This has been going on longer than Obama has been in office. Has its Constitutionality ever been challenged? If not, why not? "US funds restoration of global Islamic sites," from AP, August 24 (thanks to Ted):
WASHINGTON - The good will tour of the Middle East by the imam behind the proposed mosque near ground zero is just part of the U.S. government's efforts to reach out to the Muslim world.This year, the Obama administration will spend nearly $6 million to restore 63 historic and cultural sites, including mosques and minarets, in 55 nations, according to State Department documents.
Under a program established by Congress in 2001, the department will fund at least five projects in as many countries at a cost of more than $271,000.
The contributions include $76,135 for the 16th century Grand Mosque in Tongxin, China, and $67,500 for the 18th century Golden Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. An additional $62,169 will be spent on restoring a 19th century minaret in Mauritania's ancient city of Tichitt; $50,437 for the Sundarwala Burj, a 16th century Islamic Monument in New Delhi, and $15,450 to restore the 18th century Gobarau Minaret in Katsina, Nigeria.
The amount spent on mosque restoration projects is a fraction of the total in the 2010 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, which also will fund projects to restore Christian and Buddhist sites as well as museums, forts and palaces....
More mosques than churches. More on that soon.
This is what's known as Jizya.
Does our funding of Buddhist sites include the reconstruction the giant Buddhas of Bamyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/10/tax-dollars-to-build-mosques/
Americans also may be surprised to learn that the United States has been an active participant in mosque construction projects overseas. In April, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Alfonso E. Lenhardt helped cut the ribbon at the 12th-century Kizimkazi Mosque, which was refurbished with assistance from the United States under a program to preserve culturally significant buildings. The U.S. government also helped save the Amr Ebn El Aas Mosque in Cairo, which dates back to 642. The mosque's namesake was the Muslim conqueror of Christian Egypt, who built the structure on the site where he had pitched his tent before doing battle with the country's Byzantine rulers. For those who think the Ground Zero Mosque is an example of "Muslim triumphalism" glorifying conquest, the Amr Ebn El Aas Mosque is an example of such a monument - and one paid for with U.S. taxpayer funds.
The mosques being rebuilt by the United States are used for religious worship, which raises important First Amendment questions. U.S. taxpayer money should not be used to preserve and promote Islam, even abroad. In July 2009, the Office of the Inspector General published an audit of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) faith-based and community initiatives that examined whether government funds were being used for religious activities. The auditors found that while USAID was funding some religious activities, officials were "uncertain of whether such uses of Agency funding violate Agency regulations or the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution" when balanced against foreign-policy objectives.
For example, our government rebuilt the Al Shuhada Mosque in Fallujah, Iraq, expecting such benefits as "stimulating the economy, enhancing a sense of pride in the community, reducing opposition to international relief organizations operating in Fallujah, and reducing incentives among young men to participate in violence or insurgent groups." But Section 205.1(d) of title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations prohibits USAID funds from being used for the rehabilitation of structures to the extent that those structures are used for "inherently religious activities." It is impossible to separate religion from a mosque; any such projects will necessarily support Islam.
The other day someone who has never ever failed to report even the slightest of sums received in cash -- almost crazily honest -- told me that in the future she might not report everything, because she was sick and tired of supporting Muslim countries with vast amounts of aid, and for her the breaking point had come. I don't think she is alone.
Taxation without representation, the use of our money to pay to win over unwinnable people, to do things for them that merely rescue them from their own Islam-induced failures, the inablility to figure out ways to embarrasss Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Kuwait, Qatar, and a half-dozen other Muslim states dripping with gold into sharing some of their wealth oh, not with impoverished or disaster-stricken non-Muslims (that would be impossible) but at least with other, non-oil-rich Muslims -- well, after a trillion here, and a trillion there, it is getting to the breaking point.
No taxation without representation. And we don't want our money being spent, squandered by fools, at the level of John Brennan, the Deputy Special Assitant for Homeland Security and Terrorism, whom you can see in all of his smugness and stupidity, his stupid smugness, right here:
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/29261
Our government's unseemly desire to ignore the texts and doctrines of Islam, and the ways in which that doctrine has been acted on ("don't bother me with history" says John Brennan, Deputy Special Assitant for Homeland Security and Terrorism, just before storming out of a meeting with editors at The Washington Times) over the past 1350 years, astounds, depresses, and finally, enrages.
