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.
http://www.whyislam.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1662&PN=1
Topic: How did Dr Ingrid Mattson became Muslim
Puke in her own words...
Funny. You'd think they would appreciate the distinction.
Gee, I wonder why anyone would think Islam is a religion of terror considering 99.9% of the world's terrorist do their deeds in the name of Islam?
I've read her account. She's a dope.
After the next terror attack, they will all be crying about
how unfair their internment is, and how they are having to suffer because of the disproportionate response of average
American citizens, terrorized by her religion.
It's simply common sense. The atheists scream about Christian this and Christian that, and I sit and observe, and I simply don't see this government which must be 90% Christian attempting any of these things DUmmies and such say. Isn't the SCOTUS almost completely Christian? I would guess Congress is 90% Christian; state and local governments, if they follow the national average, would be at LEAST 51% Christian, right? (I chose 51% because it makes a majority--I think the nation is &0-85% Christian?)
And yet, where is the imposition of Christian practices? I couldn't care less WHY someone believes what they believe--if the Christian God informs the decisions I approve of, such as being pro-life, that's no skin off my nose, why should it be? If one is suspect just for being religious, at least show me the evidence as to WHY I should feel suspicion.
No such evidence exists. The incessant screeching about Bush's Christianity and how he'd make this a Christian government if he could IGNORES REALITY. Christians do not want to do this.
And then I ask the libs and atheists that question: If eevery single Christian in government throughout the US were overnight replaced by a Muslim, do you think they would continue to uphold the respect for our form of government, sans religion?
The honest libs say nothing. The BSers look up to the ceiling and star by saying "Well..." Then I laugh, which is partly out of pleasure, but also because it gives them an out. They can then change the subject and criticize me, and the BEST part is we both know that's what they're doing.
When you confront the Christian haters with this little question, the results are always win-win. Try it!
Muslim policy is to always blame the infidel, dominate the infidel and to tax the infidel with the infamous Jizya tax.
Yeah right. Murdering scum is a better name for them anyway.
Ingrid Mattson? WTFO?
Oh, and BTW Ingrid,
islamofascist! islamofascist!
I ain't listening to any hijab-wearing idiot!
Were would you send them ... every rock, sand dune, oasis in all the middle east is a holy place to them. Just send them home to their countries of origin.
"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."
Ms. Mattson can argue untill she's blue in the face, the term Islamofascism is not going away untill the so called moderate Muslims start condemning the extremists, and take control of their moon cult!
Those books would make a nice bonfire (just throw bacon grease on them first)!
Did we all miss the offers from this organization to help clean up the debris from the WTC's?
It's always about "me" with these guys. They must vote Democrat.
Islam was born in violence. The (false) prophet of Islam
was violent. Their "scriptures" advocate violence. Their
(pagan moon) "god" is pleased by violence. If Muslims
don't like to hear the truth, then as they say, " 'piss'
be upon them".
Exactly!
SOSDD. We shall know them by their big "But"s.
If you want to know Islam, read about the life of Muhammad. Find out what kind of man he was.
The song parodied from Frank Sinatra is great!
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