Our extremists – Gingrich, et al. – boost Islamic extremists

A dead horse, a dead horse……….my kingdom for a dead horse!!!

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“You’ll get that gig. Just make sure to pack enough funk for the road depending on where you’re driving from.”

If you haven’t tried it yet, SC, XM radio is the best thing going. For a little more than $10 per month, you can listen to funk, rock, jazz or whatever floats your boat anywhere you go. No commercials, no finding a new station every 60 miles when traveling. They even have a Grateful Dead channel!!!

For you, Billy Preston:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uzayWVRHlo

(You can’t see Billy much in the video, but can hear his distinctive keyboard chops)

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Doggone/GA

I think that’s a bit disingenuous, especially if people involved are MediaMatters followers, hate what Dr Laura stands for, are looking for a way to ‘get’ her and especially if they aren’t even users of the sponsors’ products.

As far as saying they have no power and it’s up to the people… A persons screams “FIRE” in a crowded theater, there’s a stampede and people die.

It’s not the screamer’s fault… had no power…. nothing would have happened if the listeners hadn’t decided to act…. it’s their own fault they died….

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’ll bet that is the ONLY thing AmVet – and fellow libs – agrees with on Ron Paul, the staunch small/limited government Libertarian.

And I’ll bet the casino owners drool when you show up.

The point is that I’ve read a great deal about Ron Paul, and said in public that other than McCain he was the only man among those 10 GOP candidates in 2008 for POTUS worthy of my vote.

B, probably because it’s just a plain old fashioned killer song. One of the best of its day. The kind you and I both love! Thanks.

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Bruno

XM is the shizzniittt!!!!! I have it in the house (directv) and one vehicle.

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Bruno

They offer lifetime subscriptions for six easy payments. If you have a portable or a car you keep forever, it’s worth looking into. They don’t list it on their site, you just have to call and ask.

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Dang! Look at that stock market. If it drops another ten percent, I might have to put some more money to work.

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To the Patriot: (a perfect example of Mark Twain’s definition of a patriot: “the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.”

Rauf is pluralistic adherent of Sufism, which is frequently attacked by extremists. Historian William Dalrymple wrote in an August 16 New York Times op-ed that “Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative is one of America’s leading thinkers of Sufism, the mystical form of Islam, which in terms of goals and outlook couldn’t be farther from the violent Wahhabism of the jihadists.” Dalrymple further stated that “such moderate, pluralistic Sufi imams are the front line against the most violent forms of Islam.” Dalrymple added that “Sufi leaders risk their lives for their tolerant beliefs” and went on to list several recent attacks on Sufis by the Pakistani Taliban.

Rauf: “I am a supporter of the State of Israel.” The New York Times noted on August 21 that Rauf “is often described as having refused to call Hamas” a “terrorist organization.” When asked about the Hamas designation in a radio interview, Rauf stated:

Well, I’m not a politician. … The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. … I am a bridge builder. My work is … I do not want to be placed nor will I accept a position where I am the target of one side or another. My attempt is to see a peace in Israel. … Targeting of civilians is wrong. It’s a sin in our religion, whoever does it. … I am a supporter of the State of Israel.

Rauf’s Cordoba Initiative states on its website: “Hamas is both a political movement and a terrorist organization. Hamas commits atrocious acts of terror. Imam Feisal has forcefully and consistently condemned all forms of terrorism, including those committed by Hamas, as un-Islamic.”

NY Times: Rauf is “pro-American within the Muslim world.” The New York Times reported on August 21 that Rauf “consistently denounces violence. Some of his views on the interplay between terrorism and American foreign policy — or his search for commonalities between Islamic law and this country’s Constitution — have proved jarring to some American ears, but still place him as pro-American within the Muslim world. He devotes himself to befriending Christians and Jews — so much, some Muslim Americans say, that he has lost touch with their own concerns.”

Rauf worked with FBI agents in 2003. The New York Daily News reported on March 11, 2003, (accessed via Nexis) that Rauf spoke to FBI agents “as part of an FBI effort to present agents who are the ground troops in the war against terrorism with a view of Islam that avoids stereotypes.” From the Daily News article:

In an office in lower Manhattan yesterday blocks from Ground Zero, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf talked about his Muslim beliefs to an unusual audience — a roomful of FBI agents.

