2 lawmakers spurn Muslim's prayer - Republicans step off House floor

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | March 4, 2003 | ANGELA GALLOWAY

[sarcasm]

OLYMPIA -- He prayed for the politicians, the state's prosperity and peace for all ethnicities and religions.

But when a Muslim cleric offered the opening prayer before the state House of Representatives yesterday, at least two lawmakers stepped off the chamber floor.

"It's an issue of patriotism," Rep. Lois McMahan, a conservative Republican from Gig Harbor, said of her decision to stand in the back of the room.

"The Islamic religion is so . . . part and parcel with the attack on America. I just didn't want to be there, be a part of that," she said. "Even though the mainstream Islamic religion doesn't profess to hate America, nonetheless it spawns the groups that hate America."

Rep. Cary Condotta, a Republican from East Wenatchee, also left the floor. He said the timing was not a coincidence, but he declined to comment further on why he left, except to say he was talking to another lawmaker and "let's just say I wasn't particularly interested."

A prayer is given at the beginning of each Senate and House session, and attendance is hit or miss, particularly on Mondays.

The interfaith organization Associated Ministries of Thurston County schedules the daily chaplain, said Cynthia Zehnder, clerk of the 98-member chamber. They have selected clerics representing a broad range of faiths, she said.

Imam Mohamad Joban, of the Islamic Center of Olympia, presented yesterday's brief opening prayer.

In part, he said: "We open this session of House of Representatives in the name of Allah the one God Abraham, God of Moses, God of Jesus, and God of Mohammed, peace be upon them all. . . . We ask Allah or God to bless the state of Washington so it may continue to prosper and become a symbol of peace and tranquility for people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. We pray that Allah may guide this House in making good decisions for the people of Washington.

"At this time, we also pray that America may succeed in the war against terrorism. We pray to God that the war may end with world peace and tranquility."

Joban said the walkout was not hurtful, but ignorant.

"They're unable to distinguish between Islam as religion and way of life, and bad Muslims," said Joban, who has also given the opening prayer to the Senate. "They are easily able to distinguish between Christianity and bad Christians.

"They need to understand that like (President) Bush said . . . Islam is a peaceful religion."

Kathy Erlandson, director of Associated Ministries of Thurston County, found the small walkout disappointing, but not surprising.

"It makes me embarrassed to know that some of our legislators can't even treat someone with that common respect," she said. "He's an American citizen and he's praying for their work, then how can it be an act of patriotism to walk away?"

McMahan said she does not oppose having a Muslim cleric deliver the prayer.

Her departure was not a protest, but a personal decision not to participate because "the religion is the focal point of the hate-America sentiment in the world."

"My god is not Mohammed," McMahan added.

Joban said that if he were invited to give the opening prayer, he would do it again.

"Even if half of them leave it's OK for me," Joban said. "As a Muslim we have to respect what people believe and . . . we have to forgive something because of ignorance.

"The Holy Quran says that (one should) always respond to bad action with good and those who used to be enemies become friends."

[Illbay]

Is it not the right of any American to do just as these pols did?

Do you mean "should they be arrested?" Of course not. But you are confusing the "RIGHT" to something with being JUSTIFIED in the action. The action was NOT justified, and it was an embarrassment to the Party.

Do NOT be surprised if these people aren't disciplined by the Party leadership, because it was WRONG to do what they did.

[Monty22]

"I made that point in the email. In most Muslim countries we have NO tolerance for other religious faiths.

WE ARE BETTER THAN THEY ARE. Or at least, we ought to be."


Who cares? F the mooselimbs. We do *NOT* want our country turned into an islamic hellhole, which you seems to be your hidden agenda, unless you're a complete idiot.

I'd flip the mooselimbs off before I walked out anyway.

[Marysecretary]

Muslims worship Allah. He is NOT the God of Abraham and Moses. Mohammed made him up from some moon god or something. He doesn't exist.

[Illbay]

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, but what's more, I'm an American. And the vast majority of the legislators present at that convocation apparently felt exactly the OPPOSITE of the way you do. So your theory is apparently full of holes.

