Security Scare, Bias Study Show the Less We Know, the More We Fear

Ignorance is not such bliss these days. It’s more like bias and get-me-off-this-airplane fear.

In today’s headlines we have a new survey showing that most Americans admit knowing nothing about Islam — but they still dislike it more than any other major faith.

And there’s a security scare story: An Orthodox Jewish teen saying traditional prayers and binding himself with boxes containing passages from the Torah so unnerved folks, their New York to Louisville flight was diverted to Philadelphia where the passengers were evacuated and the boy questioned. In an unscientific quick poll, Today in the Sky asked if this was proof of cultural ignorance or a necessary precaution these days — and that’s running close to a tie vote.

In case you prefer knowing to fearing, there’s a primer on tefillin, the prayer ritual the boy was following on the flight, at the web site for Chabad, the Lubavitch Hasidic movement that encourages Jews to know and follow their faith. There was, of course, nothing but scrolls of scripture from the Torah in the boxes the boy strapped to his forehead, following an ancient daily ritual for the faithful.

As for a quick brush up on the five pillars of Islam, check the web site for the Islamic Society of North America’s Guide for non-Muslims. More than 40,000 U.S. Muslims belong to ISNA, headed by scholar Ingrid Mattson.

According to Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press,

Asked about knowledge of Islam, 63% of Americans say they have “very little” or “none at all.” A large majority of respondents believe most Muslims want peace. Yet, 53% of Americans say their opinion of the faith is “not too favorable” or “not favorable at all.”

Is it just human nature to fear the unfamiliar? Why are people who are religious themselves, less likely to be biased against people of another faith?

Related Articles:

Tefillin In The Cockpit Of An Airplane!
Video – Tefillin Prompts Scare On Plane
Poll: Americans’ Bias Against Jews, Muslims Linked