Barack Obama; nothing at all I would answer. However, the bigger issue at hand, is why, and how does such a photo effect the perception Barack Obama to mainstream America?

 Over the past two years, many unfounded rumors have floated around accusing Obama of being a Muslim. One of these reasons is that Barack Obama is the son of a Kenyan born immigrant whose religion was Islam. Obama’s father gave his son a traditional Muslim name, Hussein.  The name Hussein, as we know, could be the modern day proverbial equivalent of naming a child the devil, thanks to the attoricities committed by Sadaam Hussein. In consequence to the attacks of September eleventh, names that have a ring of Middle Eastern origin to them, have begun to cause a little bit of uneasiness for some Americans. Obama being a black man all by itself is an enough to cause fear in the hearts of white America, on top of that, he has the middle name Hussein, which gives more ammunition to the xenophobic and racist types in America.  This fear mongering will manifest itself in the second guessing of many white ( and even some minorities) on the loyalties of Senator Obama. Some will fear him because he is a Muslim, some will fear him because he’s a black man, in fact, some may fear him because they think he is little too far left in his political ideological leanings for their taste.

Further, I wonder if the so called moral conscience of America, that Martin Luther King once attempted to appeal to during the Civil Rights Movement, is alive today? If it is, this sinister and dubious plot by some in the Republican party and even the Democratic party, to inject this campaign with  covert vitriolic sentiments of racism and xenophobia within the presidential race, will fall on deaf ears. However, if it doesn’t, this country will have confirmed to me that racism and xenophobia are as American as the red, white, and blue stitched in the flag.

Just a brief understanding of Christian fundamentalism

Modern Christian fundamentalism arose from American millenarian sects of the 19th century, and has become associated with reaction against social and political liberalism and rejection of the theory of evolution. It is a form of Protestant Christianity that upholds belief in the strict and literal interpretation of the Bible, including its narratives, doctrines, prophecies, and moral laws. Further, it begs of its religious participants a strict maintenance of ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion or ideology, notably Islam.

I would like to say that I first and foremost I am a Christian, however, I differ with you in accordance to homosexuality and Christianity. Many Christians today have still not come to grasp with the message that Jesus came to deliver, which was to destroy the categories of uncleanness and to abolish the paradoxes that were within the old laws that inhibited many from attaining a truly effective and healthy relationship with God. Further, as I see many Christians lambaste homosexuals from verses in the Bible, I don’t see many other people acknowledging verses by the Apostle Paul, which say women should not wear earrings in the church and also that women should not talk and should remain silent in the church. Thus, there lie contradictions within many of our theological presuppositions and how we reverence the Bible and how it relates to interpreting Biblical verses within their social and historical context. Because you’re an African-American, you are the exact result of taking the Bible to literally. Many Europeans took the Bible verses “servants serve and obey your master” too literally, and look where we are today, consequently, we can see repercussions of such actions.

Also, I would ask for you to actually seek for deeper revelation into the so-called verses against homosexuality. It is well known, that Sodom and Gomorrah is not about homosexuality, however, it is about the gang rape of two angels of God! In those verses God did not once mention homosexuality, however, it is only with your heterosexual normative gaze that you interpret sexual deviance and immoral behavior with a homosexual lifestyle. I know many peoples argument will state that homosexuality is interfering with nature because they cannot have children. I find something deeply wrong with humans with finite minds defining what is “natural”. I could further argue that wearing a condom is not natural; using birth control is not natural, for heaven sake using medicine is not natural! Who are you, as a moral judge to tell someone that his or her behavior is unnatural?

With many fundamentalist Christian, I find a lot of self – righteous behavior, which is something Jesus did not forget to condemn because he came to destroy the methods of external holiness that were displayed by the Jewish high priest who were complicit with the Roman empire in his demise because of his teachings that called for a more intrinsic spirituality, that could combat the staunch absolutist dogma that told the “ unclean” the “unnatural”, that they could not take part in the Kingdom of God. I also find it disgusting at the amount of heterosexist and homophobic mindsets that are indoctrinated in the African American community. African Americans were told that they were animals, and that they were a cursed creature void of culture, based of the same Bible, and you are using to beat upon the head of homosexuals! Irony at its finest I say I hope you as a Christian wake up and see the cycle of biblical oppression that is being professed in the name of the Bible: racism, sexism, classism, etc. These things Jesus was vehemently opposed to, so why would heterosexism and homophobia be any different?

