- Dr. Laura Schlessinger has, shall we say, interesting
timing. She happened to pick the last days of Ramadan -- Islam's holiest
month, which concludes with its biggest celebration -- to blast Muslims.
A caller to the bombastic U.S. radio show host last week asked whether
she should allow her daughter to go on a school trip to a mosque as part
of a moral themes class. The point was to learn "how Muslims are treated"
in America.
-
- Schlessinger's reply, in part: "This is despicable.
You tell (the teacher) you are willing to go to the mosque only if it is
one that has done its best to rout out terrorists in its midst. ... I am
so sick and tired of all the Arab-American groups whining and complaining
about some kind of treatment. ... What culture and what religion were all
the murderers of 9/11? They murdered us. That's the culture you want your
daughter to learn about?"
-
- Appallingly Ignorant
-
- If these comments are any indication of how mainstream
America treats Muslims, they have every reason to complain. But maybe it's
just Schlessinger who's bigoted. Her views are so appallingly ignorant,
illogical and downright prejudicial, it's hard to decide what to debunk
first. Let's go with the 9/11 comment.
-
- Yes, there is evidence that the 9/11 terrorists believed
they were being faithful to the Qur'an, and Allah, by blowing up the World
Trade Centre. But do we simply accept without challenge the statements
of a few violently suicidal wackos who claim their faith made them do it?
That's like saying Jim Jones (he of the poisoned Kool-Aid and 900 corpses)
is representative of Christianity. Or David Koresh, who'd rather let his
followers burn to death than let anyone question his multiple-wife lifestyle
and strange child-rearing practices. Or that guy in Quebec who led a reclusive
cult and cut off his wife's arms.
-
- For sure, these freaks claimed to have God's blessing
for their actions. And for sure they were dead wrong. But the very basis
of prejudice is to equate the actions of one person, or several, with the
whole group. And that's what Schlessinger does. Some people claiming to
be good Muslims committed heinous acts of terrorism, ergo all Muslims are
terrorists (or terrorist sympathizers) until proven otherwise.
-
- I guess she missed the many statements from American
and Canadian Muslims after 9/11 unequivocally condemning the attacks. Should
she ever wish to expand her knowledge, a bunch of these are available online
at: www.cair.com/html/911statements.html.
-
- But here's one representative comment, courtesy of the
Canadian Society of Muslims, released the day after the attacks:
-
- "We condemn in the strongest terms possible what
are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent
civilians. We join with all Canadians in calling for the swift apprehension
and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted
by such immoral acts."
-
- "Inhumane Tactics"
-
- More recently, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) (based in Washington with an office in Kanata), has condemned the
bomb attacks in Istanbul, Turkey, outside a London-based bank and at the
British consulate, and the bombings at two Turkish synagogues, that collectively
left over 50 people dead.
-
- "No cause can be served by acts of terrorism and
no faith can tolerate those who use such cruel and inhumane tactics,"
said CAIR.
-
- The organization tirelessly tries to educate people like
Schlessinger (who they've asked to apologize) about the diversity of Muslims,
who number seven million in the U.S. alone. A handful of terrorists claiming
God's blessing is hardly representative of this group. A clever exercise
on CAIR's Web site is aimed at examining whether the Qur'an really condones
terrorism. The site lists a handful of verses about death, then asks whether
they support violence. People might be inclined to answer yes, but the
verses are actually from the Bible. The point: Any religion and its writings
can be, and has been, twisted by twisted minds to condone horrible violence.
-
- The caller's daughter probably doesn't need to visit
the mosque. But Schlessinger should go. And what better time than this
Tuesday, the Feast of Fast-Breaking which concludes Ramadan. She might
learn that for the past month the majority of Muslims around the world
have been engaged not in conversations about what to blow up but rather
in acts of charity and daytime fasts aimed at self-discipline, self-purification
and compassion for those less fortunate.
-
- These are hardly the behaviours of unregenerate terrorists.
-
- Comment
- From Jim Mortellaro
- Jsmortell@aol.com
- 11-24-3
-
- An Open Letter to Marianne Meed Ward - Toronto Sun
-
- Dr. Laura Rants On
-
- Interesting take. But quite unconvincing and in great
error. At least on one point.
-
- I have a few Muslim acquaintances. One I met more than
50 years ago at the Sears Roebuck commissary in NYC. I was working a summer
job there, packing clothes and such in large boxes, making sure the box
was properly routed to the correct store.
