Here's a thought for a big part of it - far too many people are intolerant and bigoted. Adamant that only they are right, believing everyone else must agree one hundred percent with them and do as they do.
Different from me? Not acceptable.
Another example has just arrived in my e-mail box, and I get similar messages regularly. They come from 'Christians' whipping up anti-Muslim sentiment.
Let me declare my position. I have very little time for any religion.
I don't have a problem with religions per se, but with the fact that they're a rallying point for an awful lot of nastiness.
People whose beliefs and actions are actually far from that of the religion itself gather under its banner and effectively hijack it to push their own perverted version of it.
The e-mails I get originate in the US, as this latest does.
It says:
These pictures are worth more than a thousand words!! Please take note that police and fireman are onsite! It is sanctioned.
NYC on Madison Ave
This is an accurate picture of every Friday afternoon in several locations throughout NYC where there are mosques with a large number of Muslims that cannot fit into the mosque - They fill the surrounding streets, facing east for a couple of hours between about 2 & 4 p.m. - Besides this one at 42nd St & Madison Ave, there is another, even larger group, at 94th St & 3rd Ave, etc., etc. - Also, I presume, you are aware of the dispute over building another "high rise" Mosque a few blocks from "ground zero" - With regard to that one, the "Imam" refuses to disclose where the $110 million dollars to build it is coming from and there is a lawsuit filed to force disclosure of that information.
This is in New York City on Madison Avenue, not in France or the Middle East or Yemen or Kenya.
PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY CHRISTIAN YOU KNOW!!!!
"For evil to flourish, all that is needed is for good people to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
I hardly know where to start.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
The senders of the e-mail obviously disagree with that amendment, or at least the part that refers to religion. I wonder whether they think the other parts, freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, are wrong too. My guess is that it's just the religious freedom bit they don't like. Or at least, if it applies to any religion other than their own particular branch of Christianity.
(I wonder where they stand on the Second Amendment too...)
Scary! Isn't it? What's scary? People saying their prayers scares you?
"A Christian nation cannot put up a Christmas scene of the baby Jesus..." Who are they blaming? I've never heard people from other religions demanding such things.
There are examples of this kind of stupidity but it comes from 'Christian' councils, officials, individuals, usually on the ridiculous basis of 'we don't want to offend anyone' - forgetting that they are offending Christians.
...this is not in France, Middle East or Yemen or Kenya (you've spotted the Obama reference there of course, and the old France-bashing dig). It is indeed in New York City. But NYC is in the USA, which guarantees freedom of religion. So the problem is...?
"For evil to flourish etc". Evil? What evil is being shown?
The photo shows pious people, too many to fit into their place of worship, peacefully and legally observing their religious devotions.
No prizes for working out the agenda of the senders of these e-mails.
More information
Thanks to jadaoun for pointing out in his comment the Snopes page on this subject.
In fact the whole thing is based on a lie. It's a complete misrepresentation.
The photographs are of an annual event, like the St Patrick's Day Parade and others.
You can read the Snopes information here.