This government is losing its legitimacy. Over Islam, and its mad policy, it is losing its legitimacy in every other way as well. Legitimacy in Western democracies is located in the willingness of the government to sufficiently represent the will expressed by the people. It should be clear that, as people learn about Islam, as they educate themselves, they beomce more and more dismayed with their own leaders, who offer bloombergian bromides in lieu of detailed knowledge.
We won't have it. Ras le bol. Do gorlo. Siamo stufati. We've had it. Up to here.
You could blow the mosques up for half the price. Sooner or later some follower of the prophet with a grievance is going to do it anyway.
Hey, what's the problem? The US has lots of money to restore mosques and minarets, and help Islam out in general...Of course the food stamp program had to be hijacked to pay for Michelle's fight on fat...But it's better to fix a minaret in Tichitt (wherever that is) than to feed hungry American children...
Please, I know of a couple churches and rectories in Denmark that have been vandalized by Muslims. Nudge-nudge.
Thousands of temples belonging to Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains have been destroyed by muslim barbarians over centuries. Will the US please fund the restoration of these? Or is this generosity only reserved for the slimey religion of peace?
"A fool and his money are soon parted"
An old proverb derived from a saying by Thomas Tusser in "Five Hundreth Pointes of Good Husbandrie" (1573)
Is this not what cultural enrichment and diversity is all about? Just relax, be numb, and sit back and enjoy the blessings of social engineering!
Yes, just relax and turn on your 500 cable channels. Nothing to look at here. Ignorance is knowledge.
Also, the previous administration had a habit of ignoring church and state seperation, so I'm curious of this is the continuation of previous programs or new spending.
Finally, I believe the government should end all subsidies of religion, including tax exempt status for all of them, stop giving money to any other country, and balance the own budget. But what do I know?
Neal Boortz was great on this subject today. His take was basically: Put yourself in the shoes of American families struggling to pay their bills, falling behind on their mortgages, losing their jobs, etc., who have to fork over about $10,000 a year in taxes so projects like mosque restorations overseas can be funded. Obama, Hillary--go sit down with those taxpaying families and tell them why their federal government needed to take their tax money and spend it on mosques in other countries.
Disgusting.
I believe, in this case, ZAKAT may be a more accurate definition, as it IS coming from the islamocommie-in-chief himself.
It seems to me that this is rather a minor issue to be getting concerned about. Six million dollars isn't exactly a budget-buster. And most of it is not being spent in Moslem countries, nor on Moslem sites. The AFCP program has been around for ten years, and has spent ca. $26 million in that time.
Here are a few of the current projects that do not involve Islam:
Mongolia: Conservation of 7th‐Century Tureg‐Era Burial Objects -----------------------------------------$18,329
Peru: Restoration of 17th‐ and 18th‐Century Paintings from the Compañia de Jesus Church in Arequipa ---$31,170
Romania: Restoration of a 13th‐Century Fortified Church in the Transylvanian Village of Moardas ---------$39,185
Guatemala: Restoration of the High Altar and Cloister of the Late 18th‐Century Convent ofLa Merced in Guatemala City
----------------------------------------------- $94,827
It seems to me that this is rather a minor issue to be getting concerned about.
I don't think there is anything in the Constitution that calls for giving American tax dollars in foreign aid of any kind, much less to Islam...or the non Islamic projects listed...Six million or six cents...I object...
And when have Islamic nations, especially ones loaded with cash, ever helped to preserve a church or synagogue? I hope a very public figure like Newt Gingrich or Peter King mentions this. While they're at it, they ought to also mention how many churches and synagogues the religion of peace and tolerance has destroyed over the centuries. Keep the pressure on Islam, especially on its draconian and stupid legal system, Sharia, and also on its rank hypocrisy and employment of a double standard of the most egregious kind.
The NY Times is going overboard to attack anyone who opposes the 911 Victory Mosque.
Today's comment section is filled with the most hateful comments against such Americans especially focusing on Pam Geller and Robert Spencer.
It is a virtual feeding frenzy.