“Islamic extremism for the majority of Muslims is an oxymoron,” he explained to the agents. “It is a fundamental contradiction in terms.”

Rauf — imam of the Masjid al-Farah mosque of Tribeca — was speaking as part of an FBI effort to present agents who are the ground troops in the war against terrorism with a view of Islam that avoids stereotypes.

[...]

Rauf made clear Islam’s image has been distorted by radical fundamentalists who insist on strict adherence to their interpretation of the Koran and impose a fascistic order on certain countries.

“It can happen under any religion,” he noted.

He insisted Islam has a historic kinship with both Judaism and Christianity, a relationship of which not only Americans but many Muslims are unaware.

Rauf’s view of true Islam: Democracy, religious freedom, gender equality. In a June 5, 2009, Washington Post op-ed, Rauf praised Obama’s Cairo speech and wrote: “The question now is whether Muslim governments and warring factions can embrace the true meaning of Islam.” Rauf further stated that “[a]dherence to Islam would end indiscriminate firing of missiles from Gaza into Israel that kill innocents” and that “Islam supports democracy with government run by consent of the people”:

Religious freedom is at the core of Islam. The Quran expressly and unambiguously prohibits the coercion of faith because that violates a fundamental human right — the right to a free conscience. The Quran says in one place “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” And in another it says, “To you your beliefs and to me, mine.”

The Prophet Muhammad has been known as the first feminist. “The best of you are those who are best to their women,” he said. Gender equality is an intrinsic part of Islamic belief. The Quran makes no difference in the religious obligations of men and women and set the stage for women’s rights. Many of the limits placed on women in Muslim societies are due to local custom more than to Islamic teaching.

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the latest in a family line of imams, weaved through the crowd of chattering women, balancing four cups of coffee on a cardboard tray. Arriving at his table, where he was the only man, he passed the coffees around, wearing a sly grin.

The scene contrasted with popular notions of Islamic religious leaders clinging to antiquated gender roles, and Muslim women as sorely oppressed. A religious leader serving women may not be an image that comes to many minds either Muslims or non-Muslim.

Yet that’s exactly what happened this past weekend (Nov. 18-19), when close to 200 women from more than 20 countries gathered here for the Women’s Initiative in Spirituality and Equity. Their goal: to create an all-female Islamic council to advocate for women’s concerns, and fund women’s projects around the world, including scholarships to educate Muslim women.

[...]

Rauf, the coffee-carrying imam, said patriarchy in the Muslim world is exaggerated and Muslim men are willing and able to accept women as equals. It’s just a matter of presenting them with women-friendly interpretations of Islamic texts, he said.

“Most Muslim men’s hearts are already there; what is needed is an explanation,” said Rauf, a New York City imam. “They know what is right. But they don’t have the Islamic arguments for it.”

Rauf said the Quran is replete with references to women’s equality. Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, whose ways Muslims try to emulate, sewed his own clothes, swept the floor and did other household chores, for example.

Time’s Ghosh: Rauf argues that “American democracy is the embodiment of Islam’s ideal society.” Bobby Ghosh of Time wrote on August 3 that “[t]he Kuwaiti-born Rauf, 52, is the imam of a mosque in New York City’s Tribeca district, has written extensively on Islam and its place in modern society and often argues that American democracy is the embodiment of Islam’s ideal society.” Ghosh further noted: “Since 9/11, Western ‘experts’ have said repeatedly that Muslim leaders who fit Rauf’s description should be sought out and empowered to fight the rising tide of extremism.”

Rauf, Khan formed organization to “meld Islamic Observance with women’s rights and modernity.” The New York Times reported on August 11 that Rauf and Khan “founded a Sufi organization advocating melding Islamic observance with women’s rights and modernity. After 9/11 they raised their profile, renaming the group the American Society for Muslim Advancement and focusing on connecting Muslims and wider American society. They spoke out against religious violence; the imam advised the F.B.I.; his wife joined the board of the 9/11 memorial and museum.”