I invite you to think more critically about these issues and to see how Jesus would handle them. Remember, you are a Christian not a Paulite not a Mosesite not Solomonite, you are a CHRISTIAN. Study what Jesus said, you would be interested to know that Jesus never mentioned once homosexuality. I wonder why……….

I can’t believe this, but I think I have gained a new found level of respect for Mr.Thomas. Clarence Thomas has been in the news lately for his new book ” My Grandfathers Son”. He talks about his social upheavel from shanty houses with one lightbulb, to smashing the gavel in Supreme Court. It’s a truly moving story, even for a Uncle Tom.lol. I can respect any man who rises from such humble beginings and to move to a very prominent office in our goverment.

For that Clarence “Tommy” Thomas, you’re the Revolutionary of the week .

The history of the word nigger is often traced to the Latin word niger, meaning black. This word can also be traced to a point in history in which the Greeks visited ancient Egypt, and witnessed the practices of the Egyptians as they were worshiping the dead. When they returned home they refered to these Egyptians as the people of necro ( meaning death and darkness.) This word later became the noun negro (black person) in English, and simply the color black in Spanish and Portuguese. In Early Modern French niger became negre, and later the term negress (black woman) unmistakably became a part of lexical history. It is quite easy to compare negre,nigger, and other English variations such as negar, neegar, neger, and niggor that developed into its lexico-semantic true version in English. It is highly probable that nigger is a phonetic spelling of the white Southern mispronunciation of Negro.

Along with the word nigger comes disgusting connotations directed at African- Americans, and Africans alike. It was a term used to exclude and discriminate against blacks, and to create ignorant and derogatory stereotypes to legitimize the discrimination of blacks in America. The following examples are important information on the words use and meaning. Niggerish: Acting in a lazy and irresponsible manner; Niggerlipping: wetting the end of a cigarette while smoking it; Niggerlover: Derogatory term aimed at whites lacking in the necessary loathing of blacks; Nigger luck: Exceptionally good luck, emphasis on undeserved, and Nigger heaven: Designated places, usually the balcony, where blacks were forced to sit, for example, in an integrated movie theater or church. During times of slavery, many ministers preached in their churches the belief that God was a white man and condemned Blacks to be servants. Consequently scientists began to measure Black skulls, brains, faces, and genitalia, trying to find substantial evidence to prove that whites were genetically superior to Blacks. White teachers, teaching only white students, taught that Blacks were inferior, less evolved cognitively, psychologically, and socially.

Nevertheless, given the history of this hideous word, many African- Americans continue to use it amongst each other as a way of showing brotherhood or sisterhood. Not surprisingly though many people feel the word should not be used under any circumstances. The word has picked up more ground as Hip-Hop artist continue to use it as a common word thrown about for “color” in their lyrics as a sign of endearment. It should come as no suprise that older African-Americans are against the word, while the younger generation seems more accepting of the word as it is used to signify unity and friendship. If you ask me this seems more like a generational divide that continues to perpetuate itself in the African-American community. Thus, the big question we should be asking is if the history of the word is the controlling factor in this argument, or is it the context in which word is set ?

In my opinion I feel the word can be used as a term that we as young people can utilize to show brotherhood, sisterhood, and unity. Nevertheless, we should not forget the history of this word, and we should not be insensitive to the disgusting connotations young and old people alike might derive from the utterance of the word. For those who choose not to use it be aware that when someone may say the word in your presence, it is being used to  show a form of endearment , love, brotherhood, and sisterhood. Hip-Hop vernacular has always taken negative words and flipped the meaning , for example sick means good and shitty means nicely dressesed. We need to understand these concepts so we do not sacrifice universality at the sake of preserving unity. We can understand the vile undertakings and history of the word, while simultaneously flipping it to fulfill a blossoming new meaning at the same time.

And as always, to return to the main page and read some of my colleagues posts, go to www.teenedge.wordpress.com. Thanks!