The headline on this Reuters story by Ed Stoddard is "Some non-Christians feel left out of election." Guess which non-Christians. A Hindu is quoted in this article, but only to say that he doesn't believe that the presidential candidates are excluding non-Christians from consideration on purpose. No Buddhists are quoted. No Jews are quoted. The featured whiner in the story is Ahmed Rehab of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is of course presented as a neutral civil rights advocacy organization, with no hint of the supremacist statements, the arrests, the unindicted co-conspirator status.
DALLAS (Reuters) - In a U.S. election campaign where presidential candidates from both major parties have talked openly about their Christian faith, some non-Christians feel shut out or turned off.Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, religion plays a big and sometimes decisive role in politics in America, where levels of belief and regular worship are far higher than those in Europe.
Actually, it's a Constitutional stipulation that Congress shall not establish a religion, but there is nothing preventing Christians or any other religious groups to work in the political arena in the United States.
"Non-Christians are concerned that they will be excluded from the process," said Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman with the Council on American-Islamic Relations."I welcome faith values if they inspire candidates to do good things. But I worry if it is used as a litmus test to include someone in political participation." [...]
I worry too, Mr. Rehab. I worry that groups like CAIR will be excluded from the process. I want CAIR to be included in the process. The more scrutiny CAIR receives, the more its origins, and financing, and overall goals are made known, the better. But in the meantime, perhaps you might consider that there is an upside for you to being ignored.
In any case, this whole claim is bogus. The whole premise of this article is bogus. Consider the pandering by the Democratic candidates and Ron Paul at the Arab American Institute convention last fall. Yes, yes, Arabs are mostly non-Muslim in the U.S., and most Muslims today worldwide are not Arabs, but the candidates' unanimous message that the Arab community was suffering from profiling and discrimination in anti-terror efforts, and the Democrats would end all that, had a clear resonance for Muslims. Left out? Hardly. They're being catered to.
That faith, and that of the Republican candidates, is Christian, although candidates have also spoken about the need for religious tolerance.A false rumor that has circulated on the Internet about Democratic candidate Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, is that he is Muslim who has lied about his religion. The rumor appears to illustrate the importance some voters attach to a candidate being Christian.
No it doesn't. The rumor, although it offers no basis on which to discount Obama's open professions of Christianity, does not in the least "illustrate the importance some voters attach to a candidate being Christian." It illustrates the importance some voters attach to not being led by a believer in the ideology that inspired the 9/11 attacks, and thousands of other terror attacks around the world since then. Although it looks to be a false rumor, its propagation shows that despite six years of politically correct propaganda, many Americans are still wary of the jihad ideology, and they know exactly where it comes from.
Let's all start a lament for C A I R -- O! Pity the poor, oppressed, persecuted Muslims, who can't slack off but ONE hour at their infidel employers expense on Fridays! Who can't be paid to idle for but TWO eids a year! Who can't be universally accommodated in their rituals and prayers wherever public facilities are provided! Who cannot YET monopolize the skylines and ambient air as their medium, by divine right, to proclaim The Prophet (Son of A Warthog) and The Message!! O! Wail and lament! Woe! Woe Woe!!
Wail and lament, all ye stars! Pity them, all ye heavens! Receive their tears, all ye oceans! Wail! Wail! Wail! Waaah!!
"Non-Christians are concerned that they will be excluded from the process," said Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Well, speaking as a non-Christian (I'm of Jewish background, but an atheist since I was 10), I've never felt left out of the process. It's a Christian-majority country and from my experience (60+years), it's not been a bad thing. This is not to excuse the wackos; every group has them. I've been to church weddings; watched prayer breakfasts (on TV); listened to Oral Roberts on TV. And yet, I believe that, considering the alternatives, it's not been bad. Of course, I wish you'd all join me in renouncing your incorrect beliefs, but on the whole I've felt quite free, unlike people in non-Christian countries.
Correction: (Son of A Warthog) should more properly be rendered ({By} A Warthog's Snout). Thank you.
Ed Stoddard: Ikhwan media stooge.
You must be so proud, Ed. Like being one of the first Hitler Youth.
Technically, I'm not a Christian either, but nobody throws a pity party for me.
I feel so bad. But I feel worse for CAIR. They aren't being allowed to plant bombs, assassinate political rivals, start street riots and lie about the jihad.
We Americans are so repressive!
'Mr Rehab'?
Apt name for a Muslim?
CAIR Employees And Officials Support Terror
Senior CAIR employee Randall Todd Royer, a/k/a “Ismail” Royer, pled guilty and was sentenced to twenty years in prison for participating in a network of militant jihadists centered in Northern Virginia.
