Posted on 11/14/2002 5:36:24 AM PST by Damocles
Bush Takes on Christian Right Over Anti-Islam Words By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday took on the Christian right core of his political base, denouncing anti-Islamic remarks made by religious leaders including evangelist Pat Robertson. Bush said such anti-Islamic comments were at odds with the views of most Americans. "Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans," Bush told reporters as he began a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "By far, the vast majority of American citizens respect the Islamic people and the Muslim faith. After all, there are millions of peaceful-loving Muslim Americans," Bush said. "Ours is a country based upon tolerance ... And we're not going to let the war on terror or terrorists cause us to change our values." Bush did not identify conservative Christian leaders as his target, (but we'll say he did in our title) but White House officials said he was prompted by the anti-Islamic remarks of some of them, particularly religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who reportedly said this week Muslims were "worse than the Nazis." "He (Bush) wanted a clear statement," a senior White House official said. Spokeswoman Angell Watts of Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network said she had no immediate comment. A representative of a Muslim-American civil rights group, which had stepped up calls for Bush to repudiate such remarks, welcomed Bush's words. "Obviously, we'd like to hear him repudiate these people by name, but we appreciate that he's moving in that direction," said Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "It's encouraging to see that the president is finally addressing the issue of Islamophobia in America by addressing a specific attacks on Islam. This is a new stance, and it's one that we would encourage and support," Hooper said. BID TO DISCOURAGE BACKLASH Bush's efforts to discourage a backlash over the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which were blamed on Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, have come increasingly into conflict with antipathy to Islam shown by some conservative Christians, a core of his support. Robertson, a popular conservative commentator who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, was criticized by CAIR and the American Jewish Committee for reportedly saying on his network Monday, "Adolf Hitler was bad, but what the Muslims want to do to the Jews is worse." Jerry Falwell, a Baptist minister and leading voice of the Christian right, in an October television interview described the prophet Mohammad as a "terrorist." Evangelist Franklin Graham, who gave the sermon at Bush's inaugural service in 2001, has also been criticized for comments on Islam. Asked about Bush's comments on Wednesday, Graham spokesman Mark DeMoss said Graham was traveling abroad. "He has not added to any comment he's made on the subject in months, because he's getting tired of getting asked about it, and any time he answers about it he gives the impression he's crusading on this issue and he's not," DeMoss said. |
McVeigh was an athiest, according to the book American Terrorist.
Muslims murder people who don't agree with them (See Sudan, where 2 million have been slaughtered.)
Islam is the enemy, whether you acknowledge it or not.
But that attention helps Bush with moderate voters, doesn't it? Seems like this is the type of story that those who want to demonize Bush would prefer not to see.
For what its worth, I think Bush is right on this. Yes, there are parts of the Koran that are violent, but there are hundreds of millions of moslems who don't interpret that as a license to kill Christians and Jews. We oughta make it clear we've got no beef with those folks at all, and no problem with the manner in which they interpret their religion.
Pretty misleading title. Bush did not single out the "Christian Right", but hey, that sells.That's true. He said what he said and if the shoe fits...then it fits.
-Eric
Could you clarify this? The way I read this is you are saying 100% of Muslims murder people who don't agree with them. Is this what you're saying?
You sound like Ibrahim Cooper of CAIR.
Never heard of him.
No. I'd have you put into a camp until this war is over. Deportation would work for me, too, though.
On what charge? And where would you have me deported to? And would you do these things even if I, as a newly converted Muslim, had broken no laws and had no intention of doing so?
Would this be accomplished by an Act of Congress? Constitutional Ammendment? Presidential Order? I'm just asking people to clarify what it is they're calling for. You don't know my personal stance on Islam. Personally, I would've nuked at least a dozen different nations on the evening of 9/11/01. That's just me though. I think the world would be much better off without Islam. But I'm asking you to come right and say what it is you would do to your fellow Americans who are either now Islamic or who wanted to convert to Islam. And how would you prevent the left from doing the same thing to Christians once you opened that Pandora's Box?
The vast majority of Muslim terrorists are of Arabic/Mid-east descent....100% of the Arabs are human....humans are terrorists.....What you said really doesn't mean anything.I've become convinced there's people here who don't consider Arabs to be human. Unfortunately, it's the last kind of bigotry that doesn't get deleted. Make a similar comment about black people and violent crime and the feces would impact the rotation device, as it should.
-Eric
Sorry W, but I don't believe that tripe for one second.
McVeigh was an athiest, according to the book American Terrorist.How about Eric Rudolph, Clayton Waagner and the so-called "Army of God"? They not only claim to be Christians they claim to be acting in the name of Christianity. Do they make all Christians deportable?
-Eric
The Koran compels the subjugation of Christians and Jews, and beseeches "allah" (named for a pagan moon god, incidentally) to "destroy" them.
Perhaps it is just not their way to openly denounce things, perhaps by their NOT committing violent acts, this is their method of denouncement. It is their way to destroy Christians and Jews. Have you not been keeping up with world events?
Read the Koran. It compels destruction and subjugation of Christians and Jews. It is a vile, murderous culture. How many more Americans need to be butchered before you'll realize that?
Wonder if there will be any commentary about the incident in Los Angeles last night? The one where Muslims were chanting "KILL THE JEWS!" while kicking the daylights of a Jewish gentlemen who was brazen enough to be caught outdoors.
That's what I'd do.
Personally, I would've nuked at least a dozen different nations on the evening of 9/11/01. That's just me though. I think the world would be much better off without Islam.
We agree, but I would nuke a bunch of muslim countries right now. Islam is evil. And yes, the world would be better off without it.
I propose destroying Muslims the world over, or at least destroying their will and ability to fight. They are the enemies of my country.
Until this war -- yes, against Islam -- is over, I would round up the Muslims in this country and inter them. Afterwards, I would give them the option of moving to a newly subjugated muslim country, where they can read the Koran till their hearts' content.
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