Obviously, the whole Ground Zero mosque issue is a lightning rod, and Obama had to throw some napalm on the barbecue. What did he say?
That is not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities – particularly in New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. The pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.
But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure.
Technically, he is correct. The 1st Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” That is the letter of the 1st. The spirit of the 1st is that government shall not take sides with one religion over the other, nor deny the free practice. And, it is being built on mostly private land. The government should not deny the mosque on religious grounds. So, regardless of Obama’s motives in bring up this topic, motives I heavily question (comments), he is correct.
That said, I have to wonder: does the USA allow religions that practice rites that include sacrifice of living creatures, including humans? What’s that? We don’t? But, but, but, I thought there was complete religious freedom? Some religions require making a blood sacrifice. Polygamy is a part of some religions, such as Mormonism and Islam, yet, that is against the law.
Many Native Americans (not meant to be PC. Provides more clarity than “Indians.”) require the use of eagle feathers for religious rites, which are banned due to the environmental protection of eagles. They also use Peyote, which is a Schedule I drug. Interestingly, the government has actually made accommodations for Native Americans only. So, the government is actually taking sides.
So, Obama did actually say what is technically correct, per the Constitution (yes, I know, shocker, since he usually seems to be against the Constitution.) Here is where he truly veers into complete stupidity and cluelessness
We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who have led our response to that attack – from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us always remember who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for. Our enemies respect no freedom of religion. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam – it is a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders – these are terrorists who murder innocent men, women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion – and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.
Oh, contraire, rabbit! They are, in fact, religious leaders. Their supporters sure think they are. And mosques around the world are used to train and teach extremist Islam and jihad. Islamic leaders issue fatwas all the time. What, exactly, is a fatwa? It is an Islamic religious edict. And, yes, little dhimmi liberals, fatwas have been made to call for someones death, such as against Salman Rushdie and all Jews. Osama Bin Laden issued a fatwa against the United States.
That is who we are fighting against. And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms – it is the strength of our values. The democracy that we uphold. The freedoms that we cherish. The laws that we apply without regard to race or religion; wealth or status. Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect to those who are different from us – a way of life that stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.
Our values, our democracy, and our freedoms that we cherish are despised by the Islamists. And, let’s face, according to the word of Mohammed and the Koran, the “extremist Muslims” are not extremists: they are the mainstream Muslims, who follow the tenets of Mohammed and the Koran. Those who do not preach jihad, killing the infidel, etc, are the extremists. And Obama needs to wake up to reality.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU
There have been in FACT, quite a number of religious leaders in islam, who support ‘radical’ islam and whom rely heavily on the koran as the basis of their support for the terrorists.
Over the past ten years, EVERY time I have seen a muslim speak out against terrorism by other muslims, they have been silenced. Excoriated. Often Murdered.
Funny thing- the vast majority of Christianity reviles terrorism by their own. Despite whatever ‘lil LIAR johnnie ryan chooses to quote. Speaking of ‘lil LIAR, he’s NO Christian. Or he’d understand what I am saying.
Its pretty funny to see you pussy-footing around, trying to avoid the obvious conclusion – that Obama is absolutely correct in his stance. I do commend you for your ability, unique amongst the rightwingers i have read today, to at least percieve the vague outlines of the truth.
What you claim to be stupidity on his part, denying the mantle of religious leadership to al-Q, is an important and valuable part of our efforts against them. It is consistent with the stance that President Bush took – to refuse to acknowledge the terrorists role as religious leaders. If you grant them that identity, you are helping them. The sad truth is that the mass of average people, including muslims, can easily get sucked into supporting evil movements, because average people don’t ususally spend a lot of time investigating things, thinking things through etc. If they hear some message that resonates, and it comes from someone who everyone agrees is a “religious leader”, then they might well go along with it. If it comes from someone who is widely denounced as a criminal, they may be less inclinded to have anything to do with it.
Obama is being smart here, as was Bush. As would be anyone who actually thinks about this stuff with a goal of advancing America’s interests – rather than just thinking about things with a goal of getting of snarky one-liners against the opposite party.
obama is being smart here.
The muslims certainly think so, and they are THANKING him for his efforts!
Greetings:
Back during my all-expense-paid tour of sunny Southeast Asia, the bad guys had a trick they used to use when the good guys showed up in their junglehood. They would send out a couple of their guys to serve as lures to try to draw us into their kill zone.
The problem isn’t the mosque or the location. The problem is the Islam. Muslims have been doing things like this for 13 centuries. They are well practiced at it. While trying to resist the mosque is, in a sense, admirable, it takes the focus off Islam and Mohammed and his 9-year-old trophy wife Aisha. The muslims are getting their jollies watching the idiot infidels banging their heads against their Islamic wall. They have put the infidel, once again, into a no-win situation. If the mosque is stopped, Americans have suspended their American values. If the mosque goes forward, the muslims have put their supremacist Islamic thumb in America’s eye. If the muslims walk away from the deal they are magnanimous benefactors to their fellow citizens.
My youth in the Bronx tells me to get in touch with the owner of the property across the street and propose putting one of those computer message boards on the outside of his building. The message board could be entitled “Islamic Thought of the Day†or some such. I would recommend for the opening day, “Mohammed married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine.†Oh, yeah, and perhaps an artful “Have a Nice Day†across the bottom of the board would be appropriate.
It’s the Islam, stupidos!!! It always has been and always will be. What they want most to protect is what we must attack. There is a reason why muslims are so easily aggravated by criticism of their “religion†or proselytization of its adherents by other religions. It’s their greatest vulnerability.