Let us start from the point that we should always start at, when dealing with people saying things we don't like:
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This is the very first of our 'self-evident' rights our founders chose to enumerate for those of us who can't perceive what should be evident to everyone.
Before anything else, our founders decided that Americans should be able to pursue whatever path to enlightenment we choose to follow. And that Americans should be free to discuss whatever they choose. And finally, to be able to criticize the government and demand it to adhere to the principles outlined in the Constitution.
Before anything else, our founders decided that Americans should be able to pursue whatever path to enlightenment we choose to follow. And that Americans should be free to discuss whatever they choose. And finally, to be able to criticize the government and demand it to adhere to the principles outlined in the Constitution.
Which is why every man, woman, and child in the United States should be offended by statements made by an official who was elected under the auspices of the Constitution.
''The County Commission needs to park these buses this weekend and remove these advertisements.'' - Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle
And what are the advertisments that Jim Naugle is demanding the removal of?
50 Broward County buses, which for weeks have been driving with the following message plastered to their exterior: "ISLAM: The Way of Life of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.''
The advertisments were placed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). It's an advocacy group that's trying to educate Americans on the core beliefs of Islam, in order to promote understanding and justice.
Enough of this idiocy!" demonstration organizer Joe Kaufman demanded. "Take down the Hamas message off our tax-funded buses now."
Joe Kaufman, chairman of the organization Americans Against Hate, believes the advertisements to be an inflammatory message. He also asserts that the ads suggest that Abraham, Moses and Jesus followed Islam.
I take issue with that assessment. The fact is that Islam follows the teachings of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Just as Christianity built itself on the foundation of Judiasm, Islam built itself on top of Christianity, which means it also built on Judaism. Is Islam Christianity? Of course not, just as Christianity isn't Judaism.
In some ways, Jesus might have been more comfortable living in an Islamic household than a modern Christian household: Islam follows the kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. In other ways, both Islam and several flavors of Christianity are diametrically opposed to his teachings: abhor violence and killing for any reason, prayer should be done in private, and that God's law can withstand examination.
I bring this up because one of the few legal recourses that the County has to violate its contract is on the grounds that the ad was placed for fraudulent purposes. If the advertise claims something that isn't true, or can lead a consumer to harm, the County would have some legal grounds to pull the ads.
But since the ads are neither false nor misleading, it would be a violation of the contract, AND a clear violation of the First Amendment.
Not that that bothers Joe Kaufman. Rather than accept that Muslims have the right to promote their religion, just like Christians and Jews do, he's trying to convince people that the ads are promoting terrorism, and that CAIR specifically supports HAMAS.
Let's examine the message again:
ISLAM: The Way of Life of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad
Hmm. Nothing about guns. It doesn't mention violence.
And in fact, despite his claims and the claims of other radical groups, I can't find any evidence to support the allegations that CAIR supports HAMAS. It's like claiming the Pope supports Terrorism because the IRA has Catholics in it.
CAIR's primary purpose is to get us to see Muslims as human beings instead of "towel-heads." Are some Muslims terrorists? Sure. So are some Christians. So are some Jews. CAIR isn't excusing them, any more than the Jewish Anti-Defamation League is excusing the actions of the radicals of their faith who broke the law for selfish ends.
Joe Kaufman, of course, can voice any opinion he chooses. However, he does have the responsibility to back his accusations with facts, and so far, he hasn't done so. Vehemently believing that CAIR supports terrorism does not mean that CAIR does any such thing, any more than vehemently ascerting that Zionists are trying to rule the world proves that Jews are evil.
By his actions, I find it hard to differentiate Joe Kaufman from David Duke, and his vitriol only underscores the need for an organization like CAIR. The fact is that there is a great deal of anti-Islam sentiment in the United States, and most of it is unwarranted.
Jim Naugle, on the other hand, is an elected official. His actions betray his oath of office, and everything we Americans should expect of our elected leadership. He is supposed to support and enforce the laws of the land, and time and again he has acted out against our Civil Rights. We deserve better leadership than this bigot who continually lashes out at those who fall outside his narrow defintion of humanity.
The County needs to keep the advertising on the buses, and remove Jim Naugle.
In their righteousness, the idiots are apparently unaware that if HAMAS numbered half a million -- waaay above even the most paranoid estimates, so let's include sympathizers -- they would still speak for only about 1/4000th of the Islamic world.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not the Broward screwball contingent likes it, Muslims outnumber Christians and Jews put together, and are likely to continue to do so no matter how hard the Pope tries to force his flock into outbreeding them. (Worldwide, of course, the other brands of Christianity are only a drop in the bucket, always have been, and will almost certainly continue to be.)
Furthermore, like it or not, Islamic believers control a great deal of the world's wealth, more every day, while the US becomes weaker and weaker economically, thanks to the policies of Naugle's buddies in Washington. Muslims are going to be a major power in the world -- are already -- whether we like it or not.
Reality may bite, but it's still real.
And yes. You're spot on about the origins of the religions, except you left out Mithra and those guys.