Looking at the RNC Through Muslim Eyes

If you listened closely during the various speeches at the RNC convention, you'll notice that the times when the crowd was most animated was when Republican rage was focused on what Sen. John McCain calls the "trancendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism." Various speakers through the convention returned to this theme, which consistently galvanized the crowd. "John McCain hit the nail on the head," thundered former Gov. Mitt Romney. "Radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it." Rejecting calls to avoid using the term "Islamic terrorism" for fear of fomenting hostility towards Muslims, former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani was defiant. "Please tell me who they are insulting when they say Islamic terrorism," he said. "They are insulting terrorists."

(Note to Mr. Giuliani: Terrorists who are Muslim love being called "Islamic." It gives them legitimacy. "Terrorist" they don't like so much, because they think they are freedom fighters. You'd think this would be obvious.)

I don't have a problem with fighting radicals who manipulate Islam for violent ends. What I do have a problem with is that these Republican leaders, and the crowd they lather up, have such a vague definition of "radical Islam" that it demonizes millions of law-abiding Muslim Americans in the eyes of their fellow citizens, few of whom could tell the difference between a radical Muslim and a peaceful one.

I have a Muslim friend who has been a Republican for 30 years (surprisingly enough, there are an embattled few Muslim Republicans) who emailed the McCain campaign to get some clarification on exactly what they define as "radical Islam." To sum up the long answer that came back: there are up to 100 million radical Islamists in the world who are determined to kill us, and the US needs to resolutely defeat them. No word on how to tell the radicals from the moderates, or if there is any solution other than a military one. Just a recipe for open-ended war against an undefined enemy.

You might think, "Well, this is all for the cameras, and they're just venting." But the crowd at the RNC (unfortunately) holds a significant amount of political power in this country. Reinforcing the theme of Islam being the enemy will seep in at the convention and emerge later in the form of discriminatory surveillance, lopsided laws that treat Muslims as guilty until proven innocent, and and increased desire to bomb the hell out of any Muslim country that doesn't toe the US line.

To tell you the truth, I'm not scared. In my experience, this country has far more reasonable people in it than the crowd chanting "USA! USA!" with anger in their eyes during Romney's speech. In the wake of 9/11, far more Americans offered comfort to the Muslims I know than offered insults. (No prize for guessing the political orientation of those two groups of people.) I'm upset that politicians feel they need to resort to declarations of war to get themselves elected, and saddened that they are oblivious to the very real damage the cause to decent American citizens who work hard, pay their taxes, and don't deserve to be lumped into the same category as those who perpetrated 9/11.

Comments

[WorkingClass]

"what Sen. John McCain calls the "transcendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism."

A boogy man is an imaginary threat used to frighten children.
"Radical Islamic terrorism" is a boogy man invented by the Bush, Rove, Cheney administration.
The "war on terror" is a steaming heap of BS.

[Kynn]

The RNC convention is scary to anyone that's not rich and white and a radical Christian.

[londongal]

Shahed:

Don't you understand that this WILL continue if McSame is elected president? It's not just the RNC that promote hatred of so called Islamic terrorists (and by extention, Muslims), it's the religious zealots wing of the RNC.

I saw on CNN yesterday a man of Muslim faith questioning why Obama hasn't done more to reach out to Muslims. Huh? This man said that after he convinced would-be Muslim voters that Obama did not stand up for them, out of 50, all but five of them remained Obama supporters.

Did you hear any such hatred come out of the Dems convention? Absolutely not.

Please tell your Muslim-American brothers and sisters that under Republican rule their lives and reputations will NOT improve one iota. At least under an Obama administration, they'll have someone who'll treat their concerns with dignity and respect.