Rauf argues that “the American political structure” is harmonious with Islam. In a December 12, 2005, article for The New Republic, Spencer Ackerman wrote that in contrast to “Europe’s growing Muslim culture of alienation,” Muslims in America are less drawn to extremism “because of a fundamentally American attribute: the mutually reinforcing creeds of pluralism and religiosity.” Ackerman also quoted Rauf:

Most Americans would be horrified by the notion that they live in a country that abides by Islamic law. But some American Muslim leaders contend that U.S. society is harmonious with Koranic injunctions without even trying. “America is positively, unabashedly religious,” enthuses Feisal Abdul Rauf, a New York-based imam. In his important 2004 book, titled What’s Right With Islam, Abdul Rauf contends that space for religiosity is essentially inseparable from American liberalism, codified in both the U.S. political system and the broader U.S. social compact: “Fully in keeping with the principles of the Abrahamic ethic, American religious pluralism was not merely a historical or political fact; it became, in the mind of the American, the primordial condition of things, a self-evident and essential aspect of the American way of life and therefore in itself an aspect of the American creed.” Drawing on hundreds of years of Islamic writings, Abdul Rauf makes the case that, by upholding the five conditions understood by Muslim legal scholars to constitute the good society — life, mental well-being, religion, property, and family — “the American political structure is Shariah compliant.”
Rauf: Muslims are fleeing to Western states that more compatible with Islamic principles. From a July 18, 2005, interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp.:

RAUF: A century ago or more than a century ago the Chief Mufti in Egypt made a statement which was very well known in the Muslim world and among scholars of Islam even in the West.

On a visit to Paris and to France he returned and said that in France I saw Islam but no Muslims and in Egypt I see Muslims with no Islam. It’s a very important point for people to understand, both Muslims and non-Muslims.

The reason why Muslims are fleeing many of their societies to countries like Australia, western Europe, United States and Canada is because the societal mandates of an Islamic society and Islamic State is in fact the kind of structure of society that we see in Western societies – the ability of people to participate in issues of governance, issues of the economic wellbeing and economic pie are fundamental to Islamic principles of governance. [accessed via Nexis]

AND THIS:::::

Rauf has repeatedly condemned violence and “Muslim militants”

Rauf: “We condemn terrorists. We recognize it exists in our faith, but we are committed to eradicate it.” A May 21 New York Daily News article quoted Rauf stating: “We condemn terrorists. We recognize it exists in our faith, but we are committed to eradicate it.” He also stated: “We want to rebuild this community. … This is about moderate Muslims who intend to be and want to be part of the solution.”

Slate: Rauf has “denounced church burnings in Muslim countries … proposed to reclaim Islam from violent radicals.” An August 2 Slate.com article reported that Rauf “has denounced church burnings in Muslim countries, rejected Islamic triumphalism over Christians and Jews, and proposed to reclaim Islam from violent radicals such as Osama Bin Laden.”

NY Times: Rauf “condemns suicide bombings and all violence carried out in the name of religion.” A June 23, 2004, New York Times article reported that Rauf “condemns suicide bombings and all violence carried out in the name of religion.” The Times further reported that Rauf “meets regularly with Christian and Jewish leaders, not only to forge a common front but also to explain his belief that Islamic terrorists do not come from another moral universe — that they arise from oppressive societies that he feels Washington had a hand in creating.”

After 9-11, Rauf “categorically condemned suicide bombers.” A June 8, 2004, Newsday article (accessed via Nexis) reported: “Rauf has done little else since the terrorist attacks that pulled him from his mahogany pulpit in the shadow of Ground Zero. At the outset, he categorically condemned suicide bombers and, in fact, any violence committed in the name of religion.” The article further reported: “He also said that American policies ‘were an accessory to the crime that happened’ since they had armed a generation of jihadists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan,” and quoted him saying, “Explaining is not justifying. … I want people to understand the things that have fueled terrorism, because if we address them, that’s how we eliminate terror.”

Rauf: “I can confidently assert that I am closer to my Jewish and Christian brothers here … than the Muslim militants carrying a narrow view.” According to a September 8, 2002, Denver Post article (from Nexis), Rauf told congregants at his Manhattan mosque: “I can confidently assert that I am closer to my Jewish and Christian brothers here a [sic] than the Muslim militants carrying a narrow view.”

Daily News: Rauf “has a long history of opposing radical teachings.” A May 21 Daily News editorial stated that Rauf “has a long history of opposing radical teachings and reaching out across religious lines to Christians and Jews. He leads a mosque in Tribeca, several of whose members were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center.”

