Hypocrisy at the Corner Store.

[ScreamingMeemie]

I have recently picked up a couple hours here and there at my neighborhood's corner store. It is owned, and solely ran, by a Pakistani man and his wife. They are Muslim. They have two young sons and have owned and operated this store for the past 23 years. They had owned several stores and decided to close them (safety reasons) and this one they kept. Why? Because they liked the customers, mainly families stopping in for milk, beer, cigarettes and lotto tickets on the way home from work, and it was in a safe location...a suburban neighborhood. They are genuinely fond of their customers. In the (almost) two years I have lived here I have seen incredible acts of kindness from this couple; feeding a local drunk with nothing asked in return, paying the difference for snack buying children who don't know the meaning of "sales tax", and helping a young mother out when her car was repossessed. They are good people. The kind you want to run a convenience store located in your neighborhood.

In the past few days a disturbing attitude is becoming noticeable. With Ramadan upon us, I have switched from working days to nights, in order to free them to break their fast and spend time with their family. When asked where they are by the night comers, I am met with much sneering and eye rolling when I explain that this is Ramadan. I have heard comments ranging from "I only worship one God" to "They are great people, but I wish they weren't Muslim" to "F*ck Ramadan". I have heard them speak to this man about Obama and the "Ground Zero Mosque" with disrespect, anger and outrage... He is too good a man to argue any points with them. He is also a business man with children to feed. The hypocrisy is almost a stench surrounding these people, who probably think they are very forward thinking and accepting for "allowing" this man to conduct business in their community.

There is hope. This evening a woman walked in, wondering where they were. I have stopped explaining that it is Ramadan. I said that I would be working nights for the next month-ish. Her response was, "That's right, it's Ramadan". She proceeded to tell me how long she had known this family, and that often she (a Catholic) and the shop owner's wife would trade prayers for each other in times of need. Now that, that is religious tolerance.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That is religious tolerance, and how sad there's so little of it here

in our country.

Thank you for your story.

[hlthe2b]

6. I'd like to think there is more than we see...

Given the bigots are so vocal... :shrug:

[EFerrari]

2. My best friend in the old SF neighborhood was a neighborhood grocer.

Very small store. And he was from El Salvador. He got the same cr@p and his two cashiers heard variations of what you report.

And yet, he was the one that helped me help a neighbor into rehab. If there's a situation on the street, he is always quietly there. He knows everything that is going on, who is ill, who is out of work, who needs their keys taken away on a Saturday night.

People often don't know a good thing when it's right in front of their faces. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. They truly don't...

and I am sure they pat themselves on the back for being "nice".

[EFerrari]

14. It could be an unintentional version of "fake it till you make it".

Maybe if these people fake being nice long enough, it will become a little true. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. I wish. It is just amazing how quickly they who "love this man and his wife"

can turn on them so quickly.

[Caliman73]

3. Nice story

There are people who use their faith for what it is designed, to improve themselves as people, then there are others who use it as a crutch or a club. Thanks for sharing that there are people out there who practice their faith.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. I wish there were more.

I am not religious for that reason, and the fact that a kind and merciful "God" wouldn't let a father die and leave his son.

[Caliman73]

15. That is understandable

It is a very difficult concept to reconcile. The thing that gets me most is the whole "love your enemy" thing. I have not been able to even come close to that one. It frustrates me, but I keep trying. I don't believe that religion is necessary to lead a good life or be a good person. It can be comforting in some ways but it can also be a great burden.

I wish that there were more people who showed understanding, compassion, and respect for each other too. All we can do is our best to try to show a little bit to people here and there.

[tavalon]

17. I'm very religious but my religion doesn't include the sort of God

who inserts "himself" into the affairs of humans all that much and who has a much broader view of the why's and wherefore's of things in a way that a mind choosing to live as a single entity on earth just can't understand. Perhaps I should just say I'm very spiritual since religious isn't a word usually associated with Wiccanism.

I was eight when my mom died and then I was in a highly abusive family until I ran away and spent my teen years with my maternal grandparents. And while the community I found in Southern Baptism was sublime, the teachings were things I wasn't able to take on faith and finally I left and I left religion et al for a while and with quite a chip on my shoulder about this thing called God. Luckily through some experiences, I've come back to that which cannot be named but can be described. That greater thing resides in all religions but doesn't particularly favor one over another. And most of the silly ass stupid shit comes straight from us, humans.

[Common Sense Party]

4. I see the exact same hostility toward religious faith here on DU.

Intolerance is everywhere, unfortunately.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. Yes, but hypocritical behavior will always tick me off.

[Common Sense Party]

18. Sure, as it should. But hypocrisy is not the only form of narrowminded

intolerance.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. But it is the focus of my post.

[Common Sense Party]

20. I really don't see the hypocrisy, at least from what you wrote.

I see bigotry and religious intolerance. I don't see hypocrisy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. I'm sorry you don't see it.

:shrug: Have a great day.

[Common Sense Party]

22. Can you point it out to me, perhaps?

If not, that's fine.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. If you can't see it, you never will.

I don't think you need my help friend.

[Suich]

5. Oh, jeez...sorry to hear that.

Hopefully this religious intolerance is a passing thing and we'll get back to bashing illegal aliens. :sarcasm:

(btw, Laura, nice to "see" you...hope things are going well for you and the kids.)

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. Good to see you Suich.

It's depressing anymore, this country we live in.

[JI7]

7. do you know if they have any family in Pakistan in the flooded areas ?

i think this is a good example of what many are thinking when it comes to helping out the victims there.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. They are lucky in that their family is fine. She had just been to visit

for 5 weeks (in June/July). They are unlucky in that her father died two weeks ago. She was grateful she got to see him because it had been 7 years since she had gone home.

[Withywindle]

13. That is religious tolerance.

It really bothers me that it's so grudging and rare.


I remember a week after 9/11 going to the giant Borders on Michigan Avenue and seeing that, in the religious studies section (which I frequent 'cause I love comparative religion), most of the books on Islam and the Qur'an translations were pretty much gone - the shelves were decimated except for the really boring and bad stuff.

I was upset at first because I really wanted books to read to help me understand--and then I got a huge wave of hope and relief, because I figured that the reason most of those books were gone was because there had been a run on them by people who also wanted to understand. (OK, I'm an optimist--and I fight tooth and nail to keep being one, I do it for my own sanity.)

So where's that knowledge gone? It's not like Islam is mysterious and undocumented. Muslims are "People of the Book" just like Jews and Christians and claim descent from Abraham just like Jews and Christians. How hard is it to read some books, do some google, get an Islam 101 and understand that Muslims today come in traditional, conservative, liberal, and foaming nutjob versions just like Christians do?

[tavalon]

16. And I hope and pray that she and her kind are actually in the majority