Posted on 10/29/2003 5:21:37 AM PST by JesseHousman
WASHINGTON (AFP) - George W. Bush hosted a Ramadan dinner with US Islamic leaders, as the White House was besieged with demands to fire an army general whom made comments some say makes the US-led war on terror out to be a war on Islam.
General William Boykin's comments surfaced two weeks ago, in which he likened the US battle against terror to a battle between Christiandom and the Muslim world, placing the Bush administration in an uncomfortable position.
While the Pentagon (news - web sites) has opened its own investigation, it has also said that it does not expect to ask Boykin to resign. He continued to serve as a undersecretary of defense for intelligence, in charge of tracking down Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) among others.
Bush invited Muslim leaders to an Iftar, the evening feast that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast Muslims observe during the month of Ramadan. He organized the first White House Iftar after bin Laden and al-Qaeda launched the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
"America is a land of many faiths and we honor, and welcome and value the Muslim faith," Bush said in opening remarks before the meal.
At a mid-day press conference earlier Tuesday, Bush said that the controversial Boykin "doesn't reflect my point of view or the view of this administration."
"Our war is not against the Muslim faith."
"Americans think terrorists are evil people who have hijacked a great religion," Bush said, responding to a reporter's question.
Such statements, however, did not quell the Boykin controversy.
"The obvious response to the Boykin case is to say that because he is now under-secretary of defense for intelligence, he should be relieved of his post," The Washington Post said in an editorial Tuesday.
Boykin made his questionable speeches while wearing his military uniform before conservative Christian groups whom Bush will woo as part of his 2004 reelection campaign.
"It is highly likely that Bush himself, a genuinely devout Christian by all accounts, agrees with at least some, perhaps much, of what Boykin said," the Post speculated.
The US president had just returned from a tour of Asia, which included a three-hour stopover in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. He also met with several leaders of Muslim countries at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC (news - web sites)) forum.
"Muslims are completely wrong to think that the US is engaged in a war against Islam," New York Times columnist Paul Krugman said.
"But that misperception flourishes in part because the domestic political strategy of the Bush administration -- no longer able to claim the Iraq (news - web sites) war was a triumph, and with little but red ink to show for its economic plans -- looks more and more like a crusade."
Sage advice.
Do you know that to be a fact? That there was no "celebration" planned at all in 2001 until the attacks on 9-11?
He wasn't speaking for me.
(I'll research further, however, now that I'm out here on this limb.)
And to which hostages might your handle refer?
Muslims invented the term hostage taking. They've siezed airliners, blew up airliners, killed 3,000 innocents rather quickly, siezed an embassy some years ago and held over 100 American citizens hostage. Before they learned to fly (not land or take off, of course as that is left up to the hostage pilots) they were satisfied with seizing American planes and just maiming and killing a few hostages. They derived enjoyment from shoving a cripple in a wheelchair off a ship. Now their imams have directed their attention to their koran that promises eternity in their doggie heaven with 72 virgins.
We come in peace and leave you in pieces.
These muslim dogs want nothing more than to do to America what they did to Spain all in the name of Allah and according to their (un)holy book.
I didn't know God was into contradictions.
So what's the big complaint??
As to why the president choose to do this, I really don't know .. me and the Prez aren't on a first name bases
However, if I was to take a guess .. it might have something to do with all the anger many americans felt about Islamic faith, especially after 9/11
And this was a way to show others in the Islamic faith that we realized that they aren't all evil people that wanted to kill americans .. that we needed to show them that they could trust us .. by respecting one of their holiest holidays .. and that maybe if they learned that they could trust us and President Bush .. that maybe they would help us out more on this war on terror??
Now have some mistakes happened with dealing with some in the Islamic faith .. yes .. but nothing is perfect and we learn from the mistake we made .. then there might be times, maybe they weren't mistakes, at it was better to stay friendly with some to keep a better eye on them.
Make that 6 and 9.
Good retort by you to this vapid sentence!
(I'll research further, however, now that I'm out here on this limb.)
Very funny......but I was sincere; I just didn't know what the "traditions" of the White House had been in recent years.
Wait a minute, I thought America was a Christian country.The government is religiously neutral, respect for all beliefs, preference for none. That's how we've kept peace for over 200 years.
-Eric
Those aren't Southern Baptists that are ambushing our soldiers.They are former members of the Ba'ath Party. The Ba'athists were religious when it suited them, secular when not, just like most other totalitarians.
-Eric
I didn't know for sure either, but I do know that many different religious holidays and national holidays have been celebrated at the WH throughout the years
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