This photo (of a woman wearing an American flag as a Hijab) and the screen captures of the comments (below) are taken from a Facebook page called Ban Islam. The purpose of the page is for 'people who are against Islam [to] protest in any way they wish.' I would suggest you check out this page if you want an endless collection of selective and emotive images designed to target gullible, narrow-minded and undereducated people. That is, this page deliberately presents the dark side of Islam (or acts done in the name of Islam) and is full of arguments arising from false information.
To point out the obvious, it is extremely easy to make a group seem inhumane and disgusting because there are always certain people in a group who misrepresent the ideologies of the group. For example, you can SO EASILY make a hate-USA page by posting information about America's unnecessary, pointless and inhumane attacks on many foreign countries, police brutality, the drug addicts, the racists and 'rednecks'. You can easily make anti-Christianity, anti-Buddhism, or just anti-religion pages. You can make anti-Asian, anti-White, anti-Black pages. There are examples of everything to make your point. I think, perhaps, it would be easier to just make an anti-human page.
To get back to the point, there was a particularly ridiculous post made by Ban Islam, which went 'viral' on Tumblr. Take a look for yourself and read some of the comments:
Did they make you cringe?
Among everything that is wrong with the outrage by the commentators who find it extremely wrong and offensive that an American flag is used as a hijab, I wonder about one thing in particular: the contradictions and mixed signals. The Islam-hating people (Americans, in this case) love to think that Muslims hate America, and that they live to kill the people of America. Then, when a Muslim woman embraces her religion and culture as well as the country she presumably lives in (or was born in), and combines love for both at the same time, why is it such a problem? How is it disrespectful?
But of course, this hypocrisy is not the only thing wrong with the post (for example, the insane amount of hatred and cruelty evident in the comments, some of which imply killing the woman). But I am sure I don't need to go into detail.
Now, the 'disrespectful' nature of a woman wearing the American flag as her hijab, is compared with the way the American flag is sometimes used in mainstream culture:
Respectful...? Hmm.
Of course, my point is not to judge what is and what is not a respectful way of carrying a nation's flag. I think it is reasonable to think that the fact that the flag is used in many areas of life in different contexts shows the underlying pride in the flag, and perhaps even respect.
However, my point is, one must be consistent in their arguments and opinions, especially if they come with such big consequences as hatred and disgust.
I want to know what you think: Is it disrespectful for a Muslim woman to use the American flag as the headscarf? Is it disrespectful for the flag to be used in mainstream culture as shown above (in sexual ways and in ways that do not represent the country at all)?
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