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.
We could kill two birds with one stone (pun intended). We can strap bombs onto all the Gitmo prisoners and return them to Mecca. Surely the Left couldn't complain about repatriation to Mecca of the boys from Gitmo.
Thanks for posting that Publius! I figured someone would pop in with that information, I knew the troops would support such a move!
Gee, I wonder if the troops in the pacific supported Truman dropping the bomb on hiroshima and nagasaki? Nah.....
You are exactly right. We shouldn't threaten to do it and give them propaganda material, we should just do it!
And his mujahadin friend bayourbay, or whatever his jahadist name.
Dane, I can understand how you selectively edit my responses so you can appear to give at least some type of reply. Please address this:
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?
Please see:
http://www.issues2000.org/House/Tom_Tancredo_War_+_Peace.htm
Better late than never, they always say. I think we should have wiped out Mecca right after 911, no questions asked
"I think we should have wiped out Mecca right after 911, no questions asked"
Tobyhill for pres!!!!!!
psst, it's easy to say anything on the internet, like boasting you are some clearinghouse for military comment.
The fact remains tancredo's knee jerk remarks put extra burdens on our troops in the propaganda war.
Are you happy tancredo gave the scumbags our troops are fighting(the islamofascists) propaganda points?
Tell SA that until they accept proselytizers of other religions access to their country that we eliminate ALL Wahabiest funding and Mosques.
WTF are you talking about???
Islam is the religion of Peace dammit! President Bush said so!!!
/s
In all of these examples, then, the "trigger" for terrorist action was not any newly adopted Western posture of force and defiance. Rather, it was a deepening of the targeted public's wish to deal with terrorism through avoidance and accommodation, a mass descent into the psychological belief, so often disproved by history, that if we only leave vicious attackers alone, they will leave us alone. It is hardly surprising that by actively trying -- or merely indicating that they wished -- to bury their collective heads in the sand, the societies were led not to peace but to more violent attacks. Al Qaeda and terrorist groups in general have tended to press their campaigns of violence against civilians in areas where they have sensed disunity and a lack of forceful opposition. In the manner of clinical sociopaths, they seem to "smell fear" -- and to find in it, not any inspiration to show mercy or accept accommodation, but a compulsion to torment all the more vigorously those who exude it. " psst, it's easy to say anything on the internet"
Ahh, you mean like saying that tancredo is a puppet of buchanan? A total lie , proof below:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1447104/posts?page=125#125
Tancredo only has said what other people are thinking. We are sick of Islam and the evil that it brings.
No doubt...And how many heros in Viet Nam cringed in fear everytime we dropped some napalm on the enemy???
Hang on there buddy. I didn't say they supported such a move. It is just satisfying on a human level to think about it while fighting animals on two legs.
They support the balls it takes to entertain the option.
I too, do not support his choice of target. Strategically, I have a list of 61 other targets first.
: )
Beloved tancredo?
You mean the guy who when Tom Delay is in the crosshairs of the liberal media with trumped up charges, goes to the liberal media and gives them more trumped up ammunition.
And the same "beloved" tancredo who gives our enemies gift wrapped propaganda points, thus putting extra burdens on our troops.
tancredo "beloves" himself and the media spotlight, damn Tom Delay and our troops.
"If Muslims ever detonate nuclear weapons inside America than I hope our leaders have the stones to turn their 'holy' sites into glass
as this response is the ONLY thing they respect or understand."
After learning and observing the mindset of terrorists I truly believe it isn't about respect or understanding. IMO they get turned on, revved up like male gorilla's thump their chests in a show of alpha male machismo. Definetely primal. It's all they've known. Note how all the children rock back and forth while obsessively speed reading the kuran. In western civilization children who rock back forth like that are diagnosed with neurotic tendencies. Is it any wonder these muslim kids are so easily turned into drive thru terrorists.
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