Charles at LGF has discovered a completely gratuitous reference to CAIR in "Second Wildfire Breaks Out in Georgia Swamp; Florida Fires Still Raging," an AP story.
As of Friday, the number of active fires has dropped from 236 to 223, with about 140 square miles —- over 87,000 acres — burnt. Seven homes in the state were destroyed.Other large fires are burning in Bradford and Collier County.
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations says Florida Muslims are offering special prayers for rains at mosques on their religion's day of rest.
In northern Minnesota, high wind fanned a fire around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, prompting more evacuations.
Bill Paxton, a spokesman for the firefighting effort, said the fire was "challenging" the containment lines. "They're holding right now," he said. "We're having some difficulty holding them, but they're holding now."
No one else is praying for rain? Only Muslim forests are being burned by these fires? What on earth could have moved AP to feature CAIR, and CAIR alone, in this positive light, in a story that has absolutely nothing to do with CAIR, or Muslims whatsoever?
If you're going to do a story about prayers for rain, you won't just have one reference. You'll feature the Baptists, the local Catholic priest, maybe some Native Americans if they're nearby. But this story isn't about prayers for rain, and mentions CAIR and CAIR only. Is someone paying AP to do this? Has some decision been made -- and if so, at what level? -- to take every opportunity to portray Muslims in a positive light, but to do so not solely through puff pieces about the Religion of Peace, but also through favorable references embedded in unrelated stories, rather like the practice of having a TV character drink a Coke in a scene instead of breaking for a Coke commercial?
It really is incredible - like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or a story by Rod Serling on The Twilight Zone.
Things are getting truly weird.
I wonder if this might be related to speculation or evidence somewhere that jihadist pyromaniacs might be at work here.
Mr Spencer is correct. This "Muslims pray for rain" insert is product placement. And the product is Islam. I just so happen to live in Florida and I'm also hoping and praying for rain. But I get no mention. I'm sure numerous churches have been praying without the AP's acknowledgment. We are under water restrictions for our lawns and shrubbery. It's aggravating
Muslims often pray for forest fires. Numerous forest fires in Israel are set by Muslims. Plus Hizb'Allah rockets set ablaze thousands of acres of painstakingly planted Israeli forests during last summer's war
'What on earth could have moved AP to feature CAIR, and CAIR alone, in this positive light, in a story that has absolutely nothing to do with CAIR, or Muslims whatsoever?'
Indeed. Obviously there's a story behind this story. Whether it's high level fiddling, or just the gratuitous insert of a Muslim writer, the offending part of the report sticks out like a sore thumb ('Meanwhile...'). It's amateurish and sloppily written, to say the least. Is it a joke?
More on the ummah's selfless efforts
--->>>
Also, Florida Muslims are offering special prayers for rains at mosques on their religion's day of rest, said Altaf Ali, South Florida executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"It is only done on an occasion when there is a drought. The situation has to be extreme," Ali said. "It is better than not doing anything."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18608928/
considering that CAIR sends out PR releases everyday I imagine that is why the AP included the sentence. I receive CAIR's frequent updates to see what they are doing. I received one the other day announcing the call for muslims to pray for rain.
I'va always been under the impression that prayers such as this one went against the tenets of Islam since believers are submitting to the will of Allah. If this is true prayers should have no effect on what Allah does since it is his will that the forests are on fire.
Let us not forget a phrase frequently used in the Muslim world - inshallah - if Allah wills it
Maybe CAIR can do us a favor for once and ask Iran if they can borrow the Mahdi for a few days and deliver us some rain.
"In the last days of my Ummah [universal Islamic community], the Mahdi will appear. Allah will give him power over the wind and the rain and the earth will bring forth its foliage"
Recently, a friend told me that many years ago he heard the evangelist Winkie Pratney say that wherever Islam goes, there is drought in that land. Makes sense in Australia, USA too.
"Ever since the religion of Islam appeared in the world, the espousers of it...have been as wolves and tigers to all other nations, rending and tearing all that fell into their merciless paws, and grinding them with their iron teeth; that numberless cities are raised from the foundation, and only their name remaining; that many countries, which were once as the garden of God, are now a desolate wilderness; and that so many once numerous and powerful nations are vanished from the earth! Such was, and is at this day, the rage, the fury, the revenge, of these destroyers of human kind".
Hilaire Belloc,1938
"I am afraid that God has sent these men to lay waste the world".
Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica, 1354
"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live."
