Chapter Eleven opens and speaks of Islam. The word Islam means peace and the word Muslim means one who surrenders to God. Looking on our televisions, or reading a paper, the word Muslim almost seens like it means haters based on the press coverage- especially after Setember 11th.
September 11, 2001 was the first time many American's actually tuned in to what Islam was. The terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennslyvania instantly transformed America into a nation mourning. On September 12, and for the next several weeks, highlights of lives of people who had lost their lives aired 24 hours a day and Americans were looking to place blaim. The Islamic religion quickly became the target for this blame.
Recently, Americans were reminded of the horrors of terrorism with the Boston bombings. Quickly, people from across the country were looking to place blame and single out a group. Will Islam hatred grow as a result? Will coverage of hatred be greater on American television?
Think about your image of the Middle East... It's the norm in media coverage of Muslims to show faces filled with rage, without looking beyond the most violent, provocative photos to the real lives of average Middle Easterners.
"Brotherhood" is certainly not presented or understood with our biased press coverage in 21st Century America.
Chapter Thirteen speaks of China and communism in the opening remarks. China's communism is changing. China is moving further away from Mao Communism and into a new zone. The government of China has entered into the global world of capitalism. This new China is very different from the old China. It's gone from making McDonald's Happy Meals toys to making electric cars and iPhones. It's gone from riding a bike to driving a BMW in a little over a decade. The new China is creating a new Communist Party. The old party is dieing and this will bring about its own set of challenges, for this ancient, yet resilent country. Watch China... you'll be hearing of their determination for years to come. But, hasn't this always been the case?
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