They are terrified that Americans are speaking out against the Muslim attempt to profane one of our most sacred sites.
http://jewishdailyreport.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/media-feeding-frenzy-against-anti-jihad-mosque-americans/
A few million here, a few million there and before you know it you are getting into some real money. We could sure use a few more million for this country and not waste it on foreign entities. Of course I forgot, foreign entities pay a higher kick back.
But remember, Social Security will not be there when you are old enough to draw your money out. I wonder why?
"This year, the Obama administration will spend nearly $6 million to restore 63 historic and cultural sites, including mosques and minarets, in 55 nations, according to State Department documents."
Unbelievable. Just simply unbelievable. We have got to get rid of this Muslim in 2012.
There's plenty of freshly despoiled churches to restore in Kosovo now, and you can work from photographs and the recent memory of living people rather than from an archaeological interpretation.
Obama spending $6 million to restore mosques and other Islamic sites worldwide
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It would be like our restoring Shinto shrines, statues of Mussolini, and monuments to National Socialism when the Axis was in full swing.
More:
More mosques than churches. More on that soon.
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Why would this be? If this is just about "cultural preservation", Christianity is 600 years older than Islam, and has twice the adherents worldwide.
By the way, I wonder how many Christian churches and monasteries they'll be refurbishing in North Africa or the Levant (with the possible exception of Israel). Will they be restoring some of those ancient synagogues in Morocco, or Syria, or Iran? How many Buddhist sites will see this largess in Pakistan or Afghanistan?
As poster carol above mentioned, they can start with restoring the Bamiyan Buddhas! sarc/off
TRSTHNTR wrote:
I believe, in this case, ZAKAT may be a more accurate definition, as it IS coming from the islamocommie-in-chief himself.
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This would be correct, TRSTHNTR, if it was money Obama himself had earned, but it all comes from the American taxpayer. If that isn't Jizya, I don't know what is.
correct me if i'm wrong but was there something said about restoring all the Temples and Synagogues destroyed by the Religion Of Peace (ISLAM, I THINK IT'S CALLED) over the years? or does Judaism not count? please advise. thanks.
Did you hear Boortz yesterday?! He was unbelievable; I've never heard anyone on the radio or television tear islam apart like he did. He called it a 'gutter religion' that murdered women and shot children in the back. A muslim called in and asked him: "What makes you think you can talk about my religion like that?" and Boortz said: "What are you going to do about it?" They went back and forth and the muslim told him he would end up like Theo van Gogh. I fully expect that he, his radio station, and his sponsors will be hearing from CAIR because his little tangent was brutal. Another muslim called, a woman, and she wanted to attribute everything he said about islam to Christianity so he disconnected her. I loved it but I am very afraid he will experience repercussions from the peaceful muslim 'community'.
Did you hear Boortz yesterday?! He was unbelievable; I've never heard anyone on the radio or television tear islam apart like he did. He called it a 'gutter religion' that murdered women and shot children in the back. A muslim called in and asked him: "What makes you think you can talk about my religion like that?" and Boortz said: "What are you going to do about it?" They went back and forth and the muslim told him he would end up like Theo van Gogh. I fully expect that he, his radio station, and his sponsors will be hearing from CAIR because his little tangent was brutal. Another muslim called, a woman, and she wanted to attribute everything he said about islam to Christianity so he disconnected her. I loved it but I am very afraid he will experience repercussions from the peaceful muslim 'community'.
It's easier to restore mosques in Dar al-Islam because the islamic attitude to churches, synagogues and temples is to turn them into quarries and mosque building sites
I thought this was to restore "cultural" monuments?
Islam is anti-cultural, and should receive nothing.
Let the Saudis fund this lunacy.
It's their barracks being restored.
"Billions for defense, not one cent for tribute!"
Agreed, but that is where the "commie" aspect of his mentality comes into play.
I believe that he is basically an athiest with a great reverence for the evil ideology and will support its members in anyway he is able as long as his communist agenda is not inhibited.
It seems to me that he is basically the combination of the communists on the university campus, and their allies in the MSA, being natural allies with the same goal...the destruction of the "imperialists" / great satan.
All he has done and said seems to tow this line.
