In all fairness to Thomas, I told him that I would forward his idea to the coordinator at the Y, and I did so. But I also think that individuals should get involved in organizing such events if they feel strongly on the matter.
I should also add (and I'm trying to keep this discussion relevant to Minneapolis issues) that a lot of Arab immigrants I know are from Lebanon and thus Christians--they do get annoyed at being automatically labeled as Muslims. As a volunteer, I intend to make myself available to anyone who feels intimidated--including the Polish grandmothers in my Northeast neighborhood who wear kerchiefs and could be mistaken for "Muslims" by some ignorant yahoo. (Latinos and immigrants from India have also been harassed as "Muslims.") Minneapolis has done a better job than many cities in safeguarding residents from the biases of others. As a freethinker/Buddhist myself I accept the rights of others to persuade and even try to convert me--but not to become abusive, as I witnessed a Bible-clutching woman acting on the bus toward a very forgiving Somalian woman. (I gently pointed out that Christ is in the Qur'an as well, but the missionary wasn't receptive.) Kristine Harley Sheridan _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
