Showcasing Muslim and non-Muslim success

I) Citation:
The Muslim News
5/22/08
http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=3463

II) Summary:
An award ceremony was held where people from all backgrounds and ethnicities came to see a “presentation of Muslims in a rare positive light.” The ceremony was held on March 25th celebrating many people’s achievements. The people who went to the ceremony shed their backgrounds and their beliefs to just go around and talk and get to know everyone. They did not talk about why they did something this way or why they wore something that way. They were there to enjoy and interact for one night with no labels or stereotypes. Yvonne Ridley, a Press TV journalist said, “This is the most prestigious occasion in the Muslim calendar.” She also expressed how she never attended this occasion due to her, “dislike for politicians’ hypocrisy.” It just goes to show that you never know what you might learn there and how you may change your mind on how you feel. Many kind words were spoken at the ceremony saying that Muslims are part of the country of Britain and that they are part of the politics, business, and social life. This ceremony impacted people in a great way that one said, “It’s a great event, it’s bringing people together in a positive light. It’s a mix of all different sorts of people, embracing the creativity of the human spirit and recognizing all the things that people do.” And the winner of the media award was very nice when he recognized how important this event really was.

III) Reactions:

A) This article relates to the AP World History theme the Impact of interaction among and within major societies because it shows how people are appreciated when a group of people from all different backgrounds come together, not as a certain religion or ethnicity, but as people. This impact among these people was a huge success and let them recognize how everyone is exactly the same.
B) British Muslims were either liked or disliked. There was no silver lining and there still isn’t. When the Muslims wanted to build their new places of worship, many did not agree with it and when they just wanted to be a part of the country some said yes and some said no. It is sad to say that it will always be that way because some people never change, but if we try to change, then history can be laid to rest.
C) This article was written by Anealla Safdar and Abdul Adil. These two people seem to be Muslim and seem to have an inside look at this ceremony because they expressed how the people felt and how comfortable they looked together. They must have been at this event because it was such a big deal.
D) There does not seem to be any indication of any bias towards this article, nor does there seem to be the need for any. This was a joyous event that brought many different people together just as people.
E) The point of view missing from this article is from and outsider who was not at this ceremony such as an American. It would be nice to hear what they thought about this event and maybe it could give them a few ideas to help get through these rough times we are in.
F) I think that this event was a huge success and it is really a great idea to bring many different groups of people into the mix and share their thoughts and stories with others to hear and learn about new experiences. It rally brought people together and showed how everyone is just like the person sitting next to them and nothing should put them at odds. People are just people and whatever they believe in is their choice and nobody should have the nerve to tell them otherwise.