Why do I "tolerate" Muslims? Why do I not throw out Arab-sounding names for the FBI to investigate, like Americans spewed out names in the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthy witch hunts? Because I know and understand that intolerance and bigotry are wrong.
I try to understand the situation from their perspective sometimes. (Which you might want to try.) Racially and religiously, I'm in the majority since I'm a white Christian. However, if you look deeper into my religion and ethnicity, I'm in the minority because I'm a Greek Orthodox Christian.
Now I try to picture this. I imagine that one day, for some odd reason, Greece has declared war on America. Orthodox Christian zealots are blowing themselves and others up for God. Greek-Americans and Greek immigrants are immediately suspect. While we are not as noticeable as Muslims, because we don't wear "long robes with the hats" and women don't cover themselves up like some Muslim women do, the instant Greek is heard in public, hysteria spreads. My family is stopped at the airport once the customs official sees our last name on our passports. People start questioning our patriotism and loyalty, even though my parents and I were born and raised here. Fanatical Christians declare that we worship the devil and that our religion is satanic, even though we are Christians and therefore worship the same God. We are insulted, hated, misunderstood, degraded, and dehumanized.
Why do I tolerate Muslims, "Christian"_ Man? Because some people want to try and make them look like they're violent, but they're not and it just ticks me off because some people won't just let Muslims be something that they are, people.
