Posted on 07/20/2005 3:27:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
KUWAIT CITY - Muslims from Indonesia to the Middle East on Wednesday labeled as aggressive and irresponsible a U.S. congressman's suggestion that the United States could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim attackers targeted America in a nuclear strike.
Some demanded an apology. Many said the comments fuel Islamic extremism and leave Muslims feeling Americans equate terrorists with all of Islam.
"American mentality imagines that a religion is attacking another religion, and here lies the danger," said Syrian political analyst Ahmed al-Haj Ali. He called it "frightening" to "retaliate against the birthplace of Islam for individual criminal acts or acts committed by groups that are condemned by Islam."
Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican, was asked on a radio talk show Friday how the United States should respond if terrorists struck several of its cities with nuclear weapons.
"Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered.
When host Pat Campbell of WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. asked if he meant "bombing Mecca," the congressman responded: "Yeah."
Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia, are Islam's holiest cities. All able-bodied Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage there at least once in their lives. Mecca is the birthplace of Islam's prophet Muhammad and home to the Kaaba, Islam's most sacred site, which Muslims around the world face when they perform daily prayers.
"I find it strange that such a comment comes from someone who represents a civilized people," said Hamed al-Abdullah, a Kuwait University political science teacher. The comment should be rejected by civic societies, the Congress and President Bush, he said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli called the congressman's statement "insulting and offensive." He said Americans "respect the dignity and sanctity of other religions."
In Egypt, the liberal al-Ghad Party condemned Tancredo's comments and demanded "an official apology to all Muslim nations, who love peace and reject arrogance and violence."
"It's aggressive and it is exceeding all limits and doesn't serve anything but extremism and terrorism," al-Ghad said in statement published in its mouthpiece newspaper by the same name.
Tancredo has refused to apologize, telling The Associated Press his comments had been taken out of context. He said he never said he wanted to bomb Mecca or Medina and added that it would be better to think of ways to prevent a terrorist attack, noting that he didn't want to "inflame this issue."
But some Muslims still felt Tancredo's remarks reflected a broader American opinion. "America is trying to market the idea of striking at Mecca in order to fight fundamentalism. This is crazy talk devoid of logic," said Sheik Hisham Hassani, a Syrian expert on fundamentalist groups. He accused Washington of sowing "sectarian discord that always begins with such utterances."
The leader of Indonesia's most influential group of Islamic clerics criticized the remarks as "irresponsible" and called on Americans to protest them. "How can an American congressman say something like that?" said Amidhan, who goes by one name. "It just reflects his inability as a politician."
"Does he understand anything about human rights? At least when the United States attacks Iraq, Muslims blame the government not the American people," Amidhan said.
Al-Abdullah, the Kuwaiti political scientist, put some blame on the way the question was put to the congressman. "These imaginary 'what if' questions are endless," he said.
Tancredo must be doing something right.
Meanwhile western civilization - from America, Britian, Spain and the Netherlands known as civilized and responsible suggest that muslims practice what they whine and start apologizing for condoning and killing thousands of innocent citizens and their own middle eastern women and children.
We're still waiting!
Dane, stop wiggling out of it. you know you've been checkmated:
I'm still trying to understand your logic that tancredo is a puppet of Buchanan. Yet buchanan wants to placate the terrorists, as you say. However, Tancredo would respond to an attack with nukes. How is that placating? You've also stated that Buchanan hates israel, yet, if Tancredo is a puppet of Buchanan like you say, then why did he support israel?
http://www.issues2000.org/House/Tom_Tancredo_War_+_Peace.htm
Solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism.
Tancredo sponsored a Congressional Resolution expressing solidarity with Israel:
* [The United States] expresses solidarity with Israel as it takes necessary steps to provide security to its people by dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian areas; and
* Commits to Israel's right to self-defense and support for additional U.S. assistance.
* Condemns the recent wave of Palestinian suicide bombings and the ongoing support and coordination of terror by Yasir Arafat and other members of the Palestinian leadership.
* Demands that the Palestinian Authority fulfill its commitment to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian areas.
* Expresses concern that Arafat's actions are not those of a viable partner for peace.
* Urges all Arab states to declare their unqualified opposition to all forms of terrorism, particularly suicide bombing, and all parties in the region to pursue peace in the Middle East.
Surely the guy has a vast experience of personal involvement with such groups. A fox, the chicken coop keeper.
Its funny that after 9/11 the universal concensis was to nuke Mecca. How the memories fade!
President Bush is going out of his way to make the point that the terrorists are our enemy, not Islam, considering that there are billions of Muslims in the world, and the last thing we need is to have a member of our government, a US Senator make such statements.
Tancredo gave as good propaganda points to the America-haters, as any of the leftists, when they open their mouth and bash the US.
Tancredo just set back President Bush's efforts of democratization of the Arab and Muslim nations significantly.
It is quite disturbing, that so many FReepers are supporting Tancredo, who seems to be only interested in outdoing McCain in the limelight, whatever it takes.
Tancredo is no conservative, he was the only Republican who called for Tom DeLay, a true conservative to step aside, even if the Democrats accusations weren't true
Exactly Q.
tancredo's rhetoric is like cheap ripple to some on the right. They drink it up and then get the hangover and some cough up the furballs the morning after.
"Muslims Keep Up Criticism of Tancredo"
And of the President, I'm sure.
Anybody surprised that enemies of America are critizing our beloved Congressman Tancredo? I ain't.
psssst.
I am in regular touch with a couple of dozen active military in Iraq, the pentagon, Bahrain (UAE), and other places and they (unofficially) unambiguously expressed support for Tancredo's statement, with smiles on their faces.
But I am nevertheless awestruck by your concern on their behalf. < /sarc >
There isn't a democratic muzlim country on the face of the earth...And there won't be one, whether we get out of Iraq or not...
The gov't admits it knows there are terrorist cells all over this country of ours....And the muzlims in this country know it as well...
Your 'moderate' muzlim terrorists were hootin' and hollerin' all over Detroit, by the scores of thousands celebrating the murder of 3000 Americans...
The murder of every Jew and Christian man, women, child and baby is preached every week in every mosque thru out the world...Including the U.S....
How many muzlims you see coming forward to put the finger on these terrorist groups in the U.S.??? None, you say???
You AND George Bush are wrong...
It's time for Americans to quit living in fear and drain the swamp...Tancredo's leadership will do it...
Dude, maybe that wasn't really Ripple.
"I'm freakin mad too that they came over here and killed 3000+ of our people!"
The current PC spin I keep hearing trickled out over the news media on that incident is played out as if it were merely a threat. Amazing ..... two skyscrapers hit the grounds, thousands killed, and we're now suppose to view it as a threat.
As a start, some small group of us should drop ~2k feral pigs into Medina and Mecca, followed by a promise that should the Islamic "clergy" not work to "Stop Jihad Now!", any future attacks on the US would be followed by delivery of a few cruise missles on each city. The US gov't doesn't have to do this, only a few anti-Jihadists. How much are a few cruise missles and Red Sea boat rental anyway?
Uh no STD, the fact remains the buchanans run tancredo's PAC.
And just for further enlighenment, pat buchanan(who runs tom tancredo's PAC) and the islamofascists have a common enemy, the state of Israel.
Your hive analogy holds perfectly for this evil cult and its followers. As I've said before you don't go after one wasp - you go after the nest and take it out.
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