Media creates world divided: hero vs terrorist

The Star Tribune wants to believe they are on the side of justice when they report on the Texas teenager who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school. But the Tribune’s Islamophobia comes out when they write editorials.

For instance, “Deserved accolades for heroes on train” — about the American heroes on the Paris bound train. The editorial board of the Tribune ended their opinion piece with “Tragically, we’re likely to need more heroes in the years ahead, especially as some of those radicalized in Syria and other Mideast battlefields blend back into Western society.”

What the Tribune has done is divide the world into hero land vs. terrorist land. The West is hero land and the Middle East is terrorist land, and there is nothing in the middle. This is what the authorities did to Ahmed Mohamed in Texas. He was seen more different than the other kids, not as human as the other kids. The Tribune treats those in the Middle East as less than those of us who live in the West.

The reality is, there is this beauty and compassion of the human race everywhere, not just in the West. There have been many heroes in the Muslim world over the past 15 years who have put their lives on the line to protect or save their fellow citizens from attacks from Western militaries. But the West will never publish the stories of the heroes in the Muslim world. This is a form of Islamophobia.

Frank Erickson lives in Minneapolis.