An American Muslim Journal

Some Christians itching' to pick fights

Some Christians feel compelled to malign Islam in order to bolster their own faith.  Shame on them.

At first I thought about ignoring these people, but then I decided that their hate messages need to be shared with others so that we can be on the look out for these crazies in our neighborhoods.  I would be horrified if my children were exposed to such vicious and hateful lies about our faith.  It would be equally outrageous if my kids' friends were exposed to this kind of hate material.

A group calling itself "Defend Students" is leading the hateful anti-Islam leafleting at public schools (click here for a report on this from a fringe Christian web news portal).  A man named Dr. Gary Cass is reportedly the leader of this group.  His group is using the usual, false and very ugly claims that Islam promotes pedophilia and violence.  It's material that many of us have seen before.  I looked at the flier and could tell right away that it was a mix of lies, mistatements and hyperbolic rhetoric.

Here is a sample of the flier this group is handing out to public school children:

 

Muslim parents must be aware of this hateful work.  Parents of other faiths should be on the look out too. This is treacherous stuff.  I would be horrified if my kids or their friends (of all faiths) were exposed to this ugliness at or near their schools.

These extremists and hatemongers apparently have very little faith in Christianity and its appeal to others. This is their effort to dissuade young Americans from Islam.

This type of hateful material should not be allowed on public school property.  If nothing else it disrupts the learning environment that public schools seek to foster.  This material interferes with public schools' core mission of educating children.  This is because the information that the "Defend Students" group is attempting to disseminate is patently false and because it rises to the level of bigotry against Muslims.

Parents who find this material (or material like it) being shared at or near public school facilities should take thoughtful steps to stop it.  It does no good to confront the people distributing the leaflets.  It would be better to take pictures and video of them handing out the materials.  It would also be a good idea to get copies of some of the materials they are handing out.

The public school administration should be notified as quickly as possible.  However, the notification should be done in a thoughtful and organized way.  Parents should contact the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for assistance and guidance (click here to find a local CAIR chapter). The local CAIR chapter can help organize the outreach to the public school administration in a manner that is in equal parts thoughtful and forceful. The local mosque should be contacted as well.  Ideally, the local mosque will have an established network of interfaith partners in the community.  It is the responsibility of all people of faith to combat the hateful messages of this "Defend Students" group.

My concern is not necessarily that this fringe group out in California or Florida will make its way to Illinois. What does concern me is that a handful of local bigots will pick up on this effort and bring it to a school near me.  It is in our childrens' best interest that we remain constantly on the lookout for all hateful messages aimed at our children.

 

 

Hate Comes to Orange County, CA - Where is D.A. Rackauckas now?

Watch this video.  It's ugly and vicious but it needs to be seen:

 

I was sickened by the level of hatred that these people displayed.  And I was shocked that politicians lend their voice and their support to this hatred with impunity.  Is this what the residents of Orange County are like?  I mean, how is it that these folks can be elected when they hold such bigoted views?

Let's take a look at some of these haters:

Ed Royce - He's a Republican member of Congress.

Ed strikes me as the kind of guy who would have owned slaves, lynched Blacks and been a card-carrying member of the KKK back in the day.  Well, actually, whose to say Ed isn't a KKK member now? He's obviously a bigot.

What are his fellow Republicans saying about him?  Are they distancing themselves from his endorsement of this egregious display of hatred?  

If not, why not?

 

Where is the California Republican Party on this?

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Deborah Pauly - She's a council member from Villa Park in Orange County.  This person is a real loon.  She actually called upon people to kill the men, women and children attending the event at which she was protesting!  Seriously?

As hateful as these people were, if they had the right to be on that piece of land, then they had a right to be bigots and to say hateful things. That's their First Amendment right.  

But to call on U.S. Marines to kill these people?

Is that protected speech or an incitement to violence?  It's obviously an incitement to violence.  

Frankly, it doesn't get any more clear than this and the Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, needs to prosecute this woman.

I'm sure this woman will happily repeat her calls to kill the families at the event she was protesting.  She seemed to take some sick joy in saying it.  I feel embarrassed for her son and daughter.  Who would want such a nut-job for a mom?

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WHERE IS THE D.A. - TONY RACKAUCKAS - WHILE DEBORAH PAULY IS INCITING MURDER?

