Posted on 09/01/2006 6:04:17 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) ROSEMONT, Ill -- The newly elected head of the largest Muslim group in North America called President Bush's recasting of the war on terror as a "war against Islamic fascism" inaccurate and not helpful to people of her faith.
Ingrid Mattson, the first woman president of the Islamic Society of North America, said Friday that labeling terrorism as "Islamic" only adds to a misunderstanding of the religion.
Mattson acknowledged that terrorist groups "do misuse and use Islamic concepts and terms to justify their violence."
"But I think that when we then bestow that term upon them we only make the situation worse and somehow give validity to their claims which we need to deny and reject," she said at the opening of the group's 43rd annual convention.
Bush and other Republicans have been using the wording in recent speeches. White House aides and outside Republican strategists have said the new term is an attempt to more clearly identify the ideology that motivates many organized terrorist groups.
"I'm convinced that it is not only inaccurate, but unhelpful," she said. "If our major concern is security, security of this country, this is a term that has very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here."
Mattson said her group would argue to eliminate the use of the phrase. U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, are attending the meeting.
"We're hoping that there can be some adjustment to this language and we're trying to voice that opinion to those who have been using this, circulating this term," she said.
England did not address the issue during a Friday afternoon panel, but said American Muslims will play an important role as the Pentagon improves its training of the military on Islamic culture.
"They understand their culture, obviously, much better than we do," England said. "We have not done a very good job in the past and we need to do better."
He also called on Muslim Americans to spread to the world the word about freedom, citing the success of Muslim businesspeople and professionals in the United States.
The Islamic Society drew its own fire for inviting former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who is expected to address the convention Saturday.
"Khatami ... behaved as an enemy of America and our most cherished values," said Jay Tcath, vice president of the Chicago Jewish Federation in a statement. "It is disturbing that any American organization would honor him by providing such an important platform."
Tcath said American Jews remember "the egregious 1999 imprisonment and circus trial of 13 Iranian Jews on trumped-up charges of espionage for Israel," which happened under Khatami's presidency.
Mattson said the group hopes to show Khatami "how the American Muslim community has dealt with issues of religious freedom and tolerance and perhaps he can carry some of that message back."
Khatami, whose receipt of a visa was announced this week by the State Department, also plans to attend a U.N. conference in New York and to speak on religion's role in promoting peace at the Washington National Cathedral during his trip to the United States.
The Islamic Society's four-day meeting is expected to draw more than 30,000 Muslims from Canada and around the United States for mostly nonpolitical sessions on subjects including retirement planning, Internet marketing, home schooling and dating.
.........bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here." ..................
Most Excellent.
Now, Let us know when all you moozies want to move out, and we'll rent the U Haul trucks!
makes us feel uncomfortable here.
That is music to my ears. That means that fewer of my fellow citizens are the wimps I've been thinking they are.
I've read her account. She's a dope.
Does she have an arranged marriage yet? Bet he's a real honey-pie if she does.
I have enjoyed, and respect your posts. I will add one thing (as a Christian) and that is: trying to get all of us Christians to agree on everything would be impossible! And that, if you will pardon the expression, is another 'saving grace' about what you have pointed out.
So they don't want the word facist/terrorist used with the word Islam.
Okay- lets leave them out!
ISLAM is evil.
Problem solved.
"I don't care what muslims say in their defense."
Neither do I. I admit to the violence in the Old Testament - which is time and situation specific - while the violence in the Koran endures until all live under Allah. They need to read their holy books over a pork dinner.
But that's what I wrote--the whole POINT of my post was that Christians DON'T impose these things.
You are absolutely correct.
A good Christian friend put it this way just a few days ago: "When we follow Jesus we are to try and introduce others to Him. But if they say no, then we are to love them anyway. With Islam, if one says no then one is to be killed" Big difference.
The libs bark against the diversity in the religion they hate the most--a religion which dominates our secular society yet has never chosen to overwhelm it with religious rule. And they support the most repressive, anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-free speech, anti-booze, drugs, music, fornication, etc. religion out there.
How any secular person like myself can look at the facts and not see what you illustrate is beyond me. But 99% of them do NOT see it.
It's because they are all about gossipy personality bashing. Liberals are the screaming drag queens of American politics, more interested in a misspoken word or the occassional opinion they don't agree with than deeds and devotion to the design of this nation. They want to point fingers and shout bitchy comments more than they want to THINK.
As a very modern MUSLIM friend of mine (who was imprisoned by the Ayatollah K) told me years ago: the intellectuals foolishly thought he would let them continue to exist and play a role as the 'enlightened' - they were shocked, amazed (and sometimes dead) to discover he, can you believe it, lied! Our libs are in the same state of denial. I truly think they see Islam as some kind of exotic fluff that could never effect them. How wrong they are. BTW my friend detests what is happening and is very, very outspoken about it.
They're the America Firsters of our time. Michael Moore is their Father Coughlin.
BTW my friend detests what is happening and is very, very outspoken about it.
That's good to hear. All Muslims are not are enemies, but it's pointless to argue about, and is actually somewhat ebside the point--if voices from inside can't change some of the problems (similar voices are ignored in many religions we could mention), then it's no surprise Islam is currently boiling over with hardcore rhetoric, while saner voices find no audience.
Amen!
They say "convert or die",
I say, "prepare to meet MY maker."
What is the common denominator?
Afghanis, Saudis, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Iranians, Bangladeshis, Sudanese, Lybians, Egyptians, Bosnians, Syrians, "Palestinians" Turks, Albanians, Indians, Chechens, "Aussies", "Canadians", "Americans"....So it isn't shared nationality
Arabs...no. So it isn't shared ethnicity.
Arabic...no. So it isn't shared language.
Democracy?...uh, NO! Monarchists? Certainly not all of them. Socialists? Communists? Noooo. Guess that leaves out political ideology.
Black? Brown? Yellow? Red? White? ...no. So it isn't a shared race.
Rocket scientists? DEFINITELY not! It isn't frat brothers!
Hmmm; I wonder what they DO have in common? OH! It is a shared religion! Now, I wonder which religion that would be?
Hate Joooos; hate pork; hate cartoons; hate infidels; hate each other...It MUST be Muslims!!!!
Amen!
They say "convert or die",
I say, "prepare to meet MY maker."
And I say, "prepare to meet my Peacemaker!"
Mattson misunderstands Islam. She is using a watered-down, westernized Islam. Bin Laden knows the real Islam. Ingrid is just a mullah-whore.
There was a pipe bomb at a metra station and the muslims are in town. Coinkidink? I wonder.
My assumption is she's married. Islam spokesmen need to be married to have credibility with the ummah. Internet says:
----- Dr. Mattson lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children -----
BUMP
I agree, the only Muslims I see condemning terrorism unconditionally have absolutely no credentials, every Muslim with credentials either condones terrorism or includes exceptions that basically negate the first part of their statement.
What are you going to do for the Gov. election? Blag, Judy-Judy-Judy, or Stufflebeam?
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