Video counters negative rhetoric

To the editor:

'Islam is a violent religion.” 'Muslims are dangerous.” 'They're terrorists.”

How many times have we heard these statements in Iowa over the past few months? Not since the aftermath of 9/11 has an anti-Islam agenda been so loudly and aggressively pushed in the United States. But this kind of fear-mongering sounds absurd to the people of Cedar Rapids, where Muslims and non-Muslims have lived side-by-side peacefully for more than a century. The historic Mother Mosque, oldest in the nation, is a cherished reminder of this fact.

To counter the negative rhetoric, my colleagues and I at Corridor Characters decided to offer a narrative that better reflects reality as we know it in Eastern Iowa. We made a short video message called, 'From Iowa With (Love)”. It celebrates the deep love and friendship between real, everyday Muslim and non-Muslim people in our community.

You can view 'From Iowa With (Love)” at CorridorCharacters.co or on the Corridor Characters Facebook page.

The warm, positive, sometimes silly tone of the video feels more real to us than what we usually see in the media. We think it's a better, truer representation of life as we know it.

As we approach caucus night, the national spotlight shines on Iowa. We hope this message of love and friendship will be picked up and shared more broadly than the inflammatory statements we've been hearing.

Courtney Ball

Chief Story Officer for Flow Media, Inc.