MY NEW HERO
Peerzada Shah & Zafaryab Ali
A 91-year-old New York Jewish bagel shop about to go under was saved by two former Muslim cab drivers who vowed to keep it kosher. Coney Island Bialys and Bagels was set to close its doors in September, with longtime owner Steve Ross citing a bad economy as the culprit, the Jewish Daily Forward first reported. But Peerzada Shah and Zafaryab Ali couldn’t let that happen, so the two former New York cab drivers and one-time roommates bought the store together…. Some might wonder whether the “geopolitics that divide Muslims and Jews” pose a problem, but all three men say it doesn’t factor in anywhere…. “It doesn’t matter,” Ali told the New York Daily News. “I make the food for everyone.”
Dear Pamela Geller and Peter King,
I know that both of you are heavily absorbed is spreading fear and loathing about all things Muslim. I know that y’all think Islam is of the Devil, and that Sharia is a clear and present danger to all that is good and decent about America. Ignoring the reality that there’s a strain of Christianity every bit as ignorant, hateful, and desirous of destroying their preceived enemy as the Islamofascists you see around every corner, you might be surprised to know that your ugly stereotypes are as inaccurate as they are dehumanizing. You might also be surprised to learn that most Muslims, like most Christians, are decent, peaceful sorts who merely want to be left alone to live their beliefs.
Sure, I suppose it might seem odd that two Muslims would purchase a bialy and bagel shop, but part of our problem as a society is our reliance of stereotypes. We get so caught up in geopolitical, religious, and/or ideological conflict that we lose sight of the fact that we’re all pretty much the same. Christian, Muslim, Jew…hey, we all gotta eat, right?? And if customers don’t have an issue with the religion of the new owners, why should you? As long as their bagels and bialys are up to snuff, isn’t that really all that matters?
I realize that y’all are busy building lucrative careers predicated on spreading fear and hatred. If that’s what gets you through the night…well, more power to you, I suppose. Still, would it kill you to stop hating long enough to recognize that “Islam” does not literally mean “America-hating zealots who want destroy Our Way of Life and force us to live under the iron hand of Sharia”?
Y’all may not be willing to recognize, much less admit this, but when you get right down to it, one can always find ways to separate and divide humanity. This makes it so much easier to hate and discriminate against those who live, think, look, and/or believe differently than you do. It doesn’t make them wrong…and it certainly doesn’t make you right. It just means that if you want to hate, you can always find a reason. Likewise, if you want to love, you can also always find a reason. What I don’t understand is why you find it so difficult to love. Do you enjoy being consumed by anger, hatred, and distrust? Is there something cleansing and freeing about a good Two-Minute Hate??
You know, if you could let a little light into your hearts, you might just realize that Peerzada Shah & Zafaryab Ali give us a story that all of us should be celebrating. Of course, that wouldn’t be a very good business move for you, would it…seeing as how your fame and careers are predicate on fomenting hatred and fear of any and all things Muslim?
It’s too bad, really; it’s got to be tough being that angry and hateful 24/7/365. I feel sorry for you.
Sincerely,
Me ;-)
