'KAFFIR'. When you see or hear this word, what runs through your mind? Do you
picture a man with skin the color of the midnight sky, do you see him bending his
muscular body down to the dry earth to pick cotton from thorn-ridden plants? Can you
feel the heat of the sun beating down on his charred back? Perhaps you can even taste
the beads of sweat swelling from his forehead and arms. Or maybe you are more
inclined to visualize a dark-skinned woman with creases in her forehead made by many
years of hard work and endless worrying. You watch her as she puts the breakfast
dishes on the table and addresses her owners with a 'yes sah' or 'yes ma'am'.
There is nobody to cater to her needs. She spends each day taking care of everyone but
herself. Pain. Sorrow. Anguish. Agony. Is this what comes to your mind when you hear
the word 'KAFFIR'? Well, it shouldn't because the word 'kaffir' has nothing to do with
the color of your skin.
The word 'kaffir' is just that; a word. It is a term that sprouted
out of ignorance and continues to be used to this day exclusively by ignorant people. A
kaffir isn't a slang term for an African; it is a word that describes the person that uses
it. This type of person is one who feeds his ego by dehumanizing those around him
when he feels they are not equal to him. He may regard those of different races or
nationalities as 'bad' or 'dirty' because they do not have the same skin color as he
does or they may cherish beliefs that are contrary to the ones by which he lives his life.
These qualities describe the man who...