The prosecutor in Orange County is one tough law and order guy.  He's prosecuting a group of University of California - Irvine students for political speech at an presentation by Israeli Ambassador Oren even though the students' actions were clearly protected under the First Amendment.

But where is Mr. Rackauckas when Deborah Pauly calls for the murder of innocent men, women and children in Orange County?  It can't be an issue of proof - this woman is caught on video calling for their murder!  So why is it that incitement to murder isn't worthy of prosecution but political speech is?

We should call Mr. Rackauckas' office and ask him whether or not he's going press charges against Deborah Pauly!  Here is Mr. Rackauckas' contact information:

TONY RACKAUCKAS
401 CIVIC CENTER DR
SANTA ANA, CA  92701
714-834-3600

I want Mr. Rackauckas to explain how the cases of the students at U of C-Irvine are distinguishable from the case of Deborah Pauly?  It's not that I don't know - I do.  The UC-Irvine case is one of protected speech and is immune from criminal prosecution and Deborah Pauly's comments are a clear incitement to murder and merit full prosecution as a felony.  But I'd like Mr. Rackauckas to explain his silence.

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WHAT DO DECENT AMERICANS DO IN THE FACE OF THIS HATE?

I am waiting to see.  I know these nasty bigots are not what most Americans are like, but what are other, regular, everyday Americans saying to counter this hatred?

I ask this question because I want to hear from my fellow Americans who are as disgusted by this bigotry as am I.  If we don't speak up and against hate and violence (regardless of who is espousing it - Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Tehadists, etc) then we will let their poison seep into our society and slowly but surely that hatred will find its way into acceptable discourse.

It's time to stop demonizing Muslims.  These tehadists and al Qaeda and the neo-nazis and the other extremists are the enemy.  In fact, these Tea Party extremists and the terrorists responsible for 9/11 and other terror attacks on America have more in common with one another than they realize.

We need to recognize that these tehadists are the enemy and good people of all faiths need to come together as Americans to resist their insidious efforts to tear apart our pluralistic society.

Franklin Graham is a bigot - revoking invitation to Pentagon prayer service is the right thing to do

Our government should not support religious bigotry.  Franklin Graham is a religious bigot.  It was a mistake to invite him to a prayer service at the Pentagon.  Disinviting him was the right thing to do.

Mr. Graham should not be invited to speak to any gathering organized by our government.He is open and notorious about his hatred for Islam and is on record in numerous, reputable media sources with his bigoted comments about Islam.  He can believe and say just about anything but just not on the taxpayer’s dime.

Apparently those responsible for selecting a speaker for this Pentagon prayer service were unaware of his open notorious hatred of Islam which Mr. Graham has gone on the record with in various, reputable media outlets.  People make mistakes so cut the prayer service organizer some slack.  What matters is that the right decision was finally made.

I hope an appropriate explanation was given to Mr. Graham as to why he is not welcome to the Pentagon prayer service.  The explanation accompanying the withdrawal of the invitation should be clear in stating that the invitation was extended in error because Mr. Graham’s bigotry was not known by those planning the event, and now that it has been brought to light, the government, out of respect for the American people, is looking for a speaker who better represents Christianity.

Granting Mr. Graham a platform to speak or pray at a government event using government resources is counterproductive to the ongoing integration of Muslims into American society.  It creates a sort of cognitive dissonance among the Muslim community when, on the one hand our government speaks of outreach to and inclusion of Muslims in America, and then on the other hand promotes an Islam hater like Mr. Graham.

Why should we settle for Mr. Graham anyhow?  There are better Christians in America who are far better representatives of Christianity than is Mr. Graham.  Who, you ask?  I can go through my blackberry contacts or my Facebook friends list and name quite a few.  

You want only bona fide clergy?  No problem.  I know many wonderful Christians of various denominations.  Right here in Illinois I can think of Rev. Jay M. of the Presbyterian Church or Rev. Ed H. of the United Methodist Church or Rev. Allen E. up in the NW suburbs and Sister Joan of the Catholic Church. And I’m certain I could get some other great Christian clergy by asking my Christian friends.  We don’t need to settle for Mr. Graham.

