Anna KournikovaJust making this thread "compliant".....
-Eric
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."
The dinner was part of a broad public relations campaign by the administration aimed at blunting criticism of the airstrikes. Bush often makes a point of saying the United States is waging war on terrorism, not Islam. He has visited a mosque and met with Muslim leaders at the White House.
It was the first time a president has hosted a Ramadan meal. During the Clinton administration, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted meals at the White House for Muslim-American leaders.
Quit making sense.
One of the problems with Islam is that the more devout tend to become more violent or anti-social, which is in contrast with most other religions where the truly devout become more peaceful or concentrate on good-works or inner peace...whatever.There's plenty of devout Muslims in America, but very few fundamentalists. There's a difference, a big one. That difference is why the 911 hijackers avoided Islamic communities when they were here. Their fundamentalist views combined with their non-obvservant lifestyles would have made them suspicious.
-Eric
There are no exact statistics on how many loyalists of the former regime have been killed since its downfall more than six months ago.
But residents in Tikrit say no day passes without at least one murder taking place.
In Baghdad police sources say they have reports of an average of three murders of what they believe are senior members of the former security and intelligence organizations.
Yeah right...you want a conservative party that will syphon voters from the Democrats...
I have this dream about me and Anna Kournikova, I think I may stand a better chance.
I haven't either, being a catholic, I have a hard enough time remembering all of our holidays, prayers, saints, rules and other stuff to keep track of other religions
That being said, I can respect others and their faith, whatever it may be
Obviously the most disturbing part of this "association" is that we have yet to hear a broad brush condemnation of the terrorist acts by the vast majority of American Muslims
You'll get no disagreement there .. it would be helpful if they spoke up more
But at the same time that doesn't mean the President should give up trying
Look we all know he knows what is evil and what is not .. but we also have to remember that he is the President of the United States, the leader of the free world and he can't just shoot of his mouth like we all can.
He has to look at the whole picture and what best way to deal with this all
Read Spanish history. Muslims make very cruel conquerors and slave owners.Read European history at the time of the Inquisiton. Where were Jews safer and more comfortable, the Islamic Ottoman Empire or Catholic Spain?
-Eric
First time for a religious holiday .. but it's not the first time they were hosted for an event
BTW ... Thanks for finding the info
Anna KournikovaJust making this thread "compliant".....
-Eric
Absolutely.
First, point me to a legitimate Jihad against America...bin Laden can no more call for a Jihad, than I can cannonize Mother Theresa.
To truly call a Jihad against America, it would take something that does not exist in Islam...a Caliphate.
There hasn't been a Caliphate in the Islamic world in over a thousand years, no unity among the sects.
In attacking America, bin Laden and the Wahhabis are trying to get the US and the Western world in general to declare either a real or perceived war on Islam...a Holy War.
That would unite Muslims, because the Qu'ran instructs them to unite under such circumstances, and would precipitate the creation of a Caliphate to lead the world's Muslims, with the Wahhabis at the control via their financial power.
We would then be fighting a war not only our own citizens, but with against every nation of the world with a Muslim population. In other words, nearly every nation in the world.
Sometimes the absolute lack of intelligence exhibited by posters in this forum amazes me.
From whence do you infer "the big complaint"?
I understand the President's motivation here. My original post was merely musing as to what message other religions, not currently on the White House dinner list, might infer from the addition if the Iftar celebration only after an attack on the nation.
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