[larryMI]

Normally I sign in to debate. No other comments here but I had to comment. You are absolutely right about the generalization of Muslims. The GOP thinks that anyone that doesn't agree with them is trouble. You mentioned Muslim, I will add women who want to make their own choices, people who want to chose how they die when they are terminal, gays who don't want to be discriminated against, middle class that is tired of every legislation that has negative impacts on us and the GOP who has proven that ethics is a pipe dream, and then there is me......a democrat and father of 3 daughters. I don't want the government to tell them what to do. I am certain that Sarah Palin is smart and ambitious but unless you agree with her extremely right wing ideals you are wrong. God help us if we are stupid enough to re-elect the GOP. If my house was worth what I bought it for I would seriously consider Canada if the GOP gets re-elected.

Opinion....we are not that stupid.

[TexasDem0]

I was wondering when someone would post on this subject.
The anti-Muslim rhetoric was free flowing.
I find it incomprehensible, and reprehensible, that GOP “leaders” would spew such unmitigated bigotry.
Rather than booing, or sitting in stunned silence, the party faithful reacted with raucous glee.
What kind of people take such delight in hate mongering?

[steamboat]

Hey, people of your faith INVADED us on 9/11/01. So point-fingers at those people, will you?

[charlietuna11]

i lived thru world war two , an estimated fifty million deaths were attributed to hitler and uncle joe stalin. by the way, just in case you may have forgotten, both hitler and stalin were christians. as were castro, mussalini, franco, pinochet. the list is extensive . i'm certain the christian right most likely thinks these individuals were nothing more than boy scouts gone bad. the salem witch trials, the crusades , the spanish inquisition, just vicious rumors demonizing the good name of christianity. theres no question that the falwells pat robertsons, hagees, franklin grahams ,swaggerts, bakers, dobsons, all represent christians in their most virtuestic state, praise jezus....

[SimonNZ]

Haha. Muslim Republicans, that's hilarious. Still I guess someone has to keep the Log Cabin Republicans company at the convention.

[Bateman]

But keep in mind that it was the current Republican administration that selected a Muslim to represent America at the UN. (Nobody should have to google his name.) Also, the Bush administration gave the job of head of the National Institutes of Health to a Muslim, Elias Zerhouni. That's not tokenism, that's just the kind of country that America is.

Compare the economic and social situation of Muslims in the US to that of Muslims in Europe. Or, for that matter, Muslim majority countries, especially for members of Muslim minority sects. America looks pretty good, despite its shortcomings.

If American policymakers are motivated by Islamophobia, why did both Democrats and some Republicans (especially neoconservatives) advocate intervening in the Balkans on the side of Muslims and against Christians? Was the American side in the Cold War driven by Russophobia? Was anti-Fascism based on Germanophobia or Italiophobia? Of course not.

Most Americans don't have a beef with Islam in general. It is militant radical Islamism that is the problem. Perhaps too many do have "a vague definition of "radical Islam"" Why don't you use your expertise to help define and explain it instead of just expressing your dismay at rightful opposition to a dangerous movement - even if that movement is defined too vaguely?

("Rightful hostility" because, as you write, "I don't have a problem with fighting radicals who manipulate Islam for violent ends.")

[Bateman]

Note: I made an error in the last sentence above. "Rightful hostility" should be "rightful opposition."

I read some of your opinion pieces at altmuslim.com; I found much to like in those.

[IslandGyal]

I am a defacto atheist (as per Richard Dawkins) but I become incensed every time I hear the republicans talk about Muslims, as if all of them are terrorist or somehow have a hand in it. How is Islamic terrorism different to the militias they have here in this country killing people in the name of white power?

Please advise STUDENTS living on campus to vote absentee ballot in their home state IF this is going to be a problem for them in their school's home state!!

People PLEASE register to vote before October 3rd. If possible request an absentee ballot and vote EARLY. I am not taking any chances with the republicans this year; they like to disenfranchise voters, especially minorities.

So, if you don't have to deal with them on November 4th - do NOT!

In Maryland you can request an absentee ballot. The deadline is October 28. PLEASE, vote and vote early!

http://www.elections.state.md.us/pdf/2007_English_InternetVRA.pdf

http://www.elections.state.md.us/pdf/2008_Absentee_Ballot_Application.pdf


Please pass along similar information about your state, thanks.

“The Truth is Irrelevant – McCain/Palin 08”