culture proud, not racist

Yolanda married well and enjoys being a stay at home mom. With plenty of time on her hands during the day when her kids are at school, she does community work helping refugees.

"I wasn't born to lead a 9 to 5 life in an office," laughs Yolanda, "but I certainly don't waste my time on soaps or gossip. I fill my time with plenty of activities, one of which is helping refugees settle into the community."

"Ever since the 9/11 tragedy the world has been obsessed with Moslems and terrorism," says Yolanda, "but the cultural differences between radical Moslems and everyone else has been a problem in my community for as long as I can remember."

"Frankly I'm fed up with people calling me a racist when I am simply proud of my country, its culture and values," says Yolanda. "I am so proud to be an American and I am so grateful that this wonderful country gave refuge to my Italian grandparents."

"I live in a multi-racial community and people from every race and culture have settled down fine and assimilated well," says Yolanda, "all except for those following the radical Moslem faith who, mostly, do not want to be part of our community."

"Not only are most of these people separatist - wanting to benefit from our freedoms and wealth without embracing the culture that made such freedoms and wealth possible," says Yolanda, "but they are also openly disdainful of us and everything we believe in."

"I cannot understand why they would want to settle here when they hate us so much," sighs Yolanda. "And I cannot understand why our government permits them to settle here when they have no intention whatsoever of embracing our culture and values and becoming one of us."

"How can I be racist when I embrace people from all over the world?" asks Yolanda. "If anyone is racist it is those radical Moslems who feel that they are better than we are because of their religious beliefs."

"As far as I am concerned people can believe in whatever they want to believe in just as long as they don't try shoving it in my face or belittling me or my children or the community I live in," says Yolanda.

"Building mosques and sending their children to Moslem schools is not a problem," says Yolanda. "It becomes a problem when those mosques and schools are teaching their children to vilify non-Moslem people and cultures."

"My little girl has been called a 'whore' for wearing clothes that expose her midriff," says Yolanda. "And it angers me immensely when Moslem children actually born in our community are behaving like medieval aliens rather than regular kids."

"My heritage is Italian and I admit that my grandmother still wears a headscarf, black garb and follows her quaint old customs," confesses Yolanda, "but she was quite happy to allow my mother to adopt the customs and culture of the country that gave the family sanctuary after the 1939-45 war."

"That has been the case with every other immigrant nation except those from Moslem nations," says Yolanda. "You don't see Chinese girls in Mao suits or Indian girls in saris so why are Moslem girls born here forced by their parents to wear clothes that cover every part of their bodies bar their eyes?"

"You expect to see women and girls dressed like this in the country of their origin," says Yolanda, "but you don't expect to see them dressed like this at the local supermarket - or the beach - especially on a stinking hot day - and especially when their men are dressed normally."

"All last century, western women fought for equality in voting, pay, family planning and social acceptance," explains Yolanda, "and it breaks my heart to see these Moslem women clinging to a medieval male-dominated culture and wearing themselves out having anything up to twenty kids."

"Frankly, our toleration of their backward culture is damaging our community values, especially in relation to women."

"My husband urges me to get involved with something else - mainly because it's not a good topic for dinner parties - but I am determined to assert my beliefs against radical Moslems in my community," says Yolanda.

"The young Moslem boys actually think bin Laden is a hero," sighs Yolanda. "My husband says they are just kids and mouthing off and should be laughed at, but I think differently. I think it's abominable that we should tolerate such talk."

"At some primeval level I think a lot of western men admire bin Laden," says Yolanda. "Not because of his terrorist activities, but because of his seeming 'manliness' and oppression of women."

"The beard, for instance, is a symbol of manliness," says Yolanda, "and although nobody can see much of his face because of it he does seem to have the piercing eyes of Valentino, the old silent movie matinee idol, doesn't he?"

"I can understand his appeal to both men and women," says Yolanda, "but as far as I know there is nothing in the Koran that says women must be oppressed and wear head to toe garments."

"Look at how young boys are indoctrinated by radical religion in the Moslem culture," says Yolanda. "Don't tell me that that sort of indoctrination doesn't have devastating effects on their physical, mental and spiritual development."

"I don't believe any sane Moslem male lives in expectation of being given virgin girls and boys for his sexual pleasure upon death any more than any sane Christian believes in paradise," sighs Yolanda, "but when you are indoctrinated with such beliefs when you're young, who is to tell how your psyche is affected?"

"The radical Islam as preached by bin Laden and others like him is based upon male domination over women," explains Yolanda, "and it's also perverse, unnatural and so far out of touch with the 21st century that it's amazing that they can cling to such beliefs while driving fast cars and using modern technology. It's hypocritical!"

"Let's face it," says Yolanda, "if someone as rich as bin Laden and the other Moslem leaders truly wanted to alleviate suffering and misery in the Moslem nations then they would share their vast riches - but they don't. These guy aren't humanitarians in any shape or form and they are bad role models."

"I'm not saying that our leaders are better role models," adds Yolanda, "but at least they don't take all, give nothing and force us to seek refuge in other lands. Allah be praised for that! But if I were forced to seek refuge in Yemen, do you think they'd tolerate my western ways?"

"Of course they wouldn't, and neither would I be so arrogant that I'd expect them to," explains Yolanda, "and this is why I am so incensed by the behavior of the radical Moslems in my community. It has nothing to do with racism and when they point that racist finger at me I point it right back at them."