Calling a 'wing-nut' a 'wing-nut. Bruce http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200609/CUL20060 912c.html Mayor's 'Anti-Muslim' Remarks Offend Advocacy Group By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor September 12, 2006
(CNSNews.com) - "Either the Judeo-Christian philosophy will survive or the Islamic philosophy will survive," said Ken Murray, the mayor of Redding, Calif., last week. That remark and others upset the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is urging Californians to repudiate Murray's remarks. Murray, speaking last Thursday at a 9/11 commemoration on the Shasta County Courthouse steps, reportedly criticized Shiite Muslims as people who are willing to do anything as long as they believe it glorifies Allah. "Folks, they're not like us," the Redding Record-Searchlight quoted Murray as saying. Murray also drew a distinction between "mainstream" Muslims and Shiite Muslims, whom he called "wing nuts." "Since the Crusades, there's been a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of people. I think it's a historical reality, and the rubber's meeting the road again. Either the Judeo-Christian philosophy will survive or the Islamic philosophy will survive." The Council on American Islamic Relations, always on the lookout for comments it deems insulting to Muslims, was critical of Mayor Murray. "The unthinking bigotry and ignorance of such remarks are unworthy of an American public official and should be repudiated by all those who seek tolerance and mutual understanding," said Basim Elkarra, the executive director of CAIR's Sacramento Valley chapter. In the five years since the 9/11 attacks, CAIR has had its work cut out for it, as CAIR's own polling shows that a majority of Americans holds anti-Muslim views. On Monday, the five-year anniversary of the terror attacks, CAIR released a statement defending Islam - and repudiating al Qaeda's latest videotaped warning to the world, in which Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, threatened to carry out attacks in Israel and the Gulf region. "To more than a billion Muslims worldwide, Islam is a religion that teaches tolerance, freedom and compassion," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Those who understand Islam and know Muslims as friends and colleagues realize that Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths and that Muslims are contributing members of societies around the world. "Unfortunately, for many who know little of Islam or Muslims, Al-Qaeda has come to represent both." Awad said Muslims will not allow terrorist groups like al Qaeda to speak for Muslims or represent Islam to the rest of the world. "Notwithstanding the fact that there are legitimate political grievances in the Muslim world today, Islam has never, and will never, justify the killing of innocent civilians in order to achieve political or religious goals," Awad said. "As Muslims, we will continue to condemn Al-Qaeda and ensure that the rest of the world learns the true message of Islam and its teachings of peace, justice and compassion for all." In his speech Monday night, President Bush condemned what he called a "perverted vision of Islam...that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent." President Bush said America's terrorist enemies seek to "build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations." The problem for many Americans is not knowing which Muslims espouse what views. At an interfaith gathering in Boston on Monday, local religious leaders urged their Muslim counterparts to do a better job of separating Islam from terrorism, the Boston Globe reported. Cardinal Sean O'Malley told the newspaper that "Islam did not invent terrorism...but all of us need to condemn this tactic that has been used to manipulate people in the world, and we need to recognize in what context it comes about and try to deal with that context." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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