Posted on 12/05/2002 3:37:52 PM PST by TLBSHOW
By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - With Muslims worldwide growing more suspicious of the United States, President Bush (news - web sites) marked the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with a visit Thursday to a mosque.
"The spirit behind this holiday is a reminder that Islam brings hope and comfort to more than 1 billion people worldwide," Bush said. "Islam affirms God's justice and insists on man's moral responsibility."
Bush left his shoes at the door, in keeping with the practice of the Islamic Center of Washington, a national center for Muslim culture and prayer. He also had visited six days after the terrorist attacks last year.
Back then, with a surge in hate crimes against Muslims in the United States, Bush was trying to defuse Americans' anger against Islam. Today, he has a different problem increased hostility by Muslims around the world against America.
In an international survey released Wednesday, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found the image of the United States is slipping worldwide, and particularly in Middle Eastern countries with large Muslim populations. Large percentages of Muslim respondents in several countries said they believe suicide bomb attacks are a justifiable defense of Islam.
On Wednesday, Bush blamed America's tarnished image among Muslims on "propaganda machines (that) are cranked up in the international community that paints our country in a bad light."
The growing animosity comes at a time when Bush is trying to rally the world against terrorism and gather allies for possible military action against Iraq.
Inside the ornate mosque, Bush offered an explanation of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and renewed his defense of Islam.
Bush's speech was directed to a national and international audience. There was virtually no one inside except journalists and his staff. A few mosque officials stood next to Bush as he spoke.
"Over the past month, Muslims have fasted, taking no food or water during daylight hours, in order to refocus their minds on faith and redirect their hearts to charity," Bush said.
"Muslims worldwide have stretched out a hand of mercy to those in need, charity tables at which the poor can break their fast line the streets of cities and towns, and gifts of food and clothing and money are distributed to ensure that all share in God's abundance," he said.
From the Muslim event, Bush officially opened the Christmas season at the White House by lighting a Christmas tree just outside the gates.
Really? A Jew reading the New Testament is as unaffected by it as a Muslim would be.
Speaking the truth is not bashing. The Muslim people are universally repressed, either physically or intellectually. The only possible way to free any people from represseion is by clear and unapoligetic statement of the truth. To pretend that Islam is benign only clouds the issue.
If you do not care that a billion people are enslaved by a repressive ideology, that is your choice, but a repressed people are also a dangerous people. They can easily be convinced it is in their own interest to strap explosives to their bodies and blow themselves and as many others as they can to kingdom come.
If you do not care about these people, than at least care about yourself and your neighbors. The same religion that drives the Palestinians is the religion followed by your Muslim neighbors.
Hank
Well, why not? Their wahabi brethren are killing and killing and killing all the time! If American muslims are not remaining mum, why is it I am not seeing or hearing them? (Oh, wait... that's right... I DID see one Muslim woman on O'Reilly last week, demanding that the public schools accomodate the muslim diet and their 5 prayer sessions/day)
If they are so afraid of "people like us" isn't it incumbent upon them to work a little harder to reassure us? WE are the ones being threatened and massacred, after all.
"They're hijacking Islam to justify a POLITICAL AGENDA."
Their POLITICAL AGENDA agenda is to turn the whole world into 1999 Afghanistan, in the name of their shared RELIGION. I'm sorry, Sinkspur, but the two are just not mutually exclusive here.
Really? Give me a few examples of American terrorist Islamists.
I know Jews who got VERY affected - they became Christians BECAUSE of reading the New Testament. BTW, this is who the frist Christians came to be - they were the Jews who listened to the Gospel (even before it was written down)
Muslims who would read New Testament (if they disobey prohibition) they might be affected as well. But the sad truth is that a Muslim who become Christian risks his life.
Hank, my Muslim neighbor drives a GMC Envoy, sends his kids to a CATHOLIC school, and thinks Yassir Arafat is a dumb-ass. He calls him "pizza face."
I'll bet you don't know one Muslim or, if you do, you haven't hung out with him for very long.
"DC Sniper" John Allen Muhammad (Williams), John Walker Lindt.
I don't need a government official, a president to tell me that Jesus is the way. Why do you need the government to tell you such? What else do you need the government to do for you?
Oh, I don't know about that. Yesterday he had a menorah lighting ceramoney in the WH, tonight he went to a mosque to celebrate the end of Ramadan, and tonight he had a CHRISTMAS tree lighting ceramony (note: Not a Holiday tree, a CHRISTMAS tree)
What Bush has done is to honor each and thus allow each to be seperate instead of rolling the whole thing up into one gooey mess.
On Special Report tonight there was a professor who explained what Bush is doing. By praising the moderates he has come down on the side of the moderates and is giving them strength to fight the radicals. It was very interesting. By railing against all muslims, some on this board have actually been giving aid and comfort to the enemy who wants nothing more than to discourage the moderates and have them join the radicals fearing it's the only way to survive against the US.
A spoiled, over indulged disturbed Anglo Marin County brat. Just your every day Muslim.
Well... that's true, but it's not extremist Christians out there killing anything that moves, so what would give a muslim cause to interpret the Old Testament so literally (as modern Christianity) in the first place?
Your "outside looking in" analogy just doesn't carry much weight.
And Jose Padilla, and that Cajun Taliban (of course he was raised in Saudi)
Sometimes they're scarier after you do that. I worked with an Iranian who was the nicest person ---at least at face value. Quiet good worker, personable but he even said that he liked Americans and even some Jews on a one-to-one basis but when it came down to it, he would do whatever Khomeni told him to do. Pretty scary ---especially to the Jews who worked there.
Osama bin Laden is also a spoiled, over indulged brat. So? Is John Allen Muhammad (Williams) a spoiled brat too?
See how Muslims are gaining resolve in Great Britain as their numbers grow.
The Wahabi are not "brethren" to the Muslims I know. They laugh at them.
If they are so afraid of "people like us" isn't it incumbent upon them to work a little harder to reassure us? WE are the ones being threatened and massacred, after all.
You are not being massacred by American Muslims!
Bush is working very hard to track down and kill those who did massacre and would massacre us.
Their POLITICAL AGENDA agenda is to turn the whole world into 1999 Afghanistan, in the name of their shared RELIGION.
Really? Then why isn't Saudi Arabia, or Qatar, or the Arab Emirates, like 1999 Afghanistan?
I'm sorry, Lili, you're working from stereotypes, which is absolutely the worst place to work from.
Please point out the countries where muslims live peacefully. Also, please name those muslim countries that are tolerant of other religions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.