I'm with you, non-haters!

I saw this photo on the internet. It was posted by somebody who didn't believe it is possible for Muslim's to not be homophobic. In my experience, this is not only possible, but it is possible that its the norm.

Have they met any Muslims? I know some. My impression, in general, is that they seem very similar to people who are not Muslim. They tend to follow holidays and traditions that've been passed down to their families. They work, play, go to the park.

Something like a million Muslims marched in the UK against hate and violence. Why did this not make the main news in the US?

I worked with one guy who would take a few short breaks during the day, when he would roll out his prayer mat and say a quick prayer. He seemed like a very smart, and kind, person.

I had a friend who, besides covering her hair outside of her home, would not eat any food that had been prepared by a non-muslim. Further, she would explain, every time she had an opportunity to decline food, that this was because her religion forbade her from eating food which had been prepared by somebody who was not of her faith. We could eat food from her, but she could not eat food from us. So, she would eat prepared food she'd bought from a store, and she'd eat at restaurants, so food which had prepared by who-knows-who, but nobody ever pointed this out to her. Much like nobody points anything out to a vegan who is partial to leather shoes and jackets. Did this particular woman follow all of the other commands of Islam? Not that I could see. She told me she did not take time out for regular prayers, or attend a mosque. But she liked wearing a headscarf and declining food from people. Many Catholics, and other groups, also follow different food restrictions at different times. Anyone should be free to do this.

Do I hold Catholics responsible for the horrific crimes of some of their church's priests and leaders? No, I certainly do not.

My experience is that reasonable people are the norm, not that Westboro Baptist Church which was in the news for a while with their hate. And not the Muslims who have been in the news in bad ways.

And so, I believe the people in the top photo are Muslim, and that they do not hate LGBT. And, based on my experiences, I think it is likely they are the norm. It is true that I am biased, in that I want to believe this. But this also aligns with my experiences with people I've met. Let's not insist there is hate where there isn't any.

I support peoples' right to not hate.