-
- To this day, I abhor the odor of new clothing. I would
come home in a stench of 'new clothes' smell with lint the size of a NYC
cockroach all over my own clothing. To this day I tell my family, "If
you give me clothing for Christmas, let the darn stuff air out for a few
days. Preferably in the sun!"
-
- I met John, a black man, at the commissary whilst having
lunch. He pulled up a chair beside me and we chatted a bit. He had converted
to Islam five years previous and was working his way through John's Hopkins
Medical School. The man (then a mere 20 year old to my 16 years) was the
epitome of peace. He told me he had embraced Islam. I was curious because
at that time I knew no one of that persuasion. He had been a Christian
Fundamentalist, Baptist in fact, but rejected what he referred to as the
'violent' aspect of that faith.
-
- Knowing only what I learned in school about Islam, I
imagined that Islam was the religion of the Crusades. It was what Christians
fought to halt. The progress of Islam was a violent one. Of course, now
I know better. The greed of the so-called "crusades" (it does
not merit a capital "C") is history.
-
- John told me that he abhorred violence. His demeanor,
his compartment, everything about this man spoke of that which I had not
seen even in the Monks who taught me in grammar and high school. I was
so impressed with him that I imagined a man such as he being the Christ,
the man of peace. Such was his aura.
-
- Now to the point. Dear Readers, when was the last time
any Muslim Cleric, any Muslim, any practitioner of Islam, told you anything
how he or she feels about fundamentalist Islam, the violent, cowardly,
viscous and bloody murderous Islam?
-
- When? Huh?
-
- Try never. NEVER! The average practitioner of Islam says
NOTHING about the violence. Neither do to the clerics, here in America
or anywhere else. Not that I've seen, read or heard. No, I do not recommend,
nor do I support any sort of prejudice against anyone. But it is the responsibility
of all of us to speak out against such behavior.
-
- The silence speaks either of fear of reprisals or agreement
with the actions of some of their number. One way or another, no stand
has been taken which speaks directly to those mounting the death toll,
to those who murder children, women and innocents in the name of Allah.
That silence is tantamount to support of such actions and until or if Islam
speaks out against such violence, the religions and it's practitioners
are suspect.
-
- Sorry to burst your bubble Ms. Ward, but you have a good
deal of angst yourself. It is however (and in my view) misguided. Sense
common provides us with a conscience. Use it or lose it.
-
- James S. Mortellaro, Ph.D.
-
-
- Comment
From Samuel Burgan
11-24-3
-
- Jeff,
-
- We often see or hear of news stories where Christian
children are being force fed Islam in the name of "Tolerance".
Taking field trips to a mosque, reading the Koran in class, etc.
-
- However, we never hear about Moslem children being taken
to a Christian church, or the Christian Bible being read in class. In fact,
the latter is against the law. Why?
-
- Shouldn't "Tolerance" be taught to all faiths
and cultures?
-
- The fact that fundamentalist Moslems have no "Tolerance"
for us, is the root cause of terrorism.
-
- Thank you.
- Comment
From Kells Ternan
11-24-3
-
- In response to the Toronto Star article by M.M. Ward,
James S. Mortellaro writes:
-
- "Now to the point. Dear Readers, when was the last
time any Muslim Cleric, any Muslim, any practitioner of Islam, told you
anything how he or she feels about fundamentalist Islam, the violent, cowardly,
viscous and bloody murderous Islam?
-
- When? Huh?"
-
- One can only take this blind rant as bizarre as best.
-
- What on the reference page (http://www.cair.com/html/911statements.html)
that M.M. Ward provided didn't Mortellaro get? Or did he just refuse to
get it?
-
- Perhaps the problem isn't how loud Muslims have spoken
out - and there is no doubt they have; and have unequivocally and repeatedly
- but how much louder people are speaking above them. And why they are.
-
- Did the jewish community already condemn Schlessingers
hate-filled propaganda against other Americans? I'm sure we've all seen
and heard their reproofs.
Comment
Alton Raines
11-24-03
In the same way you will very, very rarely hear a Christian, who is not
fundamentalist, making statements about Biblical references to the "holy"
slaughter of countless "heathens" (infidels)... or remarking
on the statement by Paul that "the saints shall judge the world"
and rule with a rod of iron... or that Jesus is returning in vengeance,
wrath and judgment to execute punishment upon the "ungodly"...
don't expect the average Muslim to prattle off about such things either,
be they projections of their religious teaching or actual historic events.