Notice the govt. doesn't seem to be chipping in to restore St. Nicholas Church?
http://www.stnicholasnyc.com/
I was going to mention Kosovo, and the glowing opportunity we have to restore scores of churches destroyed there by our gallant Albanian allies, but Tom Billesley beat me to it.
Please see this for the link between islamists, disguised as Christians, all with communist life philosophies:
www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/soros_has_a_pastor_close_to_ob.html
If Obama really wants to Impress Muslims he should open up a terrorist camp for them. This will help the US tax payer as well instead of opening 55 camps.
"Ignorance is knowledge"
That's straight out of "1984." Actually, I think the slogan Orwell uses is "Ignorance is strength."
Why in the world are we contributing to the rebuilding and refurbishment of mosques in China?
Lokar you wrote - "Notice the govt. doesn't seem to be chipping in to restore St. Nicholas Church?"
Same thought crossed my mind.
If the US government's going to help fix up historic buildings, why not start at home, by helping with the rebuild of St Nicholas's, lately neighbour to the WTC, NYC?
It was a piece of American history - the oldest Greek Orthodox church in NYC (and before it was annihilated in the collapse of the Towers, it even contained relics given by the Tsar Nicholas of Russia, before 1917).
It was beautiful in its own quiet way.
I think that until St Nicholas's rises again, the great gaping wound in the centre of NYC will remain in some sense unhealed.
St Paul, St Peter and St Joseph the Worker (the other three churches closest to the WTC site) are lonely; they miss St Nicholas and they want him back.
Tom Billesley wrote:
It's easier to restore mosques in Dar al-Islam because the islamic attitude to churches, synagogues and temples is to turn them into quarries and mosque building sites
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Yes, Tom—all too true. Infidels are rarely even able to repair their own churches or temples in Muslim-majority nations—just look at recent cases in Indonesia, Egypt, and Malaysia.
I'm sure UNESCO and the US would never get approval to restore a non-Muslim site in Dar-al-Islam.
Even in Egypt, exploring or excavating ancient sites is difficult—despite the fact that it is such a money-maker for the state and in any case represents a dead religion. There's always a lot of resistance from those who consider it "un-Islamic".
"I don't think there is anything in the Constitution that calls for giving American tax dollars in foreign aid of any kind, much less to Islam...or the non Islamic projects listed...Six million or six cents...I object..."
In principle, I agree with you, duh_swami. But I object a lot more to $6 billion/yr than I do to $6 million/yr. About a thousand times more. If $6 million/yr was all we were dishing out in foreign aid, and it was being spent on the type of projects of the AFCP, I could live with that very easily.
Other comments have wondered about projects involving Christian sites. Here's one, and it's the 2nd most-expensive project of the 2010 program:
Turkey: Conservation of the Remains of the 11th‐Century Surp Prikitch (Church of the Holy Redeemer) at Ani
$625,000
The 2010 program includes 8 other Christian projects, in 8 ocuntries (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Macedonia, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, and Russia) totaling $531,000.
How can this country send in our troops, and order them to fight and be killed, in support of a country ruled by islam, a "faith" that controls any and everything inside that country?
We are doing just that in Iraq, are we not?
State sponsored religion...
We are doing just that in Iraq, are we not?
Who do you mean by 'we'?
I thought I made myself clear...One red cent is too much...
Is there a site where a tally and account of the destruction of houses of worship of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus , Sikhs and Chinese by the Muslim fiends is available? Have I left out any victims?
Islamic law requires destruction/prohibits rebuilding of churches and synagogues. The Muslim world declares war on us, and when we fight back they claim we are the aggressors (under Sharia law jihad must be framed in defense of Islam, Muslims, Muslim honor, etc.). Jihadists and the Imams who sanction jihad store weapons and fight from mosques (mosque means "house of war") and when those mosques are destroyed, we rebuild them and support the building/restoration of even more mosques. Meanwhile, churches are continuing to be systematically destroyed under Islam in Africa and the Middle East and wherever jihad is active and where there are enough Muslims to subjugate non-Muslims (Muhammad's doctrine of taysir). What is wrong with this picture? President Obama and his appointees are supporting Islam over other religions. That is against our Constitution. Why are we not demanding the courts and Congress curb this illegal activity?
Part of jihad is to plunder non-Muslims, that includes non-Muslim governments.