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.
Anyway you all can have your knee jerk bull seession, but tom tancredo stepped in it, and made our troops job harder in the mid-east
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I guess Truman made the job harder for our troops too, when he issued an ultimatum to the japanese.
No.
Because in those days we didn't care about making the enemy madder, because we knew we were at war, and in war the enemy is ALREADY mad.
You don't worry about making the enemy madder when you promise to annihilate him, you make the enemy worry about whether he will live to see another day.
Unless you are afraid of the enemy.
Tagline:
It's easy to be evil and hard to be holly.....the ignorant & lazy will always be tempted by evil, and take bait like a starving Bass....
"If they spent half this much effort going after terrorists, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"
I was thinking the exact same thing...
I say we nuke all Muslum Counties!!!!!!!Including all Muslum backing democratic congresspeople!!!!
Even though my nom-de-plume(sp?) is not me in reality, I try to do my best to live up to it here on FreeRepublic.
Hey COEXERJ145, do you think the London bombings this morning are the work of Catholics?
Tancredo is famous now! Like Tancredo or not, he is famous.
Thats right Achmed. Even to most dim amongst us are starting to wake up and smell the Islamofascist Folgers. Moderate Islam is a huge contradiction in terms. Your so called moderate Imams say how much they deplore terrorism when talking to the imbeciles in the MSM and then preach jihad in their sermons to the Islamokazies an hour later. If we do get nuked in this country, I would certainly hope to see a few Muslim holy sites take on a glow in the dark attribute.
ah. I had heard of his remarks, but didn't know Tom said it.
good.
it is on the table, where it should be.
Good to agree with you.
Yeah right.
More like of unsuccessfully catholicised (?) Mohammedans born in the protestant North of England. Isn't this a mess?
Bump that!
Sure sheds some light on the trolls we have on FR huh
Yes it does!
Personally we should make every arab nation flat black and glow in the dark if we are hit with a nuke.
Mecca and all.
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