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.
Its amazing...he has more hatred for Tancredo than he does our enemy.
Says a lot.
BTTT
And you don't kill a killer bee hive by whacking it with a stick as tancredo is wont to do.
You get rid of it stealthly, by taking out the Queen.
No I don't suffer gladly self-serving publicity seeking congressmen who give propaganda points to our enemy.
Muslims mete out wholesale slaughter almost every day, and yet they go into world wide spasms over a mere suggestion that bombing what they call a holy place, would be a fitting initial responce to them should they nuke our cities?
Tough shiteski.
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?
HA! Thanks for that. Seems to be a slight conflict in his position against Tancredo.
You also stated that Buchanan hates israel, yet, if Tancredo is a puppet of Buchanan like you said, then why did he support israel?
I love great questions.
"Its amazing...he has more hatred for Tancredo than he does our enemy."
He's just serving notice to us all that he's an enemy of America and our armed forces and a puppet of the jihadist.
What the hell are you talking about taking out some queen? MOAB em all and that should kill the whole hive!
PLEASE, everyone here read Paul Sperry's book Infiltration. I can't stress enough the importance of it. If nothing else, you can read between the lines just what Muslim spokespersons mean when they issue their statements.
Go to Paul Sperry's website www.sperryfiles.com and read some of the revelations there. This is a book that is very important to the security of our country. Smoke and mirrors from Washington to please the PC crowd - every agency including the White House. Don't miss this book.
Vhen der Fuehrer says, "Ve ist der master race"
Ve say HEIL! HEIL!
Right in der Fuehrer's face
And then there was:
"I'm a cranky old yank in a clanky old tank on the streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu mama singin' those beat-o, beat-o flat-on-my-seat-o, Hir-o hit-o blues."
Shame on Spike Jones and Hoagy Carmichael, giving all those insulting propaganda points to the enemy. ;-)
LOL!
The only these savages will listen to is a good KABOOM!
Dane, are you listening?
A lame response from a lame brain.
The only = the only thing
OK. So there are "only" 1.3 BILLION Muslims in the world.
And 2.1 Billion Christians.
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html
Do you think mutual eradication will work?
President Bush understands the situation and has the right plan: eradicate the terrorist elements and make it appealing to the rest to moderate their religion and join the 21st century, and the secret to that is to spread democracy.
What a pant load!
There isn't just one hive, one queen.
There is no single Islamic leader that can be eliminated to secure our safety.
You've pretty much openly confessed that you don't understand the threat, the risk that threat poses, and that you don't have the wherewithall to reduce or eliminate that threat.
Why don't you change topics and quit embarrassing yourself?
Picture to go with my previous post.
You got admit, though, not as lame as Lame Dane's Refrains.
I do understand the threat and unlike you don't try to give our enemies the hammer(propaganda points) to use against us as tancredo does.
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