Muslim Stamps

Hey! There really is a new stamp celebrating Muslim holidays. I received a forwarded e.mail denouncing the post office for issuing this stamp and urging Americans to boycott it on the grounds that Muslims attacked the U.S. on 9/ll and on the U.S. Cole and are now fighting us in Afghanistan.

As soon as I read this e.mail, I got in my car and drove to the post office to buy some of these stamps. The clerk said he did not have any yet; the stamp was not to be issued until today.

So I have to make another trip to the post office. I will put Muslim stamps on my valentines. The proposed boycott is another example of American stupidity, prejudice, and bigotry.

Yes, some Muslims attacked us. But the vast majority of Muslims abhor the terrorists, especially those who kill innocent women and children. That is against the teaching of Mohammed. Any one who says all Muslims are anti-American terrorists does not know what they are talking about.

There are thousands and thousands of loyal Muslim Americans. Today more of our citizens are Muslims than Episcopalians.

We honor Christians with Madonnas on Christmas stamps. When I was a child, Baptists would have been outraged by that as “too Catholic.” Sixty years ago Baptists said Catholics were not true Christians because they baptized babies, and Catholics said Baptists were not true Christians because they did not believe in transubstantiation. Now we have progressed beyond such silliness. I hope!

The terrorists are a small group, followers of a sect which distorts the true Muslim religion. To condemn all Muslims because of a few misguided fanatics is like saying millions of Christians will not go to Heaven because they were not baptized by being dunked completely under water.

In December we chose between secular and “religious” stamps to mail our cards. The religious stamps celebrated Christmas. We also had stamps with a Jewish menorah in honor of Hanukkah. New stamps are decorated with Arab calligraphy for Muslim holidays. Why not? Let’s be true Americans and cherish our diversity in religion as well as politics.