Rauf denounced “destructive” response from Muslim world to Pope’s controversial remarks about Islam. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a Byzantine emperor’s statement that Muhammad preached “evil and inhuman” things, prompting sometimes violent protests throughout the Muslim world. The Pope later apologized for his remarks. When asked by Foreign Policy about the speech and the controversy, Rauf stated:

My first thought was deep disappointment that the Muslim world reacted in such a destructive way. The burning of churches and things like that are completely antithetical to the teachings and principles of Islam. While we may have our grounds for disagreeingand some of us may disagree stronglywith the remarks that the Holy Father quoted, and while it might be offensive, destruction was not warranted by Islamic thought or jurisprudence.

[...]

To err is human, to forgive is divine. The need for an apology is less an issue than the duty and responsibility of religious leaders to be educated on other religions and to make sure we are responsible in what we say. One of the cardinal rules of interfaith dialogue is that we should not judge the best of our traditions against the worst of another. There are episodes of history in the Catholic Church, like during the Inquisition, which Muslims cannot regard as normative to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Neither should certain actions taken by certain Muslims be judged as normative of the faith of Islam.

And don’t forget that one of the biggest funders of the islamic center is Fox News’ 2nd biggest shareholder. Who’s funding terrorism? Is it FOX?

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“The supercharged debate”

anything to get it away from obama/dems continuance (sic) of sitting on hands.

whatever…

bookman was in the woods too long.

Yeah, yeah, follow Evan F. Kohlmann:

assume asskissing position:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dniVqDTwOds

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What part of the Constitution don’t Republicans understand?

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“Dang! Look at that stock market. If it drops another ten percent, I might have to put some more money to work.”

Get your wallet ready, then, TaxPayer, because more bad news about the economy is about to come out the rest of this week which is guaranteed to send it in a tailspin. I don’t see much hope until November when the anti-capitalist Dems will be thrown out on their fat asses.

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I thought neocons only ate freedom fries…

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I think XM radio is the best thing since biscuits and gravy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQhVRWYxRt4

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Good Fight – let’s let about a week go by and see if you are singing the same tune on the Imman.

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My normal XM channels are 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 13, 14, 34, 40, 46, 49, 50, 60, and 74. Reckon I have a low boredom threshhold?

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Don
@8:31

I almost scrolled past this post due to its length. I’m glad I didn’t. Thank you for taking the time. I would suggest that anyone seriously interested in this topic read what you posted. Again, thank you.

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Paul

Not to change the subject, but what’s going on in El Paso???

In a letter to President Barack Obama after the City Hall shooting, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said it was “good fortune” that no one was injured and insisted the shooting was evidence of the need for more border security.

“It’s time for Washington to stop the rhetoric and immediately deploy a significant force of personnel and resources to the border to protect our homeland,” Perry said.

Are they asking for troops to serve as a ballistic wall between the city and Mexico? I’m not understanding the rationale for asking for troops. If the shooting is in Juarez and errant munitions are entering El Paso, what will federal troops do? Return fire?

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good fight…
Have a problem with that spelling myself…my daughter-in-law’s name is Iman!

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Don’t forget 8:35 the “no way, no how “quote was
from sherman who burned Atlanta to the ground.

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Josef nix,
(re: your 8:43)was that a Bowie reference?

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Great song pick @ 8:37, HD (our own Paul McCartney)!!

Wings Over America was one of the first albums I ever bought. Here’s another great song from that album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbSV1SfboKk

The first 45 I ever bought was “Traces of Love” by the Classic IV back in ‘69.

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Don’t Forget,

I heard the same interview. Doesn’t keep me from hoping. Can you imagine a Gingrich/Patraeus ticket? He probably feels that way now but who knows?

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One more from Wings Over America dedicated to josef nix:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWrGSa-Asdk

You’re always amazing, jo…….

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Mick,

You are my grandson’s namesake. I do my laps in the morning, about 6:00AM. No waterskiers, wake boarders, bass boats, etc.

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frog

Sssshhh…we’re not supposed to mention Sherman here…

ty

Didn’t think about that…no, she really is named Iman! We have a lot of fun at Christmas with the Christian branches of the family! Last year she put on her hijab, I donned my kippah and we were going looking for Baby Jesus…we were hauled in by the Christians before we “caused a scene…”

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Too… much… okra… from garden. I wish the corn had done better but that’s they way it goes.

