The First Amendment is a live-and-let-live doctrine.The founders of this Republic had differences to overcome, and they instituted the transcending of those differences. America is consequently, by design, a place to get past differences which would have much more tendency to lead to bloodshed elsewhere than they (in fact) do here.
That is not to say that that transcending tendency is unbounded. We also, historically, have had segregation and internment camps for Japanese during WWII, and the removal of Indian tribes. It is not a given that al Qaeda will fail in its attempt to cause us to treat Muslims similarly. That indeed is their objective.
Sounds simple, doesn't it.
Unfortunately, too many controlling idiots insists on ignoring the "let live" part.
Like that nut-case in California.
True, but those in the radical Islamic "community" don't believe in live and let live.
As an aside,
"To all appearances, the 54-year-old Sheikh Kabbani sees himself as the catalyst for making his brand of Islam the dominant Muslim force in the U.S. However, most American Muslim organizations see dangerous divisiveness in his message. Kabbani gained the enmity of nearly every Muslim group in the U.S. on Jan. 7 when he delivered a speech to a State Department open forum."
"In essence, the white-bearded Sufi charged that the “ideology of extremism has been spread to 80 percent of the [American] Muslim population.” He claimed the foremost Muslim student organization was directed by extremists and hinted that alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden was buying nuclear devices from the Russian mafia which could then fall into the hands of radical Muslim students in the U.S."
Dispute Between Kabbani Followers and Hosts Disrupts Forum at Islamic Center of Southern California By Pat McDonnell Twair July/August 1999, pages 21, 83