America not an enemy of Islam, Muslim cleric says (BARF)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/317528_bosniak28.html ^

[kronos77]

A moderate European Muslim leader -- in Seattle this weekend to attend the annual conference of the Congress of North American Bosniaks -- drew upon a deep affection for the United States before cautioning Americans, "Don't cease to believe that you are good." Ceric

The gentle warning from Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric -- the supreme Islamic cleric for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia -- followed the second day of meetings of the Bosniak congress attended by about 1,000 people from around the continent.

About 7,000 Bosniaks came to the Seattle area after genocidal violence that ripped the former Yugoslavian province in the 1990s.

Several dignitaries, including Haris Silajdzic, Bosniak member of the three-person Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency, attended the meetings, which are being held on the West Coast for the first time.

In a private interview Sunday, Ceric said he believes it is his responsibility as a leading Islamic cleric and "friend and partner" of the United States to get out the word to Muslim people around the world that America is not an enemy of Islam. Karen Ducey / P-I Farrah Saracevic, 10, hugs Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric after he visited her Lynnwood home Sunday. Farrah’s dad, Muhamed Saracevic, is local president of the Congress of North American Bosniaks. Muhamed’s other daughter Hanan Saracevic is right. Left of her is family friend Nedzad Taljanovic.

"America did not come to Bosnia because of oil," Ceric said of the U.S. intervention in 1995. "America came because of the great American ideals of human rights and peace and security in the world. Your coming to Bosnia proves that America did not lose the ideals of freedom and human rights."

That said, Ceric made clear that he believes American foreign policy has lost its moral compass, citing actions taken at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

[kronos77]

[kronos77]

Ping!

[texson66]

Yeah, Thanks Clintoon for that one....defend the poor muslims in Yugoslavia...right!

[Joe Boucher]

Maybe America isn’t but I sure as hell am.

[Mr. Know It All]

Maybe America isn’t but I sure as hell am.

I'm certainly an opponent of radical Islamists, but that's in addition to being an opponent of all sorts of other radical groups that put their agenda above liberty and life. I notice a lot of people here (not everyone, of course) are a lot less specific -- claiming to be "against Islam" in general. Is that just shorthand for being against Islamic extremists, or does it entail a broader outlook? Are you making a religious statement? I'd appreciate further detail, if you care to share any.

In my understanding, America is not an enemy of peaceful "live and let live" Muslims, but that idea seems to upset some people. I'm curious as to why.

[kronos77]

We, Serbs thouht like you.Than Muslims slaughtered us.

[Mr. Know It All]

We, Serbs thouht like you.Than Muslims slaughtered us.

...and now you think what, exactly?

[kronos77]

No peacefull nazism, no good nazi, fight or die for Christianity.
We choosed to fight.

[Joe Boucher]

My favorite Nephew was killed in Fallujah 2 years ago by Al-Sadrs cronies.
Before that I was generally a live and let live kind of guy that supported all religions.
He had been married about 5 months, was the best in our family and joined the marines a few months after 9-11.

Since then I see how the mooselimbs don’’t even allow Christians in their holy places and I say f-em.
I can go on but hopefully yo get the idea.

[kronos77]

My condonance for your loss.

Now imagine following scene. patologist from Serbia is exhumating people from mass graves, regardless on religion and executors. At one mass-grave of Serb Christians murdered my Muslims in Bosnia, he founds a small boy turning-over corpsess.
-What are you doing down there!? ?- he asks
- F**k off, Im looking for my parrents.

This is why there is no peace with Islam.

[MarineDad]

"...there is no peace with Islam."

Cannot be said enough, friend.

Cannot be said in too many places, or in too many ways...

[Mr. Know It All]

Since then I see how the mooselimbs don’’t even allow Christians in their holy places and I say f-em.

What are you talking about? I took a trip to Turkey last summer and must have visited about a dozen mosques.

[kronos77]

You are a visitor, tourist.
Try asking people they have ruled over.

Serbs(!), Bulgarians, Greeks... Armenians...

[kronos77]

NewYorkers...Mormones...

[Mr. Know It All]

Try asking people they have ruled over....
NewYorkers...Mormones...

The Turks ruled New York? Mormons? I was kind of hoping that my questions would clear some things up, and now, I'm totally lost.

[CatTrader]

In Muhammed’s (sp)? early writings, he has a live and let live attitude towards other religions. Until he conquered Medina, I think it was, then he changed and Islam was to be the only religion unless the other religions paid a tax. Later, they were forced to convert at the point of a sword. Mainly, I think these were small populations of Jews and Christians. The majority of those who had to convert were pantheist. Those who believed in more than one god. Originally, his claim to fame was more making the Arabs monotheistic. You could say that Islam has become violent since his death, but, there is evidence that, once in power, he was pretty violent himself.

[Mr. Know It All]

You could say that Islam has become violent since his death, but, there is evidence that, once in power, he was pretty violent himself.

Thank you for the informative post, but I'm pretty well acquainted with the history. I was really talking about what's happening now. As I mentioned, I went to Turkey last year. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, a NATO member, and the U.S. military bases they permit in their country are vital staging areas for our operations in Iraq.

Are we supposed to turn our backs on our long-time ally because of what some crazy Saudi's did in 2001, or what they did to the Serbs in an age where imperialism was considered a normal way to conduct foreign policy?

Another poster mentioned losing his son in a battle in Faluja. If I understand our mission in Iraq correctly, that man's son gave his life to bring peace and stability to a democratic Iraq. Most Iraqis are Muslim; if they're our enemy, what are our soldiers dying for? (And, no, I don't buy the "we're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here" story).

[Parmy]

You mention that Turkey is a staging place for our mission in Iraq. Seems to me in my foggy memory, when all this started, we weren't allowed to use Turkey for a staging area. Many units had to utilize other routes to enter Iraq.

When did all that change?

[Mr. Know It All]

You mention that Turkey is a staging place for our mission in Iraq. Seems to me in my foggy memory, when all this started, we weren't allowed to use Turkey for a staging area. Many units had to utilize other routes to enter Iraq.

When did all that change?

Now that you mention it, I think there was some resistances from Turkey. I also remember them refusing to allow us to use their bases at first, and I think (I'd really have to look this up to get it straight) that they relented at the last minute. The Turks have a big problem with the Kurds. Some of it is on their side -- they just don't like the Kurds, but some of it stems from the activities of the Marxist PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) which continues to stage terrorist attacks in Turkey from bases just over the border in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds are (basically) our best friends in Iraq and their ongoing problems with the Turks put us in a tough spot, diplomatically. I'll bet (and this is me making an "edumacated guess") that the Turks needed some assurances from us that we wouldn't let the Kurds be fully autonomous after we took down the Hussein regime.

In the 1991 Gulf War, our decision not to remove Saddam Hussein from power was heavily influenced by Turkey.

[Joe Boucher]

Obviously you haven’t seen the recent report of the guy being arrested in Saudi Arabia for simply going to a city and not being mooselimb.