Hi, Daphne, Ochieng, and all list members, 

I had mixed reactions to Ochieng's message. I was appreciative of the
information about Ramadan, but I was somewhat uncomfortable with the
religious content. I think I would have been very uncomfortable with a
similar message about Christianity. Part of the difference, for me, is
the power and privilege that Christianity wields in this country, so a
Christian posting such a message does so with considerably less risk
than a Muslim would.  I think it is appropriate, but exceedingly
difficult, to discuss religion in this forum. 

 

I also think many well-intentioned comments, such as "We are all God's
creation and God serves and cares for us all irrespective of our faith;
whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc." are problematic. I, for one,
have very different views, and I object to being told that I am a
creation of an entity in which I may not believe. And while God may, if
God exists, serve and care for us all, organized religions are often in
the business of maintaining and enforcing oppressive power structures. I
think that when our religious beliefs are central to our lives and our
identities, it is easy for us to embed those beliefs in our
communication without realizing that this can be off-putting to those
who do not share our beliefs. 

 

Respectfully, 

Karen 

 

 

Karen Wyman

Community Outreach Trainer

New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence  (NMCADV)

201 Coal Avenue SW

Albuquerque, NM 87102

phone 505.246.9240

fax 505.246.9434

www.nmcadv.org <http://www.nmcadv.org> 

karenw at nmcadv.org

 

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. 

 

 

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