| The disease is infectious where ego
and self-aggrandizement from stark ignorance abound. A stereotype
will twist, distort, misinterpret or even ignore the hard facts or glaring truth
simply because they conflict with his "cherished opinions" which never
had any valid basis in the first place. At the slightest opportunity, he is ready
to make a quantum leap into a whimsical conclusion to comfort him in his prejudiced
views. It is a disease of attitude (mind) which is often infected to the children
by their parents, who themselves were also made victims during their childhood.
Once infected a remedy or remission is difficult where ignorance is perpetuated
as a heavenly inspiration. In a society of Muslims the presence
of stereotypes should be uncommon. The stereotypes cannot hold and portray compassion
for all mankind in common, while Islam, in a nutshell, is "Serving the Creator
and showing compassion for His creatures"(Hadith). Islam esteems the whole
mankind as one people with no distinction with regard to race, tribe or colour.
It has however set one distinction, a spiritual one, transcending all others and
that is: those who are dutiful to Allah are the ones who are honourable in the
sight of Allah. (Verse 49: 13). Stereotypes are prone to stooping
further for an added comfort of their weakness. They will be seen peddling supposedly
"a righteous hate", again with no valid basis for it. Hate is even worse
than prejudice. A child let toying with a prejudice to grow into hate is like
letting him have a pet who grows into a monster, who later in life can- not be
controlled, caged or made to disappear. And There Was This
Child...
There was this small child with her maid seated in a public garden.
She was deriving fun by engaging her maid in a game of teasing her sense of concern
for the child. She would wander off away from her to prompt the maid to plead
to her to come back. When the maid makes a move to stand up to go after her she
would sprint back and cling to her with her small arms around the maid's neck,
and cheeks pressed hard against each other's to assure the maid that she is back
safe. At times, the child would fondle the maid's ears or play with the maid's
hair with her small hands in instinctive human attachment. It never dawns upon
the child that they both are "different" in race and colour from one
another. Such a behaviour of a child is always a manifestation
of the inherent human nature free of contrasting behavioural traits which are
acquired later. The holy Qur'an is eloquent regarding this basic human nature
of commonalty by saying that all human- beings are one single people (verse 5:48),
with a common dignity to all mankind (verse 17:70). Any prejudice with regard
to the fact that people though one, are not one single "Ummah" (nation),
is to question the Creator's wisdom (11: 118). Discourse and
discussion of the subject mentioned in the verses with children at | 