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oops! meant to say coming.

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Aahhh, Recovery Summer is right on track-

“At this point in the recovery, every little bit counts,” said economist Paul Dales of Capital Economics. “A double dip in the housing market and house prices would not be enough to generate another recession. It would certainly help to hold back the recovery.” He expects home prices to fall another 5% after a 30% decline during the recession.

They’re killing us, softly, with taxes…

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Hillbilly
Mama used to call me Richard Corey–as a warning!

Bruno
And there I was, feeling all warm and fuzzy after that dedication and then you had to go and accuse me of sucking up to Yankees! Rest assured, however, if I ever speak well of the invading Mongol infidel horde, it IS because I mean it!!! Seriously, though, I like Jersey and I mean it when I say if I were ever forced into exile up there, it would be there I’d choose…real people and some of the most beautiful scenery in the country…

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LOL @ josef–As we say in Jersey, you’re one cool mofo.

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Jay bashing Republicans?

What next? Limbaugh bashing liberals?

Yawn.

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“Yawn”

Must be beddy-bye time

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“They had better turn into 4th of July celebrating”

Do you show the same bigotry towards Jehovah’s Witnesses? They don’t celebrate public or private holidays, not even birthdays.

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Well! The Bruin’s here! Welcome back, you ole rabble rouser and hope you had a good time with the boys…

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Bruno,

I hope you get your job, mainly so you’ll quit telling us how good you are at it yet can’t find work. Whether you blog or not is meaningless to me.

Didn’t you say something earlier about the true quality of someone who feels the need to tell you how good they are at something? Maybe that’s the problem.

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Bruno :

The kind of Muslims you are talking about don’t set well with their orthodox friends. They came here to be free and if they want that for their grandchildren they had better wake up and get on board.

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JAY
Glad to hear it! We had a pretty good time in your absence, too. Convey our thanks to Kyle and, yes, we DID have Friday night despite Paul’s and the baby sitter’s best efforts…

Bruno
I really do wish more folks would get to know our Muslim fellow countrymen…run the gamut in opinions and viewpoints like the rest of us…

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Bruno

I hate cutting okra. Stuff itches like crazy. Tomatos I don’t mind and since huckleberries grow all over the place here, I never have grown any blueberries. Beans and peas can work you to death on a good year. If you keep them picked, they’ll keep bearing for a long time. I’m eating watermelons every meal, here lately.

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“Well, we lived in a cardboard box at the bottom of the lake!”

At least you had a box. Snob.

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For Josef (at the bottom of the lake)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

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Jay:

“And Scout, they ARE on board.”

Now “that” (with very, very few exceptions) is laughable.

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Jay,
What about the fish? Cutthroats? Rainbow’s? Steelhead?

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Doggone/GA :

“You’re a bigot willing to brand a whole religion as evil for the sins of a few.”

I don’t have a problem with a lot of rednecks but I have a problem with white supremists.
I don’t have a problem with a lot of Catholics but I have a problem with the Roman Catholic Church.
I don’t have a problem with a lot of Holy Rollers but I have a problem with poisonous snake handlers.
I don’t have a problem with a lot of Mormons but I have a problem with polygamists.
I don’t have a problem with a lot of liberals but I have a problem with the Democratic Party.
I don’t have a problem with a lot of Muslims but I have a problem with Islam.

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HD– I was always sure to wear gloves when handling okra. I’m not sure if blueberries grow well in GA, but blueberries and cranberries thrive in the marshy soil of South Jersey. The acidic soil is perfect for tomatoes and peppers as well. I tried to grow watermelons one year in my back yard, but the growing season is too short. I ended up with melons that were about 3″ in diameter. Just for kicks, I served them for dessert one evening, with about 1/3 of a bite for everyone.

To be honest, I think you would feel right at home in South Jersey. We were the “rebels”.

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Bruno:

I “reached out” to a lot of them in my law enforcement career.

If you only knew.

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Oh BS! Our extremists are mostly progressives like Bookman and his buddies. This piece is just nonsense…like much of what passes for commentary from Jay Bookman.

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