Posted on 09/16/2004 5:02:25 AM PDT by CoolGuyVic
Gen. says he didn't mean to malign Islam
WASHINGTON -- The three-star U.S. general who made church speeches casting the war on terrorism in religious terms said Wednesday he did not mean to denigrate Islam.
"I'm not anti-Islam, I'm not anti-Allah," Lt. Gen. William Boykin said in an interview broadcast on CBS' "60 Minutes."
Boykin, a senior intelligence official, stirred controversy with speeches he made at evangelical Christian churches. He said that America's enemy was Satan, that God had put President Bush in the White House and that one Muslim Somali warlord was an idol-worshipper.
A Pentagon investigation concluded last month that Boykin violated regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official capacity when he made nearly two dozen church speeches beginning in January 2002. It also found that Boykin, who made most speeches wearing his uniform, did not get prior clearance for the remarks.
Boykin told CBS he had been misunderstood for saying of a Somali warlord he interrogated in 1993, "I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol." The general said the Somali warlord was "not a good Muslim."
"He's a man who worshipped graft, corruption, power and money," Boykin said. "My reference to his God being an idol was not to Allah. My reference was to his worship of corruption, of power, of money."
The general declined to answer when CBS reporter David Martin asked if he believes Allah is a lesser God than the Christian God.
"I'm not going to go into that, David," Boykin said. "I'm a Christian. That speaks for itself."
A group of 11 Democratic members of Congress wrote to President Bush earlier this month, urging him to remove Boykin from his post. Boykin told CBS he was not planning to quit.
Why would he quit, He seems to be the only guy there who knows what he is talking about. Islam IS evil.Not all who practice the religion are evil some are merely fooled.
Why shouldn't he say what many of us think? Its not as if anyone in Islam is afraid to call us the Great Satan.
A Christian doesn't believe allah is some "lesser" god --- allah isn't a god at all.
It's amazing --- the religious tests that exist now --- if you don't believe in allah or believe Islam is supreme, then you aren't qualified to be in his position? You could criticize Christianity or Judaism and be just fine.
"I'm not anti-Islam, I'm not anti-Allah".
I am!
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