True, Mr. Graham is only one voice of Christianity.  Yes, he is a well-known voice of Christianity.  And sadly, yes, he does have a fair number of followers.  So what?  None of that makes him a good choice for the Pentagon, because he does not represent the mainstream of Christianity.  

I base that last statement on anecdotal evidence.  A lot of it.  I believe this is true because I’ve pretty much lived my entire life in America and along the way I’ve been taught by, roomed with, worked for and with, befriended and lived next to a lot of Christians, and the vast majority have been incredibly decent people.  Mr. Graham is not at all like them.

Mr. Graham knows that we in the Muslim community don’t care much for his hate.  It’s hard to like a guy who calls your spiritual compass evil.  So our concern over his invitation is not helpful in persuading him to mend his hateful ways.

It may be better of his fellow Christians told him (or, in the case of those who do, continue telling him) that his behavior does not comport with the example and the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Tell him precisely why he is being disinvited and keep the door open for a future speaking engagement if and when he repudiates his hateful views.  To me that seems like a good Christian (or Muslim or Jewish) thing to do.

Hutaree Militia - Right Wing Extremists - Targeting American Muslims?

 (a photo of Hutaree's 'Christian Warriors')

That extremists Christians on the far Right would see American Muslims as the enemy is nothing new.  Given that Timothy McVeigh massacred over one hundred Christians in Oklahoma City (along with other innocent Americans of other faiths), it should surprise no one that Right Wing militias would target American Muslims.  Honestly, it is a matter of when and not if.

News reports in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and the Detroit Free Press are all reporting that a fanatical Christian organization called Hutaree (they consider themselves Christian Warriors preparing to battle the Beast in the coming End Times) has been the target of federal investigators and that over the weekend arrests have been made in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.  In Illinois the arrest was made in Clarendon Hills according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Last November I wrote on this blog (click here to read that post) that we need to wary of extremist warmongers and that our concern should extend beyond Al Qaeda and to the right wing militias that seem to operate feely across our country.  At the time I wrote:

You know who these folks are - they are the people you see at rallies and protests, they are the screwballs who call into right-wing talk radio and lace their anti-Muslim diatribes with "God Bless America", "Amen" and "Yee Haa" and they are the entertainers pretending to be pundits and journalists on Faux News and on America Right satellite radio and are on the donor rolls of extremist Christian leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham.  They are the people shaving their heads and putting bedsheets on their heads and getting swastikas tattooed on their bodies.  They are the people bombing abortion clinics, killing doctors, going on shooting rampages against anyone who is not White and who target non-Christians with gun violence and random thuggery.  They have the blogs that rightly decry Al Qaeda organized violence and then go one indict every other Muslim for good measure.

These extremist Americans have more in common with Al Qaeda than with the rest of America.  Instead of allowing Americans to close ranks and deal with the fanaticism of Al Qaeda together, their hate ideology is extremely effective in keeping American Muslims off balance and consistently in a defensive posture.  Instead of spending time rooting out extremism, hours and hours of time is spent by American Muslims telling America who they are and what they believe.

We will see later today (Monday, 3/29/10) what the indictments allege about these wackos.  Dawud Walid, the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan was contacted by journalists for comment according to the Detroit Free Press.  Why was the Muslim community contacted for comment and not, say for example, the Jewish community or leaders of the Gay and Lesbian community, in this instance?  Perhaps it is because this particular investigation involved plots of violence against fellow Americans within the Muslim community?

I don't know the answer to that but I am concerned.  Whether their targets turn out to be Muslims, Jews, other Christians, gays, immigrants or others, I will remain equally concerned.

Good people need to stand up to this hatred, violence and bigotry right now.  The world's most free and most tolerant society - the United States of America - has allowed religious extremists using Islam as a cover to retard and stunt the growth and development of the Great American Experiment of creating a more perfect nation based on democracy within a religiously, culturally and ethnically plural citizenry.

The tragedy of 9/11 has made us less critical of bigotry in our dialogue and it has allowed us to be less vigilant in protecting our civil liberties.  In that more permissive environment hate groups of varying stripes seem to now be flourishing.  The Hutaree's so-called "Chrisitan Warriors" happen to be the group that's caught our attention today but there are lots of others out there and we need to be wary of them.