As a regular reader and critic of The Daily Orange, I was both unsurprised and disappointed to read Lauren Tousignant’s latest example of unenlightened dribble she dubs an ‘opinion’ in the Oct. 7 issue.

In approaching what she calls ‘the controversy’ of Park51, Ms. Tousignant begins her article by revealing how uninformed and undereducated about Islam and the Middle East she really is. She goes on to denounce her former ignorance under the guise of a newfound understanding, obtained through a single Middle Eastern studies class and by attending a lecture I’m not convinced she even understood.

Using this wealth of knowledge, Ms. Tousignant then tries to assert an argument against building Park51 based on ‘timing,’ protesting that ‘ten years is too soon for the Cordoba House to be built … especially when Americans are just as uninformed about Islam as they were before 9/11. But it’s the perfect time to begin understanding our fellow American Muslims.’ I think this statement perfectly demonstrates the contradiction in Ms. Tousignant’s argument against Park51, which is to say, how can one bar Muslim Americans from trying to interact with and educate their community and simultaneously claim that one is beginning to understand Muslim Americans? It simply does not make any sense. By restricting opportunities for Muslim Americans to reach out to their community, ‘other’ Americans only serve to alienate and irritate the Muslim American community.

Furthermore, I would say that the very nature of Ms. Tousignant’s article rests on ‘otherizing’ Muslim Americans. By framing her article from an ‘America vs. Islam’ mentality, Ms. Tousignant not only seems to imply that one can’t be simultaneously American and Muslim, but furthermore that Muslim Americans do not have the same right to feel or react to what happened on Sept. 11 and thereafter. This ‘otherization’ of the Muslim American community detracts from open dialogue and education and serves to propagate stereotypes. The article is peppered with such ignorant sentiments as ‘Yes, (the 9/11 attackers) were radicals, but it’s often difficult to differentiate between those who practice Islam and those who take it to the extreme’. Well, excuse me Ms. Tousignant, but I’m certain you can distinguish between regular church-going Catholics and the Westboro Baptist fundamentalists.

I am both offended and saddened by Ms. Tousignant’s assertion that ‘many Americans are skeptical of the Islamic faith. We don’t understand it, we don’t trust it.’ As an educated and enlightened American, I find it wildly unfair of Ms. Tousignant to assume that a) Americans don’t have an understanding of Islam and b) even if this lack of understanding exists, it somehow justifies prejudices, or articles like this one. Ignorance is never a sufficient excuse.

Unlike Ms. Tousignant, I lived in New York City on the day the towers fell, and I, like many, will never forget that fear or bewilderment. But I do not allow those memories to overcome facts or opportunities to educate myself and connect with others. In the face of a narrowing scope of communication, I believe that it is of utmost importance that we open up the dialogue between the American public and the Muslim American community to try to decrease this epidemic of ‘otherization.’ It is with passion and urgency that I echo Ms. Tousignant’s hope for future harmony among all communities; however, I do not agree with her method of espousing misinformed half-truths and biases on the road to understanding. Instead I would encourage all Americans to step outside themselves, to engage in dialogue among their own and other communities, and to use knowledge as a tool to overcoming ignorance.

In summary, it is lucky for us that Ms. Tousignant chooses to focus her energies on rhetoric and not international relations.

Samantha Costello

Sophomore, College of Arts and Sciences

Published on October 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm