Bush Issues Ramadan Statement

VOA News ^ | October 25, 2003

[sarcasm]

The White House has issued President Bush's annual greeting to Muslims around the world who will observe the holy month of Ramadan.

In his message, President Bush says Islam is a peaceful religion that has helped shape the character of the United States, and has made great contributions to the world.

Mr. Bush said Americans cherish the freedom to worship and, he said, "we remain committed to welcoming individuals of all religions."

During Ramadan, President Bush said Muslims fast, pray, contemplate and renew their commitment to lead lives of honesty, integrity and compassion.

[BenR2]

These are the same kind of people who would don white hoods and burn crosses outside of people's homes at night. They aren't worth the dust on a single Muslim soldier's boots.

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What planet are you living on?

You are egregiously slandering MANY who are FIGHTING in Iraq now in OUR armed forces as we speak!

Obviously, you harbor pro-Muslim sympathies? Perhaps you think it was Christians who flew the planes into the WTC on 9/11/01?

[JustAnAmerican]

Err um, think you posted to the wrong fellow :)

[B Knotts]

Apparently the fact that it is the largest religion numerically

Huh?

There are two billion Christians, and roughly 1.2 billion Muslims. How is Islam the "largest religion numerically?"

[veronica]

The most infuriating aspect of this is that the pandering does not work. All over Europe, Muslim/Arab anti-semitism is rampant. America is despised among many Islamists as well. I am 100% sure that taking on this ugly aspect of Islam would be much more productive than glossing it over with platitudes and PC BS.

We didn't kiss the rears of commies in the Soviet Union did we? That's not how the fall of communism was accomplished.

[Maceman]

Apparently the fact that it is the largest religion numerically

And while we'er on the subject, how much smaller would the number of Muslims be if Islam was not imposed on so many under the threat of violence?

[B Knotts]

The other thing is: it may well be accurate that we are not at war with Islam, but it is undeniable that Islam is at war with us.

[Maceman]

we'er = we're

[BenR2]

The most infuriating aspect of this is that the pandering does not work. All over Europe, Muslim/Arab anti-semitism is rampant. America is despised among many Islamists as well. I am 100% sure that taking on this ugly aspect of Islam would be much more productive than glossing it over with platitudes and PC BS.
We didn't kiss the rears of commies in the Soviet Union did we? That's not how the fall of communism was accomplished.

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Agreed. Well said.

[paulsy]

"You are flawed."

We all are flawed.

[Miss Marple]

Do you think the President should condemn Catholicism because 99.9% of the IRA members are Catholic?

[BenR2]

Is Bush talking about the same Muslims I read about who are Killing and maiming thousands of Innocent People all over the world.
Maybe this is another example of bad Intel information?


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Apparently Bush, and others in this forum are (deliberately?) ignorant of one of the favorite chants of the Palestinians used when they protest in the streets?

Oh, the chat goes like this: "First the Saturday people, and then the Sunday people."

(And they aren't talking about selling them lottery tickets at their gas stations, either.)

[veronica]

I'm still waiting for you to tell me which other Presidents have issued Ramadan greetings.

It's a matter of numbers. What percentage of Catholics does the IRA represent, as opposed to the percentage of Muslims that the terrorist cells represent? How many Catholics celebrated in the streets on 9-11 vs. how many Arabs/Muslims did? It's been two years since 9-11. Bush has issued two Ramadan greetings and I don't know how many Islam is peace statements. And yet, anti-Americanism and anti-semitism among Arabs/Muslims is more, not less, pervasive.

[joyful1]

pssst, Mr. President: have you read chapter 9 verses 28-31 in the Koran lately?

"Kill the unbelievers, how perverse are the Jews and Christians!"

Mr. President, you must not ignore or be afraid of the truth. The truth will literally kill us if we don't face it.

[BenR2]

Do you think the President should condemn Catholicism because 99.9% of the IRA members are Catholic?

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This is an idiotic statement. There is no state-sponsorship of IRA terror. There is no wide-spread rioting in the streets of Catholic countries in support of IRA terror. There are very few countries whose Governments are Catholic-state-church-sponsored.

Everyone knows that the IRA are about as "Catholic" as the Italian "mob."

[B Knotts]

If we Catholics were fighting religious wars all over the world, oppressing, killing and enslaving those of other religions, supporting terrorism financially and morally, punishing apostates with the death penalty and expressing open anti-Semitism, yes, I'd hope he'd condemn us.

[Kozak]

Much better to characterize extremists as those who do not really abide by the tenets of Islam; this way we not only have allies, but we also isolate our enemy down to a much more manageable number (thousands/millions(?) vs. billions.)

Great. Wonderful.

Except:
There is NO "official definition of Islam" and when you try to pin Muslims down regarding the "unislamic nature" of the terrorists, you will not get them to flat out reject them as UNislamic.
We have NOT been able to isolate them in the Muslim world, they have a huge base of support among the masses of muslims worldwide, if you think otherwise you are kidding yourself.
If we are in fact ( and NOT of our own accord ) at war with most of Islam, refusing to recognise that fact is basically a psychotic reaction. Make believe is not a sustainable strategy for defence.

[BenR2]

There are a lot of Muslim citizens of the United States. He is their President as well.


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There are LOTS of people in the US who don't get their particular personal religion singled out for a greeting by the President or stamps issued by the US Postal Service. Ever heard of a "Buddhist" U.S. postage stamp?

Perhaps you never have heard of the Supreme Court's Trinity decision in the late 1800s? It concluded that ours is a "Christian nation." (Shhhhh. Don't anyone let the ACLU or CWO Jackson know, though.)

[Teacher317]

They aren't worth the dust on a single Muslim soldier's boots.

Like the Muslim soldier who threw a hand grenade into the tent of his officers? Yes, we're SO unworthy of him!

[rintense]

BenR2, President Bush simply can not say that the war on terror is Christianity vs. Islam. He simply can't. One, it isn't wholely true. It's the entire world vs. Islam. And if you look closely at what Bush, Blair, and other world leaders have said, you don't need to nit-pick through the words: the war on terror IS against Islam. To specifically call out a religion would not only isolate the United States, but many of our allies as well. As much as we hate it, myself included, there is no way the President of the United States- no matter who it is, will ever specifically say a war is against a religion. Let the actions speak louder than the words.

BTW, as the leader of the free world, do you really think President Bush would ever say what you want him to say? Realistically? I'd bet a dime to donuts that privately, Bush the *man* can't stand Islam. But you'll never hear Bush the *President* say it.

To me, when the President says militant Islam, it is still Islam. And you can bet that's why most Moslems can't stand Bush now. Because they know that he is targeting their religion, whether he's targeting them as peaceful followers or not. Detante is a clever game of what is said and what isn't said. And to me, what isn't said is far more powerful than stating the obvious.