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This is a premier example of how we suffer from not be able to define properly the nature of the conflict. We are afraid to affirm the value of our own civilization. We are afraid to say that Christianity is a religion of peace and Islam isn't, and so have to make these outlandish gestures to appease the god of multiculturalism and relativism.
"Prisons Purging Books on Faith From Libraries," by Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times (thanks to Seymour Paine):
Behind the walls of federal prisons nationwide, chaplains have been quietly carrying out a systematic purge of religious books and materials that were once available to prisoners in chapel libraries.The chaplains were directed by the Bureau of Prisons to clear the shelves of any books, tapes, CDs and videos that are not on a list of approved resources. In some prisons, the chaplains have recently dismantled libraries that had thousands of texts collected over decades, bought by the prisons, or donated by churches and religious groups.
Some inmates are outraged. Two of them, a Christian and an Orthodox Jew, in a federal prison camp in upstate New York, filed a class-action lawsuit last month claiming the bureau’s actions violate their rights to the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons, said the agency was acting in response to a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department. The report recommended steps that prisons should take, in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, to avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups. The bureau, an agency of the Justice Department, defended its effort, which it calls the Standardized Chapel Library Project, as a way of barring access to materials that could, in its words, “discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize.”
Ms. Billingsley said, “We really wanted consistently available information for all religious groups to assure reliable teachings as determined by reliable subject experts.”
But prison chaplains, and groups that minister to prisoners, say that an administration that put stock in religion-based approaches to social problems has effectively blocked prisoners’ access to religious and spiritual materials — all in the name of preventing terrorism.
“It’s swatting a fly with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. “There’s no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism.”...
Yep.
Posted by Robert at September 10, 2007 6:50 PM
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don't go to prison!
but seriously, some guy gets locked up, he wants to redeem his life, get out of his mental rut and he can't even find peace thanks to muslims.
i can really see the world governments banning all religion in the near future. as prophesied in the bible.
Posted by: leonthepigfarmer![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 10, 2007 7:57 PM
Suicidal culture.
Posted by: traeh at September 10, 2007 8:17 PM
A clear case of throwing out the baby with the bath water.
at September 10, 2007 8:22 PM
Ohhhh, I get it.
Get rid of the hundreds of books on Christianity, on Judaism, and just have a 'Bible' a 'New Testament' and of course, a 'Qur'an' so that the
'Abrahamic' faiths are all 'equally' represented.
So... in the name of 'Equality' that god of gods, lord of lords, lord of the flies'er, I mean, the lord that flies.
All three are just 'equal'. So we shouldn't feel bad.
On account of they all have a murder or a killing, and we can't say anything 'prejudicial' like, '
one of them, is an incessant rant about killing, subjugating, humbling and submitting the others... and that they've been trying to erase and or change history about the other two books, since they began- or kill everyone, who won't submit.
Hmmm.... that's a tough one
Posted by: mgoldberg at September 10, 2007 8:25 PM
No surprise here...
Unless it's Islam getting all the concessions, then EVERYONE must suffer the consequences.
Except the ACLU to be all over this with a quickness.
Of COURSE felons in prison should have access to literature that encourages violence against the government and all non-Muslims. To deny them this basic right is denying them their freedom of -Fill In The Blank-.
*snort and eye roll*
Posted by: JenBee at September 10, 2007 8:29 PM
This might not be such a bad thing. Prisons can then replace such books with the works of Robert Spencer. Might as well give prisoners the truth about the peaceful ones so they can more readily resist conversion efforts.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at September 10, 2007 8:39 PM
Just had a look at Sheik's site:
http://sheikyermami.com/
Not only are we having our cultural inheritance interfered with in jails, but the sowdis are taking over eduction.
Heck,they are taking over everything!
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjRhZjYwMjU4MGY5ODJmM2MzNGNhNzljMzk4ZDFiYmQ
They are on a 20 point plan to take over the world.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33898
at September 10, 2007 9:08 PM
Suicidal culture.
Posted by: traeh
maybe cultural suicide?
Posted by: Gramfan at September 10, 2007 9:11 PM
Off subject, but this is making me nuts,
In reading
"Muslims parade in NYC, face protestors" by Emerson Clarridge Sept.10, 2007
I could not help to wonder about this statement.
A well-dressed elderly woman walking up Madison Avenue told a friend on a cell phone: "I'm the only one in the street without a schmata on my head," using the Yiddish word for rag.
"Brooklyn'nez" for
Rich old Jew Bitch
calls "Sisters "rag heads".
Crude way of putting it but that is what he is saying.
Why in the world did this Emerson Clarridge he put that in there?
How do we even know if it is true?
Really, the guys a jerk.
at September 10, 2007 9:28 PM
Purging the prison libraries of Jewish and Christian books is another step forward for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Yet, we have to face one very real fact.
Conversions to Islam has been occurring in prisons for quite some time. Before we shout protests, we better take a long hard look at how this proselytizing has been brought about in oral tradition. Perhaps we should be looking at the chaplaincies that had so long been in place but not effective. Colleagial identity and immediate support are compelling factors in developing and maintaining community.