Winston Churchill On Islam
"The River War", 1899
Anyone who wants to read about how savages can lay waste to the world should read "Lord of Darkness" by Robert Silverberg---- and no, it's not specifically about Islam. It's about a death cult in Africa. A lot can be read into it. Fiction.
"Product placement" if this is the best they can do to improve their image their screwed , I just wish we didn't try to do the same thing to them. We should excoriate them and ridicule them for being a hate group not mollycoddle them. We cant win if we keep saying Islam is great.
Instead of offering prayers to Allah, how about they deport themselves to Saudi Arabia? Muslims don't belong in dar al harb.
Is someone paying AP to do this?
Yes..
Money talks in this country.
This is an idiotic response by Muslim apologists. Except for the houses and businesses that might be consumed by fire, a wildfire is the renewal of the forest, at least that's what the apolitical conservationists tell me.
Humans tend to think of nature in terms of the human lifespan, a truly vain way of thinking. I was a very young child in 1954 when a large portion of forest was burned; it looked totally destroyed. Now it is just as green and forested as it ever was.
I need to edit that. It is not an idiotic response from the Jihad Army Intelligence Corps. It is a comment made to give Islamists the cover of respectablilty. They need to make infidels feel at ease. These pleasantries will not work with me, I've been vaccinated.
Why is it always the muslims who must do the work that all religions should be doing? Discussing the question of whether it is morally acceptable to murder children, for example. You never see this important moral question discussed by Lutherans, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, or Catholics. It is always the mahometans that must do the heavy lifting.
(Answer: if it advances the cause of islam, yes, otherwise, no)
"No one else is praying for rain? Only Muslim forests are being burned by these fires? What on earth could have moved AP to feature CAIR, and CAIR alone, in this positive light, in a story that has absolutely nothing to do with CAIR, or Muslims whatsoever?"
Reporters are busy and most probably couldn't be bothered to phone around to religious institutions.
I'm sure a CAIR rep phoned or, as pak152 said, emailed, with their input about prayers. Since no other religious representatives phoned or emailed, only CAIR was mentioned. The reporter wasn't doing a story on how prayer will save the forests, so wasn't motivated to call anyone else.
As one of my journalism teachers used to say: "Who says and who cares?"
It's interesting that the reporter bothered to include the quote and that the editor left it in. This makes me wonder about personal and editorial bias.
I worked for a public relations company many years ago. It's obvious to me that there is a serious PR push behind CAIR and other Muslim organizations. This takes money and manpower.
Years ago, I read that Arabs, mainly Saudis, are large stockholders in CNN and UPI. I would not be surprised at all if they also held large amounts of stock in other media corporations too. Wasn't it the AP that had photographers 'doctoring' photos last summer in the Israeli/Lebanon conflict..and reporters spilling buckets of green Islamic ink to write about how Israel was vicimizing the helpless followers of Hizbollah? Or, maybe that was Rueters..In any event, anything to help the public relations image for any and all Muslims, who are victims of everything, the drought, the fires, their infidel neighbors, etc. etc.......
"Only Muslim forests are being burned by these fires?" by Josephine
They are in fact Muslim forests. Here's the Mohammedan logic: (One must indulge me here; I said Muslim logic.)
The new world was discovered by an Itialian working under a government contract for Spain. Spain, we all know is occupied land, and since Columbus was working for an occupied Mohammedan country, the New World is the world of Islam. Furthermore, every inch of land that a Spanish,er, Muslim explorer touch or even laid eyes on is Muslim. North America and South America are Muslim lands occupied by infidels.
Muslim Logic
pak152
That was my thought too. My impression is that Islamic prayer is not what Christians understand by prayer. First, the 5-times-a-day salat consists of recitation of verses from the Quran. Secondly, there are special prayers, supplications, in which Muslims ask for guidance and strenght and perseverence thru the trials and tribulations willed by Allah, never for a change of "fate," for whatever is there exists by the will of Allah, and thus is immutable.
I might be wrong. Maybe Robert can clarify this for us.
I sent it to drudge , I hope someone can explain this.
Furthermore, I thought "prayers" for rain or a good crop or better camels for that matter are pagan in origin, and frowned upon by Christianity too, though they may exist synchretically within Christian communities, and even though parish priests may thunder at mass with images of eternal damnation for those who believe in and practice pagan "supersitions."
I would think Allah is even harsher in this matter.
Muslim prayers for rain during our Florida forest fires...that burns me up! Oops, not literally I hope.
