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.
LOL
A. Only if you are a Mormon.
B. Only if you can catch me.
;)
Wow. So succinct. And pithy, too.
Ok...how about if I just have your babies?
He doesn't have one, and you should keep the focus on him and not give him and his kind(islamofascists) propaganda points such as blowing up mecca.
I think it was an EXCELLENT suggestion.
Again I understand that, but you don't go off half-cocked as tancredo does and give the islamofascists kneejerk propaganda points.
Oh, we’re going to make a wreck o' Mecca And raze Medina too Ignite tons of lard in Teheran’s main boulevard And make a pork fondue
Boom, Boom Mecca, Bye Medina, Here's your own medi-cina, Swallow now 'fore Uncle's meaner!
"JMO"
I know it's your opinion, Dane the Lame Refrain. You wrote it.
But i'm surprised you didn't respond with Talking Point #2: "tancredo has to give the islamofascists propaganda points."
What do you want to be when you grow up?
And, do you know the meaning of anachronist w/o looking it up in the dictionary? Because you're one in these threads.
Well, you got to remember that all those catholics caught wearing homicide belts have got to make everybody nervous. So yeah Nuking the Vatican after the Vatican nukes several American cities is totally appropriate.
Next silly comparison?
If I'm a muslim - maybe I'm not worried about Tancredo as he's at most a marginal voice. And probably I'm not worried all that much about George Bush going nuclear on their collective asses but...
Gee, American politics can take some unpredictable twists, and there is a non-zero chance that the next American president could be none other than John McCain.
Well, now, that is a horse of another color. McCain is nothing if not unpredictable. Here's a guy who was locked up in a POW camp for a number of years being subjected to the tender mercies of the North Vietnamese. And here's a guy who's suffered the political slings and arrows of the Keating 5 scandal and then the hardball primary campaign of 2000. Oh, and he's a cancer survivor who in some sense is lucky to have beat that disease. So you throw all those factors together and you get Unpredictable with a capital "U". I wonder if that is keeping the imams and the mullahs up at night?
We are way beyond simple "propaganda" statements from Congress. If they don't like it, what are they going to do to us? Strap a bomb on their own kids? Why should anyone be silent anymore about what we really want to do to them? They feed on fear and insist those in fear walk on eggshells. My answer to that is, HELL NO!
They are very sensitive you know. Saying Christians outnumber them will make them very angry. Very very angry. They might start bombing the subway in a major city! Mustn't do that.
Now they can no longer argue that there are so many of them we can't criticize their primitive,savage murdering animalistic behavior because there "are too many of them"!
And neither can their useful idiot parrots...
LOL
I don't think biology works that way.
By the way, were you aware that Tancredo handed the Islamofascists valuable propaganda points?
(*squawk*)
I thought you meant atta's nutball father.
Think how many innocent children would be spared.
No, just one FReeper's opinion.
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