Thursday, September 3, 2009

False distinctions

According to an Australian newspaper, Muhammed Ali has visited Ireland - to get in touch with some of his relatives. That's right - Muhammed Ali, the Afro-American boxer, is part Irish. One of his great grandfathers came from the town in Ireland, emigrated to the U.S., and Muhammed has traceable relatives there. It seems to me like one of the greatest things he has ever done. The reciprocal gesture would be if a prominent white sportsman who has in fact got some African ancestry to say the same thing. The bitter division between the races that sometimes arises overlooks the fact that in fact some people of each race have blood kinspeople belonging to the other. The same thing happens in Australia. Some people who identify as white do in fact have some Aboriginal ancestry. And many people who identify as Aboriginal are quite obviously part European (white, if you like). It is quite easy to see why the feelings of anger are there. Too much blood has been shed. There are reasons for the anger and hostility. But no good comes of it. It just causes the hostility to carry on. Apparently the Irish people in this town welcomed Muhammed Ali as one of their own migrant sons. Good on them! Why should they reject him on racial grounds! Now can someone tell people like Jeremiah Wright? Or Michael Mansell, or Jeff Clark?
These last two are Australian Aboriginal activist leaders, the second of them apparently the son of a Scottish migrant to Australia. Making a war over race simply means the hate goes on. We ARE one and the same race. God did not invent racial distinctions. Abram, later Abraham, was originally a Babylonian. He came fro Ur, of the Chaldees. And Peter was sent his vision, that God is no preferer of persons. We are all made in God's image. We need to remember that.

7 comments:

Tiffany Norris said...

Absolutely! I think, overall, this situation is improving. I'm hopeful when I see younger people who don't even notice race, but I think we all still have ways we can improve.

~*~toni~*~ said...

You are sooooo right! In fact, on the last census done here in USA, my brother-in-law checked the box (where race was indicated) that said "other" and wrote in HUMAN! Racism is certainly a learned behavior that we could all do without!

Marshal Art said...

I never knew that about Ali, who's original name, Cassius Clay, is so cool I may someday change my name. Great name for a boxer.

Y'know our president Barack O'Bama is Irish.

Rev. Peter Doodes said...

"Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all". Colossians 3:11

So, no exceptions then, black, white, male, female. As you said, we are all made in God's image.

~Miss Zara~ said...

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Zara

~Miss Zara~ said...

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Zara

~Miss Zara~ said...

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Zara