It's that time of year again. Congress is on its lengthy August recess, and candidates have only a few months until the November elections. Just shy of the coveted midterms, both Republican and Democratic politicians will undoubtedly up the ante during these few weeks of downtime. But as we all clearly witnessed last year, it's the GOP and Tea Party that readily pull out the age-old guaranteed weapon of choice: fear mongering. In the past, it's been everything from homophobia to health care to socialism to abortion rights and all in between. The one subject however that consistently delivers without fail is the right's wedge issue of this 2010 election: Islamophobia.
"Islam bashing is a lucrative business," says Aliya Latif, Civil Rights Director at CAIR-NY. "It's as if any success or contribution by American Muslims is a new opportunity for a vocal minority of extremists to capitalize and advance on their bigotry and xenophobia."
Case in point: Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Rick Lazio, Peter King and others on the proposed community center downtown at 51 Park Place. Consistently juxtaposing the Muslim diaspora with the events of 9/11, these politicians not only push forth notions of 'collective guilt' that Muslims must somehow carry, but they inaccurately dismiss the fact that hundreds of Muslims died in the towers and that the terrorists in no way, shape, or form represented the religion of Islam.
Seizing on bullet points and catch phrases like 'mosque at ground zero' they fail to state that the proposed project is several blocks away from the WTC site, and is in fact a center much like the YMCA equipped with recreation facilities. Playing on the anxiety of a population that for the large part is unfamiliar with Islam or Muslims except in the context of 'otherness', Gingrich has taken it a step further by putting out measures to stop what he terms 'Shari'ah law taking over the Constitution'.
"Shari'ah is a path towards protecting religious rights, life, intellectual freedom, wealth and posterity based upon faithfulness to God," explains Dawud Walid, assistant Imam of Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan. "It is not a closed codex of laws that must be rigidly applied in all circumstances and locations."
And last time I checked, no one ever suggested Shari'ah was superseding the Constitution of the United States. If any religion or belief system were allowed to bypass our own rule of law, then there would have been no need for the Feds to infiltrate a polygamist group in Texas two years ago.
But since we're on the subject of the Constitution and our inalienable rights, let's remember that religious freedom is one of the tenets of our nation. And despite what Gingrich and others may espouse in talking points, there are churches and other houses of worship in Muslim countries around the world. So why should we, as Americans, deny New Yorkers a house of worship and recreation in the city they reside in?
The debate over the Park Place center is not at all surprising during such a polarized election year. But when you have protests against proposed mosques in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Temecula, California, Sheboygan, Wisconsin and all across the country, we collectively face a grave problem. It may just be politics and a key method for rallying people to the polls, but Islamophobia has far greater consequences beyond election results.
A 2010 Gallup world religion survey shows that 4 out of every 10 Americans feel some sort of prejudice towards Muslims - more than twice the number who say the same about Christians, Jews or Buddhists.
And as we all know, sentiments can easily translate into disturbing consequences. In May of this year, a gang touting religious epithets viciously beat a Brooklyn Muslim man of Bangladeshi background -- his face, left barely recognizable.
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan upon us, and campaign mode in full swing, we can bet that the vitriol and fear mongering will only escalate. There are some politicians willing to forgo truth and reality in order to advance their own personal agendas, but the question is: at what cost?
Follow Nida Khan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NidaKhanNY
Islam persecutes gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered human beings ... to such an extent that many move to Israel in order to live openly, as homosexual men and women, without the threat of persecution under Sharia Law.
I find it hard to understand the concept of "Islamophobia" in our society, which is pluralistic. Islam and Sharia Law (not pluralistic) persecutes gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians, Hindu's and those of the Ba'hai Faith who are prisoned throughout the Middle East.
I read the Gallup poll that was mentioned in the article. Can we honestly ask for a poll to be conducted, say, in Syria, where homosexuals are arrested, tortured and executed annually? Or in Saudi Arabia, where homsexuals have been beheaded (2002, 2003, 2005) or Iran and Iraq where Sharia and Sunni death squads hunt down homosexuals on the internet and invite them to desolate locations and then kill them.
Homophobia is responsible for the deaths of nearly 25,000 homosexuals under Islam. My hope is that Muslims living in the U.S. will advocate on behalf of our community to stop this persecution and begin advocating for gay rights, gay marriage and eventually a Gay Pride Parade in Saudi Arabia, in Mecca - Islam's most holy city ... as a gesture of goodwill, cross-cultural boundaries and multiculturalism.
the goal of obl and the other saudis that caused 9/11 was to start a religious war. to characterize the west as anti muslim crusaders. it didnt work. those in the west really couldnt care less about a persons religion.
so to move this goal along another direction was taken. the saudis bought a large share in fox news. from this position they were able to use the anchors at foxnews to start a religious war. quickly the right wing politicians jumped on the new fear to push their anti american agenda.
so today we have the muslim terrorists, foxnews, and right wing politicians working hand in hand to start a muslim christian global war.
