(Link Dead)
Two thoughts on this.
1. Someone saw someone weaker being attacked by ruffians on the subway and helped defend them. Regardless of what religion they’re in, we need more people like that in the country. Good people should be encouraged to come here, regardless of where they come from. (As long as they are willing to live in our system of freedom and not oppress the freedoms of others.)
2. The people who were doing the beating up initially over being wished a happy (insert holiday here) are just wrong. I understand frustration about people getting offended over being wished a merry Christmas, but by doing this they’re an equal or greater part of the problem. You don’t have the right to beat someone up if you’re offended. You’re trampling their religious freedoms as much or more than someone getting offended by Christmas is trampling yours. The freedoms that protect your right to practice your religion are the same freedoms that protect their right to practice their religion. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from offense, in fact it means quite the opposite. It’s freedom of everyone to practice their religion even if it does offend someone.
Those freedoms are within limits of course. You can’t deprive others of their freedoms, so religious beliefs that do this, permit slavery, consider women to have no rights, don’t allow someone to switch faiths, etc are not valid religious practices in a free society. But as long as you’re not trampling their freedoms you can do what you want, including wishing anyone and everyone a merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, agnostica, winter solstice, or any other religious or non-religious holiday. Those who would force inclusiveness or those who would try and stop others from their own holiday greetings by complaining to their employers are violating that person’s religious freedoms.
What kind of idiot/spoilsport do you have to be to get angry when someone states that they hope you spend some period of time in happiness? Be grateful that they care enough to say it to you.