The Council on American Islamic Relations is demanding an apology from Jackie Mason and lots of other people for his remarks on radio the other night. From WND:
Comedian Jackie Mason raised the ire of a controversial Islamic lobby group by calling “the whole Muslim religion” a “murderous organization” that teaches “hate, terrorism and murder.”
The remarks came when Mason hosted the Jim Bohannon Show, syndicated nationally by the Westwood One radio network. Mason was elaborating on a comment by his co-author, New York lawyer Raoul Felder, who said Islam “is a religion of hate, this is a religion of murder.”
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, filed a complaint with the FCC and wants Westwood One to apologize.
Mason, according to CAIR, amplified on Felder’s “bigotry.”
“This is amazing information that almost nobody is aware of … everyone thinks that it’s a legitimate religion that preaches love and brotherhood,” said Mason. “The truth of the matter is [that terrorists] are reflecting the religion and following the religion.”
They are “following the orders of the religion directly from the Quran … in plain English, the whole Muslim religion is preaching and teaching hate, terrorism and murder, and nobody knows it, and its about time they found out about it, ” Mason said.
“The Quran … is 50 versions of hate, venom, hostility, and murder … dedicated to terrorism,” he added. ” … I don’t know how we can call it a religion in the traditional sense. It should be called a murderous organization that’s out to kill people.”
In a letter to Westwood One, CAIR demanded a public apology to the Muslim community and “an opportunity to refute Mason’s Islamophobic smears.”
The letter stated: “It is this type of hate-filled propaganda that was used by the Nazis as justification for their persecution of the Jewish community in Germany.”
Now wait a minute. No it isn’t. Mason didn’t say anything (as far as I can tell) about Muslims. He was talking about Islam and the Qur’an. There is nothing in his remarks inconsistent with the fact that many Muslims are not murderous and hate-filled. Nor did Jackie Mason say anything like this: here is a real Nazi statement about Jews, spoken by Adolf Hitler himself in 1922:
If I am ever really in power, the destruction of the Jews will be my first and most important job. As soon as I have power, I shall have gallows after gallows erected, for example, in Munich on the Marienplatz-as many of them as traffic allows. Then the Jews will be hanged one after another, and they will stay hanging until they stink. They will stay hanging as long as hygienically possible. As soon as they are untied, then the next group will follow and that will continue until the last Jew in Munich is exterminated. Exactly the same procedure will be followed in other cities until Germany is cleansed of the last Jew! (quoted in John Toland, Adolf Hitler. London: Book Club Associates, 1977, p.116)
CAIR is operating in a pluralistic society. Instead of demanding apologies, they should show why Mason is wrong about Islam and the Qur’an. In a pluralistic society, everyone must tolerate not only those who disagree, but those who find one’s beliefs ridiculous or appalling. In this environment, Christians and other groups tolerate constant attacks on their beliefs; most, instead of demanding apologies, publish responses. Readers may find them more or less convincing, and so goes the marketplace of ideas. If Ibrahim Hooper and CAIR cannot handle this, I wonder how deep their commitment is to secularism and pluralism.
Also: in 2002 on MSNBC, Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR called me a “hatemonger.” This was false, slanderous, and designed to discredit me in the eyes of the American public, but I have never demanded an apology. Instead, I have responded in many ways, directly and indirectly. I have taken pains to emphasize that I am not condemning all Muslims, or saying that they are all terrorists (as is often falsely claimed). I am focusing on the elements of Islam that give rise to terrorism and fanaticism, and asking that they be reformed. I have on several occasions made it clear that “nuke ’em all” haters are not welcome to post on this site (although comments continue to be largely unmoderated). I have made it clear that the proper response to jihad terrorism is not unfocused hate, but a clear and dispassionate recognition of its causes, coupled with a carefully calibrated program of reform.
If Hooper himself gave a similarly reasoned response to Mason, and worked to eradicate from the American Muslim community the hate to which Mason referred, he would be doing a real service to America and its Muslims. As it is, CAIR continues to try to position itself as a civil rights organization defending those beleagured by racism, and their spin on this incident will convince many. But anyone who looks closer should see that it won’t wash.