Tolerating Islam?
Okay, so I'm a little behind on this one. Almost five years to be exact. Today, I received an email about the Islamic Stamp. To be honest, I didn't believe the e-mail, so I went to SNOPES.COM to see if this was another urban legend. "Nope," says SNOPES. It's true. Turns out that the EID Stamp, pictured below, was introduced on September 1, 2001, just 10 days prior to 9-11. The stamp was introduced on August 1 in a press release from the USPS.
The stamp recognizes the Islamic feast that follows Ramadan. Therefore, the EID Stamp is part of the Holiday series which also recognizes Christian and Jewish feastivals.
The question comes, "Should I buy this stamp?" Personally, I would not, for the same reason a Jew wouldn't buy a Merry Christmas stamp and for the same reason a Muslim wouldn't purchase the Kwanzaa stamp.
Is it a matter of boycott? No. Am I becoming too intolerant? Depends on your definition of tolerance. According to the pure definition I am not intolerant.
Today's culture violates the meaning for tolerance and equates it with sharing beliefs. In other words, today's culture says that I must never verbally disagree with a Catholic Democrat if I'm to be tolerant as a Protestant Republican. However, such a use of toleration falls short. True tolerance requires one to hold to a belief while accepting others even when in disagreements.
Unfortunately, today's realism causes people to be wishy-washy--to not hold to any beliefs in fear of offending. Because of realism, people who think through situations with guiding principles and consistent reasoning are viewed as intellectual retards.
With true tolerance, I can make room for an EID stamp and an Islamic Mosque in my community. Furthermore, true tolerance demands that I not change my own beliefs nor embrace their beliefs. Rather, I am to move on with our differences.
