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.
Where, exactly, is Bush doing this?
I guess independent thought threatens Fr's personality cults.
"From the mountains of Afghanistan to the valleys of Bosnia to the plains of Africa to the forests of Asia and around the world we are on the ground working with our Muslim partners to expand to the circle of peace, the circle of prosperity, the circle of freedom." Secretary of State Colin Powell, in pronouncing these glorious phrases (we hope he did not actually break precedent and write them himself) sounded like a Fourth of July orator invoking the rock-bound cliffs of Maine and the sunny shores of California.
Secretary Powell is apparently unaware that there are forests in Africa and plains in Asia, but the myopia is pardonable when you are running circles around the rest of the world. What the secretary would prefer not to bring up is the fact that in both Africa and Asia Muslims, many of them funded by "pro-Western" governments and oil sheiks, are engaged in a genocidal massacre of Christians. Presumably the genocide in Nigeria and the Sudan is not the partnership Secretary Powell envisions, presumably the Islamic terrorism in Indonesia and the Philippines is somewhat outside the circle. In Bosnia, where the United States supported an Islamic that wanted to impose Islamic law on a Christian majority, one of our Muslim partners was none other than Osama bin Laden.
I have news for you, as far as the US government is concerned, it is.
Go read the First Amendment.
If you're ignoring the very writing claiming to come down from your God, then that's not being religious, no matter what god you worship.
Some "Christians" think I'm going to hell because I drink. Should I be more afraid of American Muslims who ignore parts of the Koran, or of Christians who want to put me in hell because I drink a glass of Cabernet with dinner?
At least the Christians that disagree with you don't issue a fatwah against you.
And in this time they've bombed countless places, murdered hundreds in the name of their demon-god and performed who knows how many clitoral circumcisions.
He did not pray to Allah, did not participate in any ceremonies, and left as soon as his speech was finished.
On the other hand, he did participate in the lighting of the Menorah yesterday, and spoke tonight about the meaning of Christmas.
Now, I have spoken innumerable times about this. MOST Muslims, even if they don't like us much, are not violent. I don't like Muslims much, but I am not going to bomb a mosque. I do not understand why the President, who is honoring ALL faiths, as a president of all the people should, is being attacked.
Should the President ignore Muslims, or even attack them, it would make more trouble for the United States.
He is doing what he should do both as president and as the Commander in Chief, as well as what a civilized person should do. Jihad on Muslims, or social persecution, is not going to do anything but drive the moderates into the hands of bin Laden. That would be both foolish and wrong.
Bush is saying these nice things to get the Muslim vote? Is that your judgement on this?
It seems to me that the politically expedient thing to do on this is to trash all Muslims. My judgement says that he makes nice because is is the commander in chief of a military that is in the process or reorganizing the Muslim world and he is trying to do it in the most bloodless way possible.
If mainstream Islam is responsible for al-Qaeda, then evangelical Christianity spawned the Ku Klux Klan.
Bush is not "placating" anybody. He recognized Judaism last Saturday at the beginning of Hannukah.
Bush is President of the United States: lots of different people and different religions. Just because you don't approve of one of them (hell, you may disapprove of more than one for all I know), doesn't mean that Bush should take your "us-vs-them" position.
In fact, it is a mark of his maturity that he doesn't.
Quran tells Muslims to kill the disbelievers wherever they find them (Q; 2:191), murder them and treat them harshly (Q; 9:123), slay them (Q; 9:5), fight with them, (Q; 8:65 ). It tells its followes to humiliate the Christians and the Jews and impose on them a penalty tax (Q; 9:29). Quran takes away the freedom of belief from all humanity and tells clearly that no other religion except Islam is accepted (Q;3:85). It relegates those who disbelieve in it it to hell (Q;5:10), calls them najis (filthy, untouchable, impure) (Q;9:28) and orders the Muslims to fight the unbelievers until no other religion except Islam is left (Q;2:193). Quran states that the non-believers will go to hell and will drink boiling water (Q;14:17); it asks the Muslims to slay or crucify or cut the hands and feet of the unbelievers, and expel them from the land with disgrace and that “they shall have a great punishment in world hereafter” (Q;5:34). It says that for the disbelievers "garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in their bowels and skin shall be dissolved and they will be punished with hooked iron rods” (Q;22:19). Quran prohibits Muslims to befriend their own brothers and fathers if they are non-believers (Q;9:23), (Q;3:28). It asks the Muslims to “strive against the unbelievers with great endeavor (Q;25:52) and be stern with them because they belong to hell (Q;66:9). The holy Prophet demanded his followers to “strike off the heads of the disbelievers”; then after making a “wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives” for ransom (Q;47:4).
I disagree.
Then why don't they do it? Why do my American Muslim neighbors, who pray five times a day and attend services at the Mosque whenever they are supposed to, laugh when I ask them about these statements?
One of them told me that these statements are "Medina statements," which are meant for a specific place and time that has already passed.
The "Universal" or "Mecca statements" are those which command Muslims to be peaceful, and are applicable for all time.
Kinda like the Old and New Testaments. We aren't "smiting heathens" any more, are we?
BTW, in the Gospel story about adulterous woman, the man is ALSO missing!
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
(Holy Gospel according to Saint John, 8:3-12)
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