Posted on 04/23/2010 8:20:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Army rescinded its invitation to Franklin Graham to speak at the Pentagon for the National Day of Prayer over concerns about his remarks about Islam.
Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said Thursday that Graham’s comments about Islam were “not appropriate.”
"We're an all-inclusive military," Collins said, according to The Associated Press. "We honor all faiths. ... Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths."
Graham is under fire for past comments he made about Islam. He called Islam a “very evil and wicked religion” after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and more recently made disparaging remarks about the Muslim faith in an interview with CNN’s Campbell Brown in December 2009.
“True Islam cannot be practiced in this country,” Graham said to Brown. “You can’t beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they’ve committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries.”
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, on behalf of Muslim military personnel and defense department staff, demanded in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Graham be disinvited as a speaker at the prayer event. The group took issue with his comments on Islam and his ties to conservative Christian group the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, is the co-honorary chair of the task force.
Earlier this week, Collins noted that the military was not responsible for inviting Graham to speak at the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer event. The National Day of Prayer Task Force and the Pentagon chaplain’s office had invited him.
Graham, though still standing by his earlier remarks, has tried to clarify and soften his tone by saying he has Muslim friends and loves the people of Islam. The humanitarian group he heads, Samaritan’s Purse, works in some predominantly Muslim countries.
“It’s (Muslim world) a part of the world I love very much,” Graham said, according to CNN. “And I understand it. But I certainly disagree with their teaching.”
Graham has met several times with Sudan’s notorious Muslim president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the leader who is widely held to be responsible for the Darfur genocide. Despite believing that Islam is an “evil and wicked” religion, Graham said he meets with Bashir in hopes of leading him to Christ.
In response to withdrawal of the invitation, Graham said he regrets the Army’s decision and he would continue to pray for the military troops.
The fallout between Graham and the Army is the latest controversy surrounding the National Day of Prayer. Last week, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that the prayer day is unconstitutional because it amounts to a call for religious action.
Lawmakers and Christian groups have called on President Obama to direct the Justice Department to appeal the decision. The Obama administration said Thursday it will appeal.
The 59th annual National Day of Prayer will be observed on May 6. President Obama said he still intends to issue a proclamation this year to recognize the prayer day.
Further, how could I ever imagine that our Pentagon would bow down, scrape and submit to the emotional needs of the enemy.
Hello, we are at war. It matters little whether we bother to burden ourselves with the facts.
In survey after survey our enemies, 80% of the muslim population say that this is a war of a religions, a clash of Civilizations and a war of extermination.
They consider this another Crusade. Merely, one in a 1000 year old struggle, that was preceeded by a series of nine historic invasions of the Middle East.
Given that we are engaged in a war of extermination, the only real manner in which we should fight this war is to utterly devastate any and all of the adherents to this radicalized death cult.
What in the hell is going on in this country? Shame on The Army. The last time I checked I think Muslims want to kill the infidels. I think we’re in that group. It seems like everyday we hear and read about stuff like this. When are the American people going to say enough is enough? When are we going to say we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore? America we’ve got a problem.
Bravo! Your description of Islam was clear, concise and most importantly CORRECT. IMHO, I truly think ALL Muslims should be discharged from ALL branches of services. Islam is directly at odds with the US Constitution. The Muslims are loyal to their religion over their country and countrymen.
You aren’t the only one, wardaddy...
What a sham, what a sad country this has become .. God help us ...
As history attests, due to the Christian influence in America’s foundational ideology, explicitly and implicitly expressed, loyalty to Christ fostered loyalty to country (though today that is becoming increasingly problematic), thus to uphold the Constitution and to serve in either the civil government or the military did not require renouncing one’s Christan faith. But Islam is so foundationally and critically antithetical to the Constitution that it effectively requires a renunciation of Islam, as historically and fundamentally understood, in order to serve in those branches, and to swear allegiance to the the Constitution, except the elastic version liberalism has turned it into. And thus liberalism favors Islam over Christianity, and due to “the enemy of your enemy” principal.
So, let me get this straight. The US Army, which spends much of it’s efforts killing radical muslims via shooting, shelling, incinerating, and any other handy method is worried. They figure that having the chairman of the national day of prayer speak at the pentagon will be just the spark that the radicals need to get really angry at the Army? Really? Wow....
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