Shameless Schemers Like Sarah Palin....

......the Tea Partiers and Right-Wing Christians Trying to Start a New Religious War Against Muslims

The building of a Muslim community center two blocks from the site of the WTC has become the latest controversy in America's long fought religious wars.

August 15, 2010 |David Rosen

The building of a Muslim community center in an abandoned building two blocks from the site of New York’s former World Trade Center has become the latest controversy in America’s long fought religious wars. The construction of the center, often referred to as a mosque, has become the latest rallying issue for the Christian right, Tea Party proponents and Republican operatives in their war to impose moralistic and corporatist values on America.

It is too early to know how the Muslim center issue will be resolved, but it is clear that the rantings of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Abe Foxman (of the Anti-Defamation League) and others have played an important role pushing a local issue into the center-stage of national politics. Since the horrendous attacks of 9/11, Muslims in general and American Muslims in particular have been the targets of an undeclared religious war promoted by Christian fundamentalists and self-serving Republicans. For some among these religious zealots, Islam is a threat to their belief that the U.S. is a white Protestant nation. Over the last four centuries, Quakers, Mormons, Catholics, Jews and many others have been targets of religious persecution, often the victims of imprisonments, hangings, lynchings and other acts of violence.

Rightwing ranters might well not know the history of religious intolerance in America, but they are surely aware that they are fueling a deep-seated rage among a certain scary segment of the Christian populous. This round in the ongoing religious culture wars has yet to explode into the ugly violence that took place in the aftermath of 9/11, and one can only hope that the current controversy will not lead to attacks on Muslims.

Sadly, like the attacks the followed 9/11, rightwing ranters like Palin and Gingrich will act “shocked” by the violence if it occurs and will claim innocence as to their roles fomenting it. With a knowing sneer, they will wash their hands of the blood they have caused and seek out other innocent victims.

* * *

In an excellent article on Tomdispatch, Stephen Salisbury details the current Manhattan Muslim center controversy and the spreading anti-Muslim hysteria being whipped up around the country over the opening of new local mosques. As Salisbury opines, “The angry ‘debate’ over whether the building should exist has a kind of glitch-in-the-Matrix feel to it, leaving in its wake an aura of something-very-bad-about-to-happen.” [tomdispatch.com, August 11, 2010]

Salisbury discusses the ongoing protests against mosques also taking place in New York’s Brooklyn and Staten Island as well as in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He connects these controversies to the headline-grabbing opportunist comments by Palin (in true Palin-speak, “peaceful Muslims” need to “refudiate” the center) and Gingrich (who calls on Saudi Arabia to open churches and synagogues).

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The Right To Religious Freedom

Selah there is a lot going on in the world today and one of the most important topics right now is the Mosque being built near Ground Zero. I am enclosing an article from one of my favorite sites but first I want you to know how I feel about this.

Many on the right are fighting against this and feel that the Muslims have no right to build a Mosque near the site. They constantly scream that they want their Country back (they just don't have the guts to say from the black man). They say they want it back because the Democrats and President Obama are taking our freedoms away. History will prove, just like this incident that it is the republicans who are trying to take away the freedoms of the American people. One of these days I will make a list of freedoms they are trying to take but you will recognise most of them yourself from the stories on my blog and history itself.

It was not just White People or Christians that were in those planes, in the buildings that day. There were people of all colors, all religions including Muslims.

I ask the question of those who are against it, should we not allow the Christians to build any type of church or religious center near the Oklahoma bombing site since Timothy McVeigh was a professed Christian? Where is the difference? Selah I am thankful that we have a President that realizes the importance of religious freedom and the difference between church and state.

I think it's important that you know how our President felt about this situation and what he stood for. ♥ Grandma

Obama Strongly Defends Religious Freedom and the Ground Zero Mosque

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Jason Easley

During his remarks at the traditional White House Iftar dinner, President Obama used the language of the Tea Party to defend religious freedom, and announce his support for the Ground Zero Mosque, “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.”

Obama first discussed freedom of religion, “Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose – including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious – a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in contrast to the religious conflict that persists around the globe.”

He then brought up the sensitivity of Ground Zero, and 9/11, “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.”

The President then announced his support for the mosque and community center, “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.”

Obama brought up the point that innocent Muslims also died on 9/11, “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.”

The President said our values and freedoms should not be compromised, “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.”

He concluded this portion of his speech with a call for unity, “In my inaugural address, I said that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. That diversity can bring difficult debates. Indeed, past eras have seen controversies about the construction of synagogues or Catholic churches. But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, stay true to our core values, and emerge stronger for it. So it must be – and will be – today.”

Once again, Obama used the beliefs of the Founders Fathers against those, like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Fox News, and the Tea Party who wrap themselves in the language of freedom while attempting to deprive others of their freedoms. America still may not be used to it after eight years of the evangelical presidency of George W. Bush, but Obama’s speech is an example of how a president is supposed to behave. Obama did not take an oath to protect the freedoms of some Americans. It is his duty to protect the freedoms of all Americans.

PoliticusUSA