And the Winner is……

12Dec06

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a microfinance banker and economist from Bangladesh. When this was announced, the headlines read: Economist awarded Nobel Peace Prize, or Nobel Prize awarded to economist from Bangladesh, but nowhere did it mention that he is a Muslim.

Yeah you could say “well his name is a clear giveaway to that fact,” but think of the impact this headline would have had: Muslim Economist Awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

When a Muslim achieves something great, it does not seem necessary to mention the fact that he is a Muslim, and if it is mentioned, it is downplayed somewhat. By the same token, when a Muslim is responsible for something negative, well then that’s the first thing that is pointed out.

Unfair? Definitely…but then again, nobody ever said the world was fair.

What to do about this predicament? I wish I had the answers. All I know is that we have to work that much harder to make sure that all information presented is accurate and fair.

I know I know, easier said than done.

-sk