"a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth"
glenn beck
information czar fox news
the view 5/20/09
"when the truth is found to be lies"
jefferson airplane
Let all ye who pray, do so according to your hearts not your politics. Follow the "golden rule" of "doing unto others as ye would have done unto you." That includes the right to choose which form of life and worship one would follow.
Personally, I think praying 5 times a day is a good idea. I intend to start doing so, though I think it better to "pray" for 5 minutes every waking hour in the manner of giving gratitude for good: trees, birds, life and friendship, family, freedom, justice, Unconditional Love, Liberty, Truth, and so on. Herein I declare and pledge my intention to spend 10 minutes-1/2 hr five times a day in deep meditation and "prayer" in affirmation of the above qualities and more, spiritually, but in the manner and content of my own choosing, not from someone else's idea of right methodology. God = Good is 26 languages on Earth, and so I pray with, for, and from the "glory of God" through the freedom of Infinite Spirit.
When the particular religion of other people is attacked, people should speak up, not just let the slurs slide by.
i ask how many countries in the world currently have shariah as its legal system. (1). then i ask if muslims fundamentalist cant get muslims countries to adopt shariah how can they force it on the good ole us of a.
for this i am called naive.
"a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth"
glenn beck
information czar fox news
the view 5/20/09
"when the truth is found to be lies"
jefferson airplane
It works like this. AIG, the insurance giant, is 80% owned by the US Government since the bail out. AIG owns sharia compliant finance units that sell insurance.
Each SCF deal is required to pay zakat by sharia law. This money goes to a zakat committee whose members are no friends of America. They are allowed by sharia law to spend those funds to pay for jihad.
That is an example of creeping sharia--no laws have been changed. This example is being challenged in court on the grounds of separation of religion and state. The Obama administration is opposing the challenge. Other insurance companies doing the same thing are beyond challenge because our government is not involved.
My point is that any expectation of a Constitutional amendment process is unlikely to ever happen as long as sharia represents a minority of our population. That does not mean sharia will not penetrate in very important ways.
Why? One needs to know how Islam has spread and dominated cultures throughout its history. Start reading. Sood place to start--why Europe is having such problems assimilating Muslim immigrants.
America does not want to go where Europe is right now.
Tariq Ramadan:
The mark of the Islamist is his attitude toward Islamic law. Ramadan (in Ian Buruma’s New York Times portrait): “We’re for integration, but we must decide what that means for ourselves. I obey the laws, but only insofar as they don’t force me to do anything against my religion.” In other words, Islamic law tops civil law.
Imam Rauf:
"What Muslims want is to ensure that their secular laws are not in conflict with the Quran or the Hadith, the sayings of Muhammad."
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/feisal_abdul_rauf/2009/04/time_to_update_islamic_law.html
Neither of them is challenging the Constitution. I don't want to let them get that far.
No - criticism of islam is our right, and in the case of radical islam and sharia an absolute necessity.
A 2010 Gallup world religion survey shows that 4 out of every 10 Americans feel some sort of prejudice towards Muslims
Yes - even moderate imams want to change our laws and restrict freedom of speech. That's not prejudging, it's a fact. I have got the facts and I have judged and I dislike islam. Thats not prejudice, it's an informed opinion
Islamophobia? Read the Runymeade center report that created this ridiculous term - if you read the several points the define islamophobic behavior you can see that several of the points are demonstrably true and others are impossible to avoid. Everyone is islamophobic by definition, unless you are a devout muslim and also able to effectively lie to yourself. It is an utterly meaningless and ridiculous term that cheapens and demeans any discussion in which it is used.
We should stop using it and either use justifiable dislike or in the case or the case of discrimination us the term ....errrr.....discrimination.
OK- but is it factually incorrect?
If you feel abused by the truth then you are looking at the wrong kind of media.
Who said this?:
“[O]ur talks with the infidel West and our conflict with them ultimately revolve around one issue, and it is: Does Islam, or does it not, force people by the power of the sword to submit to its authority corporeally if not spiritually?
Yes. There are only three choices in Islam: either willing submission [i.e., conversion]; or payment of the jizya [poll-tax paid by non-Muslims], thereby bodily, though not spiritual, submission to the authority of Islam; or the sword—for it is not right to let him [an infidel] live.
The matter is summed up for every person alive: either submit, or live under the suzerainty of Islam, or die…. Such, then, is the basis of the relationship between the infidel and the Muslim. Battle, animosity, and hatred—directed from the Muslim to the infidel—is the foundation of our religion.”
They are against multiculturalism - a foundation of our melting pot - latinos, muslims, dems..... the stats are not on their side. Power gained in 2010 will be stripped for generations to come.
We cannot incorporate into our culture a culture that is the opposite of ours. Islamic sharia is a competitor to, not a potential component of, Western culture.
Everything has limits - that's what laws are for.
Sharia is absolutely mono-cultural and the antithesis of multiculturalism. By removing the possibility of Sharia in the US you are enabling multiculturalism.
That's not an exclusively right wing view is it?
"US Soldiers in Afghanistan Told to "Hunt People for Jesus... So We Get Them into the Kingdom"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-scahill/us-soldiers-in-afghanista_b_195639.html