Posted on 02/20/2003 4:19:54 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Conservatives Fight Over Islam
Wes Vernon, NewsMax.com
Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003
WASHINGTON – A fierce, nearly three-week running battle of accusations and counter-accusations between two conservative icons has brought to the front burner a long-festering debate among President Bush’s supporters on how far the White House should go in seeking Islamic support.
Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy and a former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, has accused two White House officials – Ali Talbah and his predecessor Sukhail Khan – of putting President Bush in the company of “people who have made no secret of their sympathy for terrorists, provided them financial support, excused their murderous attacks and/or sought to impede the prosecution of the war against them.” Gaffney reiterated these charges in his Washington Times column Tuesday.
Gaffney’s initial comment in this flap came at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Jan. 31.
His remarks sparked a stinging rebuttal from Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and one-time confidant of Newt Gingrich when the latter was speaker of the House.
“There is no place in the conservative movement for racial prejudice, religious bigotry or ethnic hatred,” Norquist told Gaffney in a Feb. 5 letter. He went on to accuse his fellow conservative of attacking each of the two White House officials because of their Muslim faith.
Norquist then banished Gaffney from further attendance at his influential coalition meetings that he holds every Wednesday, pending an accepted apology to Tulbah and Sukhail. He added, “It is important that we, as conservatives, stand up against bigotry, racism, and religious hatred whenever it raises its ugly head.”
Gaffney replied with a three-and-a-half page single-spaced letter to Norquist that offered no apology. Gaffney not only refused to apologize but also cited chapter and verse of quotes from radical Islamic fundamentalists (Wahhabists) who had been received cordially at the White House.
He also stressed that he had taken pains to “express distinction between such Islamists, and what is, I believe, the majority of Muslims in this country whom the former [Wahhabists] are determined to recruit, intimidate, and dominate through a variety of techniques.”
The CSP boss took Norquist to task for his involvement with Islamic Institute, through which, Gaffney argued, Norquist and his associates had been instrumental in “promoting and facilitating Wahabbis’ access to the executive and legislative branches of government” and thereby “could prove politically damaging and strategically detrimental to our cause and the well-being of our country.”
Norquist says Islamic Institute “was formed to promote within the Muslim world the fact that the Koran and Islam are perfectly consistent with a free and open society.”
In an interview with NewsMax.com, Norquist said he wrote his letter because the two young White House Muslims whom Gaffney criticized were merely underlings carrying out decisions made by more senior White House officials.
“He decided to single out the kid who was a Muslim in both cases, even though the people making decisions are Presbyterians and Catholics, not Muslims,” the ATR president said.
In his latest column, Gaffney reports that one Muslim representative in a group visiting the Oval Office just days after 9/11, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, had said two days before the attack: “This country is facing a terrible fate. This country stands condemned.”
Why FBI Couldn’t Find Him
When FBI agents visited Yusuf’s home, they were stunned to learn from his wife that he was unavailable because he was with the president.
However, Norquist, while “not vouching for anyone,” said the Muslims who had access to the president passed muster with the Secret Service and the FBI or they wouldn’t have been there.
“If they were a security risk, not if they said something stupid, if they were a security risk or a problem ... the Secret Service would pull them out,” he said.
Gaffney describes as “bizarre” FBI Director Robert Mueller’s decision to speak to the American Muslim Council last year despite that group’s “long record of activities hostile to the Bush administration’s prosecution of the war on terror.”
Walking the sometimes unclear lines between peace-loving Muslim Americans and those who pose a threat is a dilemma symbolized by the bitter dispute between Gaffney and Norquist, two well-known conservatives in the Bush constituency.
I'm sure he is - God knows I am. So are a LOT of people at USF - their reputation has suffered horribly.
This is especially a huge vindication for USF president Judy Genshaft - all previous USF presidents have dealt with Al Arian by burying their heads in the sand. She went after him, and has suffered lots of abuse from the Left as a result.
Oh, so as long as they only kill a few people in an abortion clinic bombing...their brand of religious fanatacism is "not as bad" as Islamic radicals.
As if this makes a difference to those they have managed to kill.
The principle is the same. We don't declare war on entire religions because of radicals who commit crimes in their name.
To: Poohbah
Grover is with terrorist groups and has involved the President by bringing them to the White House. Not to mention the one just busted today was a friend of The Presidents.
So you tell me what is up with that? Islam isn't peace and that is a Grover lie that The President repeats! The best thing is run as fast away from Grover.
36 posted on 02/20/2003 10:02 PM EST by TLBSHOW (God Speed as Angels trending upward dare to fly Tribute to the Risk Takers)
Someone's head will fall tho'.
They don't think they need proof .. cause Todd has a gift
LOL. Now you're showing some spirit.
I never said that and neither did TLB.
Then I guess this entire debate has just been a huge misunderstanding. My apologies.
That has NOTHING to do with Todd's lies.
As an aside, what the HECK do you people do at CPAC?? Remember last year Larry Klayman took out an ad in the Washington Times saying that David Keene kept him from having a booth at the thing becasue of Klayman's lawsuits against Tom Delay, when, in fact, Klayman's people just didn't get their reservations in on time?
There was no grand conspiracy. Just a minor glitch.
But, if you believe that Bush could be affected, then it's serious.
Yes. As far as relative danger to the United States goes, there is no comparison.
We don't declare war on entire religions because of radicals who commit crimes in their name.
Straw man - I specifically said Radical Islam is our enemy in this war. And it declared war on us.
Thank you. These people want to make these false accusations and then deny them when called on to prove them.
Cowards.
Bush is of course the last person anyone could accuse of being friends with terrorists.
They (PLURAL!) were CLOSE to Bush?!
I can't wait to see your proof for this.
Or do you mean the professor guy was within feet of President Bush once or twice a couple years ago?
That still wouldn't explain your use of the word "they", though, when eight indictments were handed down.
Well, go ahead and make your case. We're all waiting.
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