However, the attitude that their thoughts and prayers, their needs, their families, their children, and all the rest that is associated with them and THEIR ISLAM does "burn me up."
Obviously even "peaceful" and "moderate" Muslims have no real desire to coexist with anyone else.
CAIR has had a PR problem since the organization refused to condemn Hezbollah and Hamas publically by name. Even though CAIR has no problem condemning the US and Isreal publically by name. So this "product placement" is yet another attempt to rehabilitate the image of CAIR and Islam.It should be noted that the Governor of Florida asked everyone to pray for rain, yet somehow only Muslims rate a mention.
What's amusing about this story is that Islamic terrorists have been implicated in plots to start forest fires in the Western US.
Free space for da'wah courtesy of the Associated Press. Now the next time the area gets a good, soaking rain, will they try to take credit for it somehow? (e.g.: don't thank us, thank Allah, who, by the way, only hears our prayers.)
"Wherever Islam goes there is drought'...No. Desert. And it takes time - generations of parasitic and downright destructive human behaviour directed against other humans and the earth itself.
I just read James Parkes' book that traces what happened to eretz Israel between AD 130 and AD 1949. During Roman-Byzantine times The Land (as he calls it) was fertile and productive and thickly inhabited with very busy and creative people, both Christian and Jewish. The Christians, stupidly, persecuted the Jews. But - despite the mess the Romans caused in AD 70 and 135, by the 400s/ 500s there were more people living there than at any time subsequently (under the Muslim Mamluks, for instance, the population DROPPED catastrophically by up to 2/3 of the number it was when Mamluk rule began).
His account of the various phases of Muslim occupation - Arab, Egyptian, Mamluk, Turkish - has one common denominator. Bad government. REALLY bad government; dynastic strife; inter-tribal strife/ clan warfare, local strongmen, corrupt administration, total ecological waste (cutting down trees etc.), goats, beduin raids, soil erosion, you name it. Think Gaza; think Iraq; think Afghanistan and Somalia. Now: imagine THAT running for, oh, say, 100 years or so. EVERYTHING collapses.
And I strongly suspect that if you looked at, say, the Balkans or Egypt or Spain or Pakistan or Bangladesh - at any country where the pre-Islamic system is fairly well known, and then the subsequent political/social/ economic/ ecological status of the country under Muslim 'rule' can be documented...you would see exactly the same destructive pattern.
BEWARE! WHEREVER THE MUSLIMS GO THE DESERT SOON AFTERWARD FOLLOWS! FACT!
In WWI, the Turks cut down 60% of Christian Lebanon's trees to fuel its army. That's a heck of a lot of ancient trees and habitat.
Oh yeah! The Turks also killed off 1/3 of Lebanon's population; mostly Christians no doubt.
If they were to start praying for an end to global warming, they might solidify some of the Left wing support they have - particularly since it's somehwat divided over items like buying oil from the ummah - Islam's Get Rich Quick scheme.
buying oil from the ummah - Islam's Get Rich Quick scheme.
Posted by: Infidel Pride
Isn't it uncanny? We had 'em permanently licked - until the day we discovered oil under their sands. Instead of doing what they would have done and occupying the oilfields for exploitation we built the wells and serviced them while allowing them to fix the price of the oil and we let them make all the money to boot!
They are now using this money to undermine us. They have been using it for quite some time now.
It's as if the devil himself placed the "black gold" right under their lands - while leaving Israel bereft of it.
Funny then that Israel is still the most successful nation in the region by far.
That alone speaks volumes about moslems.
The most creative thing they've come up with is "jihad mickey".
People have the same thoughts as I do. Beware holy day to them they are planning and killing!
I think the Muslim CAIR spokesman was misunderstood by the reporter.
Muslims are Preying for Reign.
Rain in Florida. It has been so long I forgot what the word was, had to ask someone what that wet stuff falling from the sky was called.
I guess Allah came through after all. (sick)
More likely it was the cold front. Bumping into whats left of Andrea. BTW the Nat. Hurricane center is still issuing advisories on her which is rather unusual. Given that she is only a tropical disturbance.
There were a lot of initial reports of arson with all these fires that disappeared for SOME reason. I guess once they investigated it turned out to be natural cause. Of course if my house were to burn down it would be the other way around. Natural causes first and then they would check for arson. Funny how 220,000 acres can burn and the two kids that the bloodhounds tracked from the scene of the original fire have disappeared from the news. Must have been a mistake. Bad dogs.