Posted on 11/29/2002 9:49:16 PM PST by knak
President Bush finds himself in a rare disagreement with conservatives in his party over his efforts to portray Islam as a peaceful religion that is not responsible for anti-American terrorism.
In a score of speeches since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the president has called for tolerance of Muslims, describing Islam as "a faith based upon peace and love and compassion" and a religion committed to "morality and learning and tolerance."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
(ahem)
And exactly how many muslims bombed the WTC again?
McVeigh's crowd did. Remember the Middle Eastern connection?
I am a capitalist, and an American. Some things have been done to protect capitalism that I don't approve of. That doesn't mean I'm not to be counted as the enemy of communism, socialism, and any other system that seeks to destroy America and capitalism.
So, I stigmatize anyone who stands up to be counted with our enemies. Unless they are willing to fight on our side, give money, give time, speak out, do SOMETHING... they are stigmatized in my book, at least.
ABC News assumes Islam is a religion of peace, suggesting anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong and that President Bush should have long ago condemned those who dare to criticize the religion. On Monday’s World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings passed along what he suggested were alarming new poll numbers, about the public seeing Islam as encouraging violence and lacking respect for other religions, before turning to Dan Harris for a rundown of anti-Islam comments from evangelical leaders, for none of which Harris bothered to explain how they were wrong.
Harris then blamed President Bush: “Critics suggest the administration waited so long to condemn the statements from leading evangelicals because they didn’t want to alienate a key constituency before the midterm elections.”
Unaddressed in ABC’s screed against the Christian activists and President Bush: Why it is quite rational, given how it was Muslims who declared war on the U.S. and that Muslims have declared a jihad to murder all Jews in Israel, for Americans to see Islam as something less than a peaceful and tolerant religion. Maybe it is, I don’t know, but ABC was more interested in bashing President Bush and conservatives than in enlightening its audience.
Peter Jennings set up the November 18 story, as taken down by MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth: “We’re going to take a closer look tonight at Islam and public opinion. A recent ABC News poll finds that the number of people who have an unfavorable opinion of Islam is up 9 points from 10 months ago to, as you can see there, 33 percent. The number of people who say mainstream Islam encourages violence is also up 9 points. And the number of people who say they think Islam fails to teach respect for other religions has increased by 13 points in the same period. Right after the events of September 11th, President Bush spoke pointedly about the need to respect Islam. Lately, some other people have been speaking out with different voices. Here’s ABC’s Dan Harris.”
Harris began: “The nation’s leading evangelicals have been thundering against Islam.”
Rev. Pat Robertson: “Adolf Hitler was bad, but what the Muslims want to do to the Jews is worse.”
Rev. Jerry Falwell: “I think Mohammed was a terrorist.” Rev. Jerry Vines: “Islam was founded by Mohammed, a demon-possessed pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a nine-year-old girl.”
Harris: “For months, President Bush, who frequently says Islam is a religion of peace, declined to condemn these statements until now.”
George W. Bush, date unlabeled: “Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans.”
Colin Powell: “This kind of hatred must be rejected. This kind of language must be spoken out against.”
Harris: “Critics suggest the administration waited so long to condemn the statements from leading evangelicals because they didn’t want to alienate a key constituency before the midterm elections. The White House denies this. What is clear is that evangelical attacks on Islam risk further alienating key Arab allies as the U.S. prepares for a possible war with Iraq. When Jerry Falwell called Mohammed a terrorist, it was a hot topic of discussion on Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, and even led to riots in India. Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert, who now says he regrets some of his recent comments-“
Rev. Jimmy Swaggart: “We ought to take, we ought to take every single Muslim student in every college in this nation and ship them back to where they came from.”
Harris: “-he doesn’t worry much about creating diplomatic problems with Arab countries.”
Swaggart: “I feel like it’s my responsibility and my obligation to stand up and to say that which I believe to be the truth. They do the same thing.”
Harris concluded: “Critics say evangelicals are attacking Islam because it’s a good way to drum up passions and donations among their supporters.
So the complete elimination of Christianity would have been acceptable during the Crusades? A "majority" of Muslims attacked the WTC? A majority are actively engaged in terrorism against the United States? Do you realize that means we are battling 1.3 billion (with a B) people?
Your problem is, you just don't think.
And who did clinton try to persecute for it?
No one is immune from these broad, open ended "wars" so many of you seem to be advocating.
The point seems to have been missed in this whole thread.
The article is talking about Conservatives problems with what Bush is saying.
He is talking out of both sides of his mouth on this. We need to make people aware of that.
He isn't the Head of State Theology.
In conflict with truth, he doesn't need to keep lying about Islam. It doesn't bode well for him or us.
He and Powell rebuked the TRUTH. Not only is it not their job to rebuke relegious leaders, they certainly shouldn't LIE to do it.
It is a fact that Mohammed was a pedophile. It is a fact that Islam, when powerful enough, has (and is ) seeking to do much worse to the Jews than Hitler did. It is a fact that Mohammed was a warrior and a terrorist who sought to conquer other peoples and convert them at knife point.
For Bush and Powell to deny the obvious is ludicrous.
That doesn't mean we are declaring war on anyone. It means we are intelligent enough to know what the enemy believes.
In violence Saturday, witnesses said several schoolchildren were walking about 700 yards from an Israeli army outpost at the Karni Crossing east of Gaza City when soldiers fired at them.A 16-year-old boy died after he was hit in the abdomen and leg, hospital officials said. A second boy was hit with a bullet in the back, they said, and was hospitalized.
Supposedly we should now blame all Jews and the Jewish religion for the deaths and injuries of these Muslim or Christian Palestinians, eh?
This sentence pretty much summarizes the rest of your thought's on the subject.
"You know, all of us know a few nice Jews, but as a whole I, your furher.."
This remark is far from true. There have been many several post made long before this article was posted regarding Bush and Powell and their comments.
When we bury our heads in the sand, when we accept any action from a Republican just because he or she is one, we become what we dislike the most.
I find most Liberals to be lemmings. The day that being conservative means you have to agree and follow lock step with a wrong actions by Bush or anyone is the day the Liberals have won.
Not a good way to win friends at a conservative forum, O newbie, where we are really big on truth and justice.
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