I don't expect Muslims who are not fundamentalist to be emoting about the
tragedy of 911 or whathaveyou. Most of them are probably still digesting
it according to their complex religious beliefs. Just as if certain circumstances
in the Mid-east worked out a certain way, I know for a fact it would give
millions of Christians a certain pause... a "let's wait and see"
pause. 'Cause you never know... right? Can you imagine a Muslim seeing
the twin towers fall not wondering in the back of his or her mind, "IS
this an act of Allah's will and judgment against a nation which is thoroughly
drunk on excesses, vice, the love of money, corruption and sexual immortality?"
As a Christian, I wonder the same thing. So I'd lay hard money they do,
too!
I try to love and respect my Muslim brothers and sisters, as I do my Jewish
brothers and sisters -- through we might be extremely religiously opposed,
we can still come together and say "the Lord our God is One."
The atrocities, ignorance and horrible failings of human nature among the
triad of monotheism in history to this day is nothing more than further
proof God's word is sure and true: "the heart is desperately wicked,
deceitful above all things." But love is the answer. "Love covers
a multitude of sins." "Love does not wrong to a neighbor."
"God is Love." "Love forgives." "Love seeks not
its own, but regards the other as more important than oneself."
All our hands are equally bloody, either with our own sins or the sins
of our brothers. We can still join hands in the singular recognition that
we are all certainly dreadful sinners in need of God's grace and mercy!
-
-
- Comment
From Sam Lacey
11-25-3
-
- Jim Mortellaro's response to the article "Dr. Laura
Rants On" is curious, as he seems to demand moral response against
murder and violence from mainstream Islam exclusively.
-
- Please Mr.Mortellaro, let me burst the bubble you apparently
have created.
-
- First, let me pose your question, substituting "Christian".
-
- When was the last time any Christian minister, any Christian,
any practitioner of Christianity, told you anything about he or she feels
about fundamentalist Christianity and their support for occupation,bombing,and
murder of innocent civilians of the Palestinian territories?
-
- In the same sense, when did any of these groups of people
speak out against the immoral act of invading and occupying Iraq, which
clearly had no connection to the 911 attacks, despite our "Christian"
president's attempts to repeatedly convey this lie?
-
- Speaking of mounting death tolls, there seem to be ever
larger numbers of Iraqi innocents, victims of time and place, who lost
their women, children, husbands and families, whose numbers far exceed
those victims of the 911 attacks.
-
- This is not to downplay the tragedy of 911...and I ask
another question: where are the Christian voices that would help the families
who are seeking answers to what happened on that day, the truth of which
is effectively blocked by the Bush administration?
-
- Your admonition to conscience seems absurd based on the
hypocrisy of "Christian" adventures in murder and mayhem.
-
- Sam Lacey
-
-
-
- Comment
- From Yogi-D
- 11-25-3
-
- I would like to see people wake up and realize that religion
is not a spiritual construct, but a social one. Religion is used to control
people, not to bring them closer to God.
-
- I would like to see the world abandon religion althogether
and recognize that the human spirit is capable of acting on its own, without
religious "leaders" and icons. Human beings have proven that
they have peaceful, loving spirits and we are capable of amazing things.
-
- One can believe what one wants, without the necessity
of a controlling, social construct to impose it. If you believe in a Single,
Loving, God, then believe in Him, not in a bureaucratic power-hungry group
of supposedly divinely chosen leaders. Believe in your Creator if that
suits you, but more than anything, believe in YOUR spirit and that YOU
can make decisions for yourself.
-
- We must remove the vale of religion which controls people
into doing despicable acts and release ourselves into the human spirit
which will truly lead humanity to a better place.
Comment
Alton Raines
11-25-03
Oooooh, myself as God, eh Yogi-D? You Eastern Mystic con-men have been
shoveling that blasphemous crapola for long enough on unsuspecting fools!
Religion, while it can and does (like any other organized functioning institution!)
lead SOME people to do despicable acts, religion has also lead people to
do incredible and sustained acts of charity, mercy and compassion which
far outweigh any evils certain twisted people amongst the sheep might have
committed in times past or present.
But God forbid the world ever take hold of the Eastern mindset on this.
Man is not God and is not capable of dealing with pretending he's God.
-
-
-
- Comment
- From Steve Manzer
- 11-25-3
-
- Dear Sam Lacey,
-
- You commentary on Rense.com regarding Dr. Laura asks
Jim Mortellaro when fundamentalist Christians have condemned in mass the
brutalities against the Palenstinians and occupation in Iraq.
-
- The National Council of Churches, which is an umbrella
group comprising many churches including fundamentalist, strongly encouraged
President Bush to avoid war www.ncccusa.org/news/02news97b.html.
-
- For more...
www.faithfreedom.org
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