[f.Christian]

Main Entry: 1queer
Pronunciation: 'kwir
Function: adjective
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1508
1 a : WORTHLESS, COUNTERFEIT < queer money > b : QUESTIONABLE, SUSPICIOUS
2 a : differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal b (1) : ECCENTRIC, UNCONVENTIONAL (2) : mildly insane : TOUCHED c : absorbed or interested to an extreme or unreasonable degree : OBSESSED d usually disparaging : HOMOSEXUAL
3 : not quite well
synonym see STRANGE
- queer·ish /-ish/ adjective
- queer·ly adverb
- queer·ness noun

[Station 51]

The terrorist who took part in the 9/11 attacks were intolerant of other religions and the Reps. who stepped off the House floor are also intolerant of other religions. Interesting!

[Illbay]

Had I been there I would not have prayed, either. But I would have stood there respectfully.

BTW, which gods do you suggest that we allow in praying to open the legislative session for a state that includes every single religion on the face of the earth?

[truth_seeker]

"Oh yeah. I mean, who the h*ll needs that First Amendment garbage, anyway?"

The two legislators were exercising their right to NOT LISTEN.

If the cleric was up there, spouting off the sort of things that his brother-clerics do, in other places, such as "kill Jews and Americans"..would you REQUIRE that the legislator stay and listen, so as to be "respectful?"

Ever heard of "al Taqiyah?" Muslims religious justification for deception, not telling the truth.

Many would say the cleric in Washington, by NOT saying "kill the Jews and Americans" is simply practicing deception.

[DeathfromBelow]

These people offend me every day what is the differnce:
Dasshole, Little Dick Gephard, Polasssski, Hitlery, etc, I don't need to go on and neither do you.

[Marysecretary]

As a Christian, I do NOT want to have someone praying to an alien God when I'm in the room. It's demonic and I'd just as soon not stick around. It's not that I want to be disrespectful to someone else's religious beliefs but there are satanic spirits involved in Islam and they aren't praying to the same God as we are. I consider it a "safety measure" to get out of the room (silly as that may seem).

[DeathfromBelow]

SUBSTANCE of the "establishment" clause of the First Amendment

The Substandce was BIGOTRY by the Supremes.

[Monty22]

"Muslims worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

I'm not a particularly religous person, but you can take this nonsense and shove it.

This agenda of lies you spew constantly has gotten stale. Nobody believes that crap except for self deceiving mooselimbs.

[Illbay]

Well, by all means let's be JUST as obnoxious as those guys! Makes a lot of sense.

Not.

[Hila]

Silence is agreement, if you believe in the One who is truly the Almighty, you cannot, by His commands, group yourself with those that invoque a false deity.

[DeathfromBelow]

You are so full of yourself that your eyes are brown. PC doesn't cut it and as a Christian, that you proclaim you are, you are sadly misinformed.

[newgeezer]

Eschew obfuscation.

[skeeter]

"It makes me embarrassed to know that some of our legislators can't even treat someone with that common respect," she said.

I dunno. Why not ask the ACLU, who have made a cottage industry out of treating christians like pariahs.

[Jhoffa_]

In part, he said: "We open this session of House of Representatives in the name of Allah the one God [of, I assume] Abraham, God of Moses, God of Jesus, and God of Mohammed, peace be upon them all. . . . We ask Allah or God to bless the state of Washington so it may continue to prosper and become a symbol of peace and tranquility for people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. We pray that Allah may guide this House in making good decisions for the people of Washington.

I would not have walked out on this. There is no reason.

I see no problem here.

[John O]

So Americans who practice the Muslim religion are "enemies" of this country? Are you in favor of building the camps now?

Most Americans who practice islam are bad moslems. They are not a problem as they are Americans first and moslems second. For the good moslems I have no problem at all with conversion camps. Ann Coulter had it right that we should convert them all to Christianity. At least then our planes and buildings will be safer.

[f.Christian]

Main Entry: es·chew
Pronunciation: e-'shü, i-; es-'chü, is-; also e-'skyü
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French eschiuver, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German sciuhen to frighten off -- more at SHY
Date: 14th century
: to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds : SHUN
synonym see ESCAPE
- es·chew·al /-&l/ noun