Posted on 11/13/2002 4:24:18 PM PST by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
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 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.
"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.
I'm willing to say that on the national and international stage the President speaks for me...except on this issue. Where the evil religion is concerned he seems to have blinders on. I don't blame him for not wanting to pick a fight with all the muslims in the world just now...not yet at least...but there's no point in him picking a fight with Christians either.
I'm not one of them. And I find this statement not only presumptuous, but disingenuous as well. It is unlikely that, after Sept. 11, most Americans respect Muslims.
After all, there are millions of peaceful-loving Muslim Americans," Bush said.
Show me one.
"Ours is a country based upon tolerance ...
Ours has never been a country where we "tolerated" the wanton destruction of our property and our lives by madmen. And religious tolerance has dubious roots in this country's founding as well, so be careful how you toe the PC line, George.
And we're not going to let the war on terror or terrorists cause us to change our values."
We're also not going to let political correctness cause us to bare our throats to robe-clad predators. One of our values has always been a vigorous self defense. No amount of Muslim-coddling is going to change that.
My hands are ready.
Nevertheless, some of the anti-Muslim arguments seem to be anecdotal, heuristic. Not what one might call rigorous proofs.
I don't see anything untruthful in that statement. Bush is wrong here.
3000 dead Americans is proof enough for me.
Some thinking recently has alerted me to a key difference between Secular Humanist and Christian/Theistic thinking. Humanists do not believe in a soul. To them a person's beliefs are not just externals; they are what makes a person what they are. To attack a belief is to attack the person holding them.
By contrast, Christians believe that at the core of a human being is not their beliefs but their soul. Beliefs can impact the soul - they can condemn it to Hell or be a vehicle for Heaven. And this means it is imperative to Christians that wrong beliefs in others be confronted and dealt with, if possible, to the salvation of the person themself.
So this is a big source of conflict, I perceive. The Christian criticizes wrong beliefs out of honest love, but that same criticism is interpreted as "hate" and an attack on the person themself by humanists.
So it is important for Christians to make clear that it is the teachings of Islam we oppose, and FOR THE SAKE OF the people enslaved by such teachings (literally and figuratively). Mediabigots may underplay or ignore all mention of Islam-inspired violence, slave-raiding and tyranny, but Christians can respond by continually pointing back to the facts of history (and daily events) and the teachings that inspire them. It is not Christians who fly planes into buildings, bomb innocent targets, take slaves in the name of religion and assert totalitarian rule as the "will of God."
Islam is a religion of evil, Mr. President. It is Satan's greatest monotheistic counterfeit, one cleverly designed to be fueled by the human passions of lust and violence that are so cleverly exploited by the Koran. That is, by promising crassly pornographic sexual pleasures in Heaven and justifying violent attacks on infidels Islam creates a powerful engine for aggression. The amazing thing is that Muslims have not been even more violent in history. Thank God for the fact that most Muslims have been as heretical as most western "Christians" of the past generation.
But what will the Atheistic West do if that changes?
Marathon (who has been studying the Koran and birthrate figures by nation lately...)
Let's say that the Moslem Islamic faith is a faith of peace. I'm not convinced of that, but for argument's sake, I'll act is if it was for now.
The reality of the middle-east is that folks there have developed a severe hatred for Israel. They have come down on the side of the Palestinians whom they perceive has their blood brothers. Not only is this perception universally held by most governments of the middle-east, the newspapers and the school systems throughout the region reflect Israel in a very negative light. And what goes for Israel, unfortunately goes for it's main ally, the United States.
Whether I like or not, I have to accept that there is some validity for suspecting anyone who comes from the middle-east. It is likely those folks have received indoctrination targeted to reflect the US and Israel in an unfavorable light. And when policy issues are considered, in all likelihood a higher percentage of folks from that region of the world are going to harbor different views than we or our government will. Now, is it a wise decision to facilitate the immigration of large numbers of people who disagree with our middle-eastern policy? Is it wise to facilitate the immigration of some folks who are going to violently disagree with our government's will?
I don't dislike people from the middle-east. Some of the most mild-mannered honest and Christian people I have met, have come from the middle-east. That being said, I do believe the mindset of the majority of middle-easterners is to some extent, opposed to our views and policies. The Moslem Islamic religion finds Christianity to be in direct opposition to itself. At least, as I understand it, it does. If someone wishes to correct me on that point I'm willing to listen.
The point I am trying to make, is that on several different levels, I believe we have reasonable grounds to be leery of middle-eastern immigrants. I do not think universal condemnations are in order at all. But I think it would be unreasonable to dismiss all this. And I happen to think that the government is pursuing a full court press to get us to do just that. I think that is as big a mistake as it would be for us to unilaterally condemn all middle-eastern immigrants.
We should be responsible. We should keep our eyes open. We should not think the worst until we have tangible reason to do so. But to think that middle-easterners are no different than folks who immigrate from other regions of the world, may be unrealistic in my view.
We should treat them with as much respect and courtesy as anyone else. And just like with anyone else, we should report anything that may indicate a problem.
Heck, people should report anything I do if they seriously perceive a problem.
Nevertheless, some of the anti-Muslim arguments seem to be anecdotal..., you said.
But the article article below expresses the truth, and it is easy to see the principle, both in history, and in today's news, being demonstrated before our eyes. The PC philosophy has blinded many, including GW Bush.
From the article:
America and the Free World now faces a plague of well-armed radical Islamists, dedicated to the destruction of all non-Muslim societies. Wherever the Muslims gain ‘critical mass’, the Islamists go from quiet, seemingly peace-loving people to violent adversaries of their host countries. They create Islamic organizations that use the democratic process of law to undercut the society and nation that has taken them in. It is their belief that they are mandated by Koranic Law to convert all nations into one global Islamic Ummah (nation).
They have not quite reached, "critical mass" yet in this country and that is why they seem "peaceful." It won't be long before that all changes, and when it does, woe to all those who refused to see it coming.
You can read it all here: Rotten to Its Core
Hank
The truth often has that effect.
Scientific sampling? Are the comments true or false? Nothing about truth and justice is being dealt with here, just public opinion, political pandering, and ecumenical kowtowing.
Most Islamics are at odds with most Americans. Does he ever mention that?
I fear that the President's naivete regarding Islam will cost unecessary blood and treasure until he relizes that those righteous gentiles are right. If he realizes they are :(
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