He admitted to aiding and abetting three persons
who sought training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan for the purpose of waging jihad against American troops in Afghanistan.
Royer’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed with CAIR
CAIR's Director of Community Relations, Bassem Khafagi , was arrested by the United States due to his ties with a terror-financing front group. Khafagi pled guilty to charges of visa and bank fraud, and agreed to be deported to Egypt.
Khafagi’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed by CAIR.
On December 18, 2002, Ghassan Elashi, founding board member of CAIR-Texas, a founder of the Holy Land Foundation, and a brother-in-law of Musa Abu Marzook , was arrested by the United States and charged with, among other things, making false statements on export declarations, dealing in the property of a designated terrorist organization, conspiracy and money laundering. Ghassan Elashi committed his crimes while working at CAIR, and was found Guilty.
CAIR Board Member Imam Siraj Wahaj, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the first World Trade Center bombing, has called for replacing the American government with an Islamic caliphate, and warned that America will crumble unless it accepts Islam.
Rabih Haddad served as a CAIR Fundraiser. Haddad was co-founder of the Global Relief Foundation (“GRF”).
GRF was designated by the US Treasury Department for financing the Al Qaida and other terrorist organizations and its assets were frozen by the US Government on December 14, 2001.
Consistent with Hamas ideology, CAIR has served as a conduit for the distribution of materials and funds from foreign nationals to groups and institutions within the United States for the purpose of promoting radical Islam and Hamas ideology, and attacked Islamic clerics and scholars who reject radical Islam and the Hamas agenda.
http://www.anti-cair-net.org/
Even groups like CAIR have their groupie nincompoops:
Read all about this brown eyed mullet. He gives new meaning to the term 'creepy clown'
http://www.phonyrev.com/
The author must be some kind of Wiccaphobe.
More multicultural bullcrap facade from CAIR, whose goal is to Islamize America. Rehab, stop the cryin' and go place your vote. You whiney little girl.
cair= crying about Islamic rubbish, and that what they really do says it looks like most of what comes out of them is the usual Muslim weeping and wailing and crying wolf over alleged discrimination. Anytime they're not in power
You know for being a 'Christian only' election, (ha ha) Obama's list of Muslim contributors, as well as others is awfully long.
See what Debbie Schlussel had to say about this not too long ago.
I guess this is just a disingenuous way of saying SHUT UP ABOUT CHRISTIANITY. Yeah, they would like that to happen.
Aunt Bea,
Do you have a link for Obama contributors?
Thanks in advance.
awake
Do you have a link for Obama contributors
Well Obama seems happy with this bunch
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2008/02/deadheads-for-obama.html
Robert and Hugh,
I am very concerned with something, and I hope one or both of you might respond...
I personally am suspicious of the fact that there seem to be no muslims, esp of the jihadi variety, that are clamoring for Obama's death because he is an apostate. His father was a muslim which makes him a muslim, and I believe I did read that he was brought up muslim til he was about 3 years old ?? Anyway, every week we read about apostates being called out and marked for death... why not Obama? Wouldn't it be esp good propaganda for their fellow jihadis to go after one of the most recognized and important figures in American politics at the moment?
That they aren't going after him makes me suspicious... makes me think that they know something we don't know. Something about the war is deceit thing... what better deceit than to have a self-proclaimed christian who used to be a muslim elected to the presidency only to 'revert' back to islam, eh?
Am I crazy? Or just paranoid?
Shiva,
Thanks for the link.
Although I appreciate some of the Dead's recorded music, I am in no way, shape or form, a deadhead.
'Blues for Allah' is an album, if I recall correctly. Not even remotely one of their best.
"Deadheads", the term as I know it anyway, is synonomous with the baby boomers, those who now control the US mindset. Of course they look haggard. Those who are still left are ready to siphon off the US via retirement. The are the progenitors and the sustainers of PC, hence; they must be destroyed as quickly as possible.
Everybody loves the idea of the Grateful Dead, at one point or another in their lives, but that is certainly no way to run the free world.
'Blues for Allah' was poingant for the times, unencumbered by the PC we see today. The same guy who thought of the name for that album then, is the same who would NEVER allow it today, whether it be a Garcia, a Weir or a Hunter.
Such is life.
I whole-heartedly believe that the US will not change until my generation, 'Generation X' takes over the reigns.
Let us just hope that we as a country can hold out that long, given the sad state of affairs by our own electoral process, presently.
Aunt Bea,
I still would love for your link to Obama's Islamic supporters.
Patiently waiting and hoping that you return.