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 Opportunities to expose people to critical thinking occur frequently. Last week I received one of those emails we all get on occasion -- one that had been forwarded several times, each time with a dozen or so addressees. The oldest email in the chain was dated November 16, but referred to an event that occurred mid September, 2009. This is what it said:
I hope this makes it to every person in Texas....we need to shut this store down FOR GOOD!!
Today I went to the Harwin Central Mall to pick up some crystals. The very first store that you come to when you walk from the lobby of the building into the shopping area had this sign posted on their door. The shop is run by Muslims. I couldn't stay in the building, it made me so sick.
Feel free to share this with others.
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Imam Ali flew one of the planes into the twin towers. Nice huh?
(Note: If you can't read the sign in the picture, it says: "We will be closed on Friday, September 11, 2009 to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Ali (A.S.)")
The first thing I did when receiving this was to Google for a list of the 9/11 hijackers, which I easily found on several sites, including in an FBI press release. Of course, Imam Ali was not on the list. Since I'm a bit of a history buff (although by no means an expert), I knew that "Imam Ali (A.S.)" was the assassinated fourth Caliph, and the son-in-law of "the Prophet" Mohammed. Disputes regarding the successors to Mohammed, and regarding Ali's murder, contributed to the conflicts that led to the split of Islam between the Sunni and Shia sects.
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, celebrated anniversaries change dates annually as related to the Western calendar. This year, the anniversary of Imam Ali's murder happened to fall on September 11. This is a holy date to the Shia community, and each year millions gather to mourn and commemorate. It is a religious event, but it is also important historically.
I'm not a fan of any religion. However, I am against prejudice, stereotyping, historical ignorance, and failure to check out facts. The news story was carried on Houston affiliates, such as the local ABC station, who covered the story this way: "The sign was posted on a store [...] What it said caused so much controversy it's been blogged about on the Internet and store managers have been threatened and harassed." Other news articles referred to angry bloggers, but also to people who expressed apologies for overreacting without knowing the facts.
Those overreactions, and the threats received by the store owners, were based on ignorance. Most Westerners have little or no knowledge of world history in anything but general terms, and that tends to be dominated by northern European or western hemisphere political events. History about religions is not typically addressed. Like everyone, I get many emails forwarded to me that contain warnings, urban legends, and other false information that can usually be quickly verified or discredited online. Warning someone about flesh-eating bacteria on banana peels probably doesn't cause anyone harm, but threats to boycott stores and false information leading to threats threatened and abuse are truly injurious.
The store owner, Imran Chunawala, closes his shop every year for this anniversary, and was surprised by the reaction. When informed about the controversy regarding the date, he issued an apology and posted a new sign explaining who Imam Ali was, and noting the coincidence of it occurring on September 11 this year. (Note: The Christian holiday of Easter is also based in part on a lunar calendar, which is why it falls on a different date each year.)
The brouhaha was based on a misunderstanding, which has been cleared up, at least locally. However, my copy of the inflammatory email came from a friend in another part of the state, two months after the incident had, in theory, been settled. When I received it, I wrote a "reply all" to my friend explaining the significance of the date. I asked her not to forward the original letter again and to send my note back to the person from whom she had received it. Reactions were mixed. My friend asked me how she could possibly have known about Imam Ali. Another person sent me a "thank you." That was satisfactory. But I wonder how long that email will be passed along without being critically reviewed, researched, or even questioned, and how much needless anger it will inspire.
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I get these kind of things weekly, and I always research them, and send the emailer a heads up that they have been had once again, and that they should be more skeptical before they forward unfounded rumors. Amazingly, they never seem to learn, and will be at it again before you know it.