Powell attacks Christian right

Guardian ^ | Friday November 15, 2002 | Oliver Burkeman

[nickcarraway]

Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, condemned America's Christian right yesterday for propagating hatred against Muslims, in what appeared to be a coordinated White House campaign to confront anti-Islamic rhetoric from a constituency that includes some of the Bush administration's staunchest supporters. Days after the televangelist Pat Robertson said on his Christian Broadcasting Network that "what the Muslims want to do to the Jews is worse" than the Holocaust, Mr Powell told a gathering in Washington: "This kind of hatred must be rejected."

The escalation in anti-Muslim comments from conservative Christians includes a recent claim by Jerry Falwell, the country's leading rightwing Baptist, that the prophet Mohammed was "a terrorist".

Veteran evangelist Jimmy Swaggart followed that this week by calling Mohammed a "sex deviant" and a pervert and demanding that Muslim students in the US be expelled. "We ought to tell every other Muslim living in this nation that if you say one word, you're gone," he said.

As the likelihood grows of a war in Iraq there are strategic benefits for the White House in convincing Muslims that it would not be a war against their religion.

The administration's increased willingness to confront the Christian right reflects the Republicans' sweeping victories in last week's mid-term elections, reducing Mr Bush's reliance on the extreme fringes of his supporter base.

[rintense]

Stay Jorge. You are not alone on FR. PKM, thank you for your posts.

[PhiKapMom]

Sir -- you said it much better than I ever could! I agree with every word that you said as well!

Thanks!

[billhilly]

And the horse you rode in on, Cybercowboy. Try going to another saloon to pick a fight. A cyber saloon, of course. I don't think you could handle a real one.

[PhiKapMom]

I was the one that said that someone told me the other day that I didn't belong on FR because of my ideas. Really not a nice email I must admit. Jorge was saying I did belong!

Thanks for your comments!

[Dataman]

Who is showing hatred towards the Muslims?

Good question. Powell apparently did say this and he is using a tactic of the left by finding an imaginary enemy guilty of hate.

[k2blader]

Trying to get to the bottom of this supposed "hatred" too. So far, no takers... Wonder why?

[Jorge]

Can someone please provide indubitable evidence of Mr. Robertson's "hatred"?

For starters Robertson agreed with Falwell when he implied that God allowed some Islamic kooks to smash airplanes full of innocent women and children against the giant building, because New York had too many homos, pagans, and feminists.

Just curious as I have been called a "hater" simply for believing in Jesus Christ.

Just believing in Jesus Christ does not make one a "hater".
Claiming to be speaking for Jesus when you (not you, but Falwell and Robertson) spout inflamatory and divisive rhetoric that can only serve to increase hostilities and get more people killed is "hateful" and foolish.

[RJCogburn]

For starters Robertson agreed with Falwell when he implied that God allowed some Islamic kooks to smash airplanes full of innocent women and children against the giant building, because New York had too many homos, pagans, and feminists.

Worth repeating what fools they were on that point.

[rintense]

For starters Robertson agreed with Falwell when he implied that God allowed some Islamic kooks to smash airplanes full of innocent women and children against the giant building, because New York had too many homos, pagans, and feminists.

I had completely forgotten about that. Oy.

[k2blader]

For starters Robertson agreed with Falwell when he implied that God allowed some Islamic kooks to smash airplanes full of innocent women and children against the giant building, because New York had too many homos, pagans, and feminists.

I think this unfortunate statement of Falwell's had more to do with the emotion of the moment than with any supposed "hatred" of Muslims. Also, I think Falwell later apologized for it.

Claiming to be speaking for Jesus when you (not you, but Falwell and Robertson) spout inflamatory and divisive rhetoric that can only serve to increase hostilities and get more people killed is "hateful" and foolish.

Hm, so Falwell & Robertson will be at fault for (Gor forbid) any further attacks?

[Dataman]

Claiming to be speaking for Jesus when you (not you, but Falwell and Robertson) spout inflamatory and divisive rhetoric that can only serve to increase hostilities and get more people killed is "hateful" and foolish.

Would you apply the same "logic" against speaking out against Nazis during WWII?

I would imagine that during a war, the offended party is required to offer flowers to the enemy so he won't get mad.

[Jorge]

"For starters Robertson agreed with Falwell when he implied that God allowed some Islamic kooks to smash airplanes full of innocent women and children against the giant building, because New York had too many homos, pagans, and feminists."

I think this unfortunate statement of Falwell's had more to do with the emotion of the moment than with any supposed "hatred" of Muslims.

Actually that statement was more about hatred of homos, pagans and feminists. And he sounded like he was agreeing with the Muslim extremistists who said that this was "God's" punishment on the Great Satan/AKA America.

It is some of their later statements that have been obviously offensive to Muslims. These two have just been offending people all over the map.

Also, I think Falwell later apologized for it.

Yes he did. And then he apologized again for the statements he made about Islam.
What a klutz.

[k2blader]

Just for your info...

Quote from transcript of Robertson's Response to President Bush's Comments on Islam:

PAT ROBERTSON: "...We must distinguish between the origin of the religion and those who who adhere to it in the United States, who are indeed a peaceful people. To say the religion of Islam is peaceful, I do not think is accurate. To say that most of the adherents in America to the Islamic religion are peaceful, is absolutely correct. It is just a question of semantics, but I think it is vitally important in our war on terror that semantics be correct."

[Dataman]

Actually that statement was more about hatred of homos, pagans and feminists

Who are you, The Amazing Kreskin? If you can read their minds, I can read yours. Mmmm let me see... You agree with hate crime legislation because we really really need to punish extra severely any good-for-nothing seething hateful right-wing criminal scum who obviously hates everybody.

[Tempest]

Well thank God. I consider myself a God fearing person. But Fallwell and all those nutty televangelist are nothing more than annoying talking heads that need to shut their soup coolers.

[Tempest]

I applaud you and your post.

[Jorge]

Jorge;"Actually that statement was more about hatred of homos, pagans and feminists"

Who are you, The Amazing Kreskin? If you can read their minds, I can read yours.

You might want to first learn to read posts.
I was talking about the Falwell statement on Pat Robertson's show when he claimed the terrorists attacks were some sort of punishment from God due to the homos, pagans and feminists in America.
Nobody had to read their minds. They broadcast what they thought over the air and everybody was talking about it.

Unless of course you think this was an expression of their love for homos, pagans and feminists.

[k2blader]

Actually that statement was more about hatred of homos, pagans and feminists. And he sounded like he was agreeing with the Muslim extremistists who said that this was "God's" punishment on the Great Satan/AKA America.

Not unreasonably, I'm sure many agree with you.

It is some of their later statements that have been obviously offensive to Muslims. These two have just been offending people all over the map.

Well, I'd argue that offensiveness does not necessarily translate to hatred.

I guess it's all purely subjective. Some see Robertson & Falwell as being "hateful" & some do not.

As for my NSHO, I think "hateful" definitely applies to folks who advocate or condone the murder of innocents, especially in the name of "religion." Robertson & Falwell do neither.

[Dataman]

Unless of course you think this was an expression of their love for homos, pagans and feminists.

I admire your logic. If you don't love someone, you hate them. The reverse must also be true. So tell me, do you love militant Muslims that want to exterminate Jews?