-Caveat Lector-
From
http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2002/574/in62.htm
> "Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son
> to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son
> to die for you."
>>>The above quote is ludicrous besides being rude. Does anyone remember the
words to "Onward Christian Soldiers"? Does anyone remember HOW the corss
became so prominent in the Nazarene's followers religion (read up on Constantine
and WHEN he chose the cross)(and read some of the headlines at WorldNetDaily).
Johnny has been at the self-anointing oils a little too often. A<>E<>R <<<
}}}>Begin
Al-Ahram Weekly Online
21 - 27 February 2002
Issue No.574
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875
Current issue | Previous issue | Site map
Absentminded bigotry
Anti-Muslim comments allegedly made by US Attorney-General John Ashcroft have
caused an uproar in the Arab and Muslim American community, writes Anayat
Durrani
Major Arab and Muslim groups have strongly criticised the anti-Muslim remarks
allegedly made by United States Attorney General John Ashcroft during a 9
November radio interview with conservative Christian syndicated columnist and radio
personality Cal Thomas. Ashcroft was quoted as having said: "Islam is a religion in
which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in
which
God sends his son to die for you." Thomas's short article, "Men of Faith in
Washington, DC Need Our Prayers," which repeats this quote and praises Ashcroft
for his statement, was carried by an online religious Web site, crosswalk.com, in
December.
Arab-American and Muslim groups have since demanded Ashcroft either clarify his
statements or be removed from office.
The New York Daily News first reported on the story. When asked about the quote,
Thomas, who has remarked that he thought the quote was "profound," told the Daily
News, "I wrote it down accurately and repeated it to make sure I had it right. I've got
my integrity and a four-decade career as a journalist and people can decide for
themselves."
The Muslim Public Affairs Council called Ashcroft's alleged comments a distorted
view of Islam and said such a statement was alarming coming from the US attorney
general. The group immediately sent a letter to the Department of Justice, which
responded saying that the remarks attributed to Ashcroft did not accurately represent
his views and that the Department of Justice "remains committed to protecting the
civil rights and dignity of all Americans." The Muslim Public Affairs Council has
called
for a meeting between Ashcroft and Muslim leaders to address general distrust in the
American Muslim community towards law enforcement and called for providing
sensitivity and diversity training about Islam to Department of Justice officials. "It
is
now even more imperative that a dialogue ensues between the attorney general's
office and the American Muslim leadership. It is time to move from words to
substantive policies in the halls of power that will institutionalise sensitivity
toward
American Muslims," said the council's political adviser, Mahdi Bray.
Other Muslim and Arab groups were also quick to react. James Zogby, president of
the Arab American Institute, wrote a letter to President George W Bush on 8
February, calling Ashcroft's alleged remarks "a horrible distortion of Islam" which
could only serve to incite anti-Muslim hatred. He said Ashcroft's statements had
undermined Bush's efforts to promote tolerance and understanding in the aftermath
of 11 September, and asked President Bush to remove Ashcroft from office or ask
for his resignation if the attorney general did not publicly repudiate the statements.
"The bigoted comments reportedly made by our nation's chief of law enforcement are
outrageous! The fact that he has not denied making them or apologised for them
raises serious questions about his ability to enforce our nation's laws in a fair and
unbiased manner. The president should act to correct this situation," Zogby said.
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also wrote a letter to President
Bush condemning Ashcroft's comments, calling them, "inflammatory, fanatical and
inexcusable, particularly coming from the attorney general of the United States." The
American Muslim Political Coordinating Committee sent a letter to Ashcroft, signed
by leaders of four major American Muslim groups, calling his remarks "offensive to
our community due to their inaccuracy and divisiveness." The committee called on
Ashcroft to clarify his statements and to take actions in the Department of Justice to
"sensitise officials regarding Islam and Muslims."
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said
that if it were true that Ashcroft made the remarks, they were "inaccurate, offensive
and are unbecoming of a law enforcement official who is currently initiating and
administering policies that have a disproportionate impact on Muslims."
In the days that followed the horrific 11 September attack, President George W Bush
took a lead role in encouraging tolerance towards Arabs and Muslims. Bush
described Islam as a "peaceful" religion, not at all associated with the acts of terror
committed against Americans. During a visit to the Islamic Centre of Washington,
DC, President Bush said, "These acts of violence against innocents violate the
fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith, and it's important for my fellow Americans to
understand that. The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what
Islam
is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent
evil and war." American Muslim and Arab groups have pointed to Ashcroft's remarks
as having negated Bush's efforts at promoting unity as a nation.
Ashcroft's comments come at a time when American Muslims and Arabs have
become increasingly uncomfortable with the actions of the Department of Justice
towards their communities in the wake of 11 September. They cite the hundreds
detained following the attacks who have been singled out based on their religion and
ethnicity, many of whom continue to be detained, as well as the FBI interrogations of
more than 5,000 Middle Eastern men, the closure of immigration hearings and
profiling of Muslim and Arab-American airline passengers. Also cited is the focus of
the Department of Justice and the FBI on rounding up and deporting 6,000 Muslims
and Arabs -- out of some 314,000 foreign nationals or "absconders," the vast
majority of whom are from Latin America -- who have ignored court orders to leave
the country.
"It is hard to see how policies such as these, which after all are based on racial and
religious profiling, can be administered in an unbiased manner given Mr Ashcroft's
apparent hostility towards Islam," Awad said.
In response to Arab and Muslim groups, Justice Department spokeswoman Susan
Dryden told the Washington Post that Ashcroft's statement was misrepresented and
reflected views on terrorists and not mainstream Islam. "The attorney general made
reference to extremist suicide terrorists who have hijacked the religion," Dryden said.
"The reported remarks do not accurately reflect the attorney general's views."
Ashcroft did release a brief statement last Wednesday saying that the quotes "do not
accurately reflect what I believe I said." In reaction to Ashcroft's statement, Zogby
told the Washington Post, it was "akin to saying 'I don't recall.'" He added, "The
consequences those remarks have had, and the fact that they've been out there so
long, require a far more emphatic response from the attorney general." Arab and
Muslim groups said Ashcroft's remarks had since caused a flurry of hate e-mails and
phone calls to their offices.
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