I don't like these developments one bit. But, before outrage, we might look within.
at September 10, 2007 11:04 PM
Shawmut
we first have to prove the point that islam is not a true religion as well as being an anti-democratic ideology.
(Yes,,that's the easy part).
Then we can go after having the koran removed from public places.
Or else, as you say no religious books anywhere. I don't like this option because it goes against our culture whether one is religious or not.
Frankly, it isn't going to happen. Not yet anyway.
Posted by: Gramfan at September 10, 2007 11:57 PM
http://www.docs.state.ny.us/Directives/4572.pdf
After reading 4572 Media review guidelines State of New York Deptart of Correctional Services
page 1, Standards section,
I don't see how the Quran is allowed at all.
at September 11, 2007 2:08 AM
Joe Schmoe USA, excellent point. Section II, paragraphs B, C, D, E are clearly violated by the Qur'an.
Posted by: special_guest at September 11, 2007 5:37 AM
It’s swatting a fly with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. “There’s no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism.”...
Absolutely right. Need a policy change here.
Any religous book that promotes violence to no n-believers should be banned, others can stay.
Hrrrmm, 3 collections of books seem viable candidates from the word go:
Quran
Hadith
Sira
and
Reliance of the Traveller
Milestones
The Quranic concept of War
can be added to that list.
Posted by: UK Infidel Lover at September 11, 2007 8:33 AM
The silver lining is that perhaps officials of more pacific religions will examine more closely, and speak up about, what truly differentiates their faith from Islam.
Posted by: Vee at September 11, 2007 8:58 AM
We threw prayer out of schools back in the 1960's, and we are shocked, SHOCKED at the behavior of school children in America. We removed the Ten Commandments from the halls of justice. Different groups are still trying to take the name of God out of our Pledge of Allegiance and off of our money. We've basically told God to get the hell out of our country and we are surprised by the removal of religious books from our prisons? Please.
Billy Graham's daughter was on a talk show a few years back and said that God is a gentleman and that when we asked Him to leave He graciously removed Himself from the scene. She said that as a gentleman, He would not force Himself upon us. As multiculturalism has been carefully nurtured, watered and fertilized and has put down deep roots in our society, we fell asleep. Now awakening after what appears to be a long slumber and finding out that we are the proverbial frog in the pot and the water is really hot, we are shocked at what is happening all around us?
We made a decision a long time ago to make a trade. We chose freedom from the obligation to do the right thing. That doesn't mean that we always chose NOT to do the right thing...we just set the stage to be wishy washy and mediocre in our quest to do as we please. Now that things aren't working out so well we are realizing that giving up certain beliefs and traditions in favor of convenience brings with it a whole new set of problems.
This reminds me of that great speech that Paul Schofield gives his son-in-law in A Man for All Seasons:
"And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you - where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast - man's laws, not God's - and if you cut them down - and you're just the man to do it - d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake."
Posted by: Isabellathecrusader at September 11, 2007 9:07 AM
If you keep the Jewish and Christian books out, then KEEP THE MUSLIM BOOKS OUT also. But most important, if you do not want to do the time, do not do the crime.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at September 11, 2007 10:03 AM
Why are we surprised that satan and islam are ready to take up the slack?
Posted by: David England at September 11, 2007 11:46 AM
This ban cannot stand because of the First Amendment's clause about the "free exercise" of religion.
What should be done is to remove all materials, "religious" or not, that "incite violence or criminal behavior".
That would eliminate the Koran and all of its related materials, because of charming little verses like suras 9:5 and 9:29-30.
Better lawmaking make safer country
Posted by: profitsbeard at September 11, 2007 12:09 PM
This ban cannot stand because of the First Amendment's clause about the "free exercise" of religion.
What should be done is to remove all materials, "religious" or not, that "incite violence or criminal behavior".
That would eliminate the Koran and all of its related materials, because of charming little verses like suras 9:5 and 9:29-30.
Better lawmaking makes a safer country
Posted by: profitsbeard at September 11, 2007 12:14 PM
I have an idea forming in my brain. (in a village idiot voice)
I really need to reference the Koranic text on this.
But.....
as these religious texts are written so metaphorically, is it possible that rather than saying "the people that have strayed from the path" (paraphrased) should be subjugated as a command...
Could it be "the people that stray from the path" can be subjugated as a strategy?
Not sure that it makes any difference, but it's not really the same thing. The atheist would say it's all hogwash. But a faithful person could consider it to be a test of sorts. Let's say it IS a battle of good and evil that's been going on since the beginning of time. Today people are so willing to step away from God to appease other men. Examples being; removing prayer from schools, or "under God", "in God we trust" or Christian material from prisons, purely to superordinate man made laws and secular values. As man made laws and policies become viewed as superior to Gods laws we have made a choice. And God, being a gentlemen, will honor your decision which opens the door to Satan.
Sounds like science fiction but the thought just flew by.
at September 11, 2007 5:08 PM
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