We fear

The anti-Muslim feeling is prevailing because of the potential Islamic mosque at Ground Zero. Recently, a debate over whether Texas should curtail references to Islam in their text books is raised. Conservatives feel safe to support this action, while liberals do not think excluding Muslims matches American values.

Both conservatives and liberals are defending something that they think is important and correct, and both of them could justify themselves with endless reasons. These are our voices, voices from within the United States. However, we are missing voices from Muslims, who are not hostile to the United States and who hope to be treated equally. This debate could go on forever between the conservatives and liberals, and so could the Ground Zero case. We are debating, analyzing, judging, and claiming. We decide how they will appear in our text books. We are the subject, and they are the object. What we are doing now does not directly influence our personal rights or daily lives; however, it does influence our their lives.

Our decision might induce a whole society's fear toward headscarves and a biased view on that sacred land in Middle East. However, we cannot put our country's security at large. We try to ban as many potential risks as possible.

After several Middle East-related terrorist attacks or attempts of attacking, are American people brave enough to accept Muslim more widely and unflappably? Times have changed. Looking at our founders' courage of introducing new government systems and rules to the U.S. when they had very few precedents to refer to, we regret to admit that we are becoming more prudent after we have experienced more.

We dare not to risk.