Posted on 10/19/2003 12:53:02 PM PDT by Bobby777
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites)'s national security adviser insisted Sunday that the U.S. fight against terrorism is not a war between Christianity and Islam, despite a top general's comments that seemed to say it is.
But Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) twice avoided a question about whether Bush will condemn statements by Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
"The president has been absolutely clear that this is not a war of religions," Rice told ABC's "This Week."
"Islam is a peaceful religion. The president is respectful of those who practice the Islamic faith," Rice said from Thailand, where Bush was attending a summit of Asian and Pacific nations.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) released a statement by Boykin late Friday in which he apologized for his characterizations of Islam and said he never meant to offend Muslims.
"I am not anti-Islam or any other religion," Boykin said. "I support the free exercise of all religions. For those who have been offended by my statements, I offer a sincere apology."
Rice was asked on ABC whether Bush would condemn Boykin's comments, in which he seemed to describe monotheistic Islam as a religion whose followers worship idols.
She replied by outlining the president's views of the religion, the fastest-growing religion in the United States. She said terrorists targeted in the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign are "people who murder and maim and in fact pervert Islam."
Asked again whether Bush would condemn Boykin's comments, she said: "The president's views on this are absolutely clear, and I think the president is very clear on what he means here. This is not a war between religions. No one should describe it as such."
A furor arose after reports were published about the statements by Boykin, in and out of uniform, in churches and elsewhere. Since the reports appeared, Boykin has told his superiors he will curtail his speechmaking.
After a 1993 battle with Osman Otto, a Muslim warlord in Somalia, Boykin said: "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol." After Otto's capture, Boykin has said he told Otto, "You underestimated our God."
Boykin's statement said the comment was misinterpreted, that he spoke of Otto's "worship of money and power; idolatry," not of his religion. "He was a corrupt man, not a follower of Islam," Boykin said.
Pentagon officials issued Friday's statement after hours of debate over ways to put aside the stir over Boykin, whose job forces him to deal with security services in many Muslim states.
As long as the koran calls on its believers to wipe their behinds with their left hand, Islam is my enemy....
As long as the koran calls murderers of non-muslims, "holy" ... islam is my enemy.
THERE ARE THOUSANDS of reasons why islam is my PERSONAL enemy. However, the majority of the reasons are dead Israelis in Israel and Munich or the enslaved or dead Christians in the Sudan.
So is the old testament. There is something for everyone in both of them.
Islamism however, is antithetical to Western civilization, and is going to have to be crushed for the latter to survive.
Yes she is. And I admire her so much that I think the ought to be Bush's running-mate in "04, rather than end up a Foggy Bottom (even though they need someone like her).
Even so, her statement is only a half truth. WE may not be waging a Holy War on Islam, but Islam IS waging one against us, and must be dealt with accordingly.
While non-muslims die at the hands of islamics who actually follow their instruction booklet of VERY bad poetry known as the koran. A booklet which tells them TO KILL NON MUSLIMS.
Oh, please.... islam is a danger to CIVILIZED thoughts on freedom of religion. And, come to think of it.... it is a danger to women like Condi Rice who actually believe they should have EQUAL RIGHTS WITH MEN and can wear whatever type of clothing they want to wear.
Hey,Condi... in an islamic "republic" you could be punished SEVERLY for walking around without a rag tied on your head! Or even KILLED for having a relationship or marriage with a man your father does not approve of.
Get real folks.... we all know that.... whether the politicians admit it or not..... islam is a real threat to free people EVERYWHERE on this planet.
islam... a religion OF NO PEACE for non-muslims....everywhere. "Peace" to a muslim means.... only when THEY are in charge.
This does NOT please me one whit!
As a retired army chaplain, let me assure you that a military member is allowed to go to church and that he is allowed to go to church in uniform.
He is not allowed to go to a political rally in uniform.
But his right to religious freedom has never been curtailed, and never should be.
Boynkin is a great warrior and asset for this country. His faith sees islam as a false faith. Now that he's in the public spotlight with 3 stars should he be careful what he says in public?
Probably. But not because he's wrong.
But for mere political considerations. In today's American culture everyone's religion is OK....as long as it isn't sincere Christianity. (For you doubters, that's a proof of the validity of Christianity if you care to think your way through it.)
But president Bush is absolutely right. We cannot make this into a Crusade, or we become like them. We must simultaneously recognize the full potential of Islam to be "perverted" as Rice says it is when terrorists use it for their aims, and encourage the moderate side of it, as does Daniel Pipes.
There's famous saying: Trust but verify.
There are a lot of interesting problems this war presents to an advanced society. I'd just like to say that guarding our borders, limiting immigration, and tracking down those who have made threats to us overseas are now more important than ever. And I think we need to make sure that the State Department isn't overconfident again, like it was in Vietnam.
None of this is going to be easy, and before it is over, we will be forced into moral dilemmas the likes of which we had never expected to resolve. We need to figure out how we will respond ahead of time so that we don't make the situation worse with whatever we do. President Bush is obviously paying attention to these problems very carefully.
Will we be able to trust any other candidate next time around? Not that I can tell.
I don't disagree with either statement. However, I would add that Islam's problem in this world goes deeper than a lunatic fringe. Millions of non-militant adherents agree with rule by Sharia, theocratic rule. The Islamic states are all deeply incompatible with modernism. As long as that continues, their economies will be so awful compared to Western states that we will see trouble after insurmountable trouble.
I suspect many Muslims don't know about this, just as many Christians don't know the Bible that well. The biggest problem is that, to my knowledge, only the Koran makes the injunction to murder explicit. Every other major book has to be twisted a bit get that kind of meaning. Who would you least want to meet in a dark alley?
1. fundamentalist Muslims,
2. fundamentalist Christians, or
3. fundamentalist Buddhists?
Easy call.
If she kept a straight face while saying this, I don't want to play poker with her...
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