By CHICAGO TRIBUNE
)CHICAGO TRIBUNE) Regarding the article “Yearly drive brings a rarely available food item” (Aug. 4): I am glad that the Tribune brought attention to the people who have helped donate and deliver food and school supplies to Muslim families in need. What I’d like to discuss is the cruel treatment and hostility I witness toward people who are Muslim.
In an article I wrote for the nonprofit Borgen Project, I wrote about how many Muslim organizations had come together in South Africa to bring relief to people hugely affected by the recent string of riots in and around Durban, South Africa.
The Muslim community has been painted in many parts of the world, including the U.S., as a dangerous and hostile community. Because of the dangerous stereotype that the world has created for this community, we have put innocent people in harm’s way, including children. Due to the consistent and prevalent harmful stereotypes that the media portrays, a study showed that American children associated the words “anti-American” and “hostile” toward Muslim children. This created a cycle of consistent bullying and hatred.
I would like the public to take a stand against these harmful stereotypes. We are all humans stuck on one planet we call home. We are going to be stuck here for a while, so we might as well get along the best we can.
— Aahana Goswami, Schaumburg
Addressing cyberattacks
The latest in a steady stream of hacker attacks on U.S. businesses and government offices confirms that computerized information is never safe and is always vulnerable to malicious hacking. There are only three options open to civilization.
First, we could stop using computers to store priceless essential information, and revert to the use of physical paper documents. I am not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. Not only do we use computers for everything, but also increasingly, we are forced to use computers for all fiscal transactions. Those who dared to use paper tax forms recently have waited over a year for their refunds.
