“In no way is our club a sponsor of political viewpoints and we do not endorse our facility to be used in such a way.” And “the general sentiment among the board, even among those who voted to cancel the event, was that Dakdok should be allowed to present his message, ‘but they didn’t think going through the club was the place,’ Bunde said.”
Fine. No problem with any of that. But then Dave Bunde, the club’s president, added: “I’m kind of on the side of free speech, and I’m not biased against Muslims whatsoever. I don’t have a problem with them. It’s just the ISIS parts that I have an issue with.”
I’m “kind of on the side of free speech”? No, Mr. Bunde, you aren’t on the side of the freedom of speech at all. It is laudable that you aren’t “biased against Muslims whatsoever.” Nor should you be. Your remarks, however, show that you don’t actually understand the freedom of speech or its importance at all. Unless Usama Dakdok is calling for violence or for crimes to be committed, he has a right to be heard even if his views are unpopular. If you think he should be shut down because others dislike what he says, you’re in favor of setting the precedent, or reinforcing it at this point, that those who are in power can shut down the speech of those who are powerless. And while the local Muslims present themselves as a persecuted minority, in reality they are not persecuted, and they have the media and political elites behind them. They are the powerful; Dakdok and those who support him are the powerless. This is illustrated by the fact that the Rochester Public Library is hosting the pro-Islam event, while Dakdok cannot get a venue.
Also: “It has become apparent that a rental at the Stewartville Sportsman’s Club is being advertised as an information session targeting a specific ethnic group.”
What ethnic group is Islam again? I keep forgetting.
“Dakdok is an Egyptian Coptic Christian who has traveled across Minnesota promoting what his critics say is a negative, distorted view of Islam. He is known for telling listeners that Muslims are in the U.S. to behead Christians and Jews.”
Well, obviously not all of them are, but certainly some are: in Oklahoma, a Muslim beheaded his coworker and explained that the Qur’an commanded him to do so.
“Exposing Sharia,” says Dakdok’s flier. Sharia mandates the denial of the freedom of speech and the oppression of women, non-Muslims, gays, ex-Muslims, and others. Should it never be exposed? The flier also speaks about the “deception of Islam.” Muhammad said, “War is deceit.” Can we not talk about this? If Dakdok is lying, exaggerating, or fear-mongering, Regina Mustafa and the other Muslims holding the counter-event at the library should refute him on the facts. But I guarantee you that they will not offer a single substantive refutation of what he says, but instead claim that he is bringing about a “climate of fear” in which they face discrimination and harassment (of which, again, no proof will be offered). It’s a show that received rave reviews from credulous Leftist audiences all over the U.S.; why not in Rochester, Minnesota?
“Stewartville club cancels anti-Islamic speech,” by Matthew Stolle, PostBulletin.com, October 18, 2017 (thanks to Mr. Smith):
STEWARTVILLE — The Stewartville Sportsman’s Club board has canceled the appearance of an anti-Islamic speaker, several days after fliers promoting the speech and warning of Islam’s “threat to our way of life” began showing up at Stewartville homes.
“It has become apparent that a rental at the Stewartville Sportsman’s Club is being advertised as an information session targeting a specific ethnic group,” said a statement released by the club Wednesday afternoon. “When the rental contract was drafted, the Club Board was unaware of what the purpose of the event was for.
“The mission of the Stewartville Sportsman Club is to promote outdoor activities that benefit the outdoors and provide a venue for local youth and adults to learn about and develop a passion to enjoy the outdoors in a safe and responsible manner. In no way is our club a sponsor of political viewpoints and we do not endorse our facility to be used in such a way.”
Dave Bunde, the club’s president, said the board held a meeting at the club Tuesday night and voted 6-2 to cancel the contract for the speaking event featuring Usama Dakdok.
Bunde said a motivating factor in the board’s decision was the negative publicity that the event was generating for the club. The club is known for hosting wedding receptions, company parties, funerals, charity events and even events organized by Muslims, he said.
The general sentiment among the board, even among those who voted to cancel the event, was that Dakdok should be allowed to present his message, “but they didn’t think going through the club was the place,” Bunde said.
“I’m kind of on the side of free speech, and I’m not biased against Muslims whatsoever. I don’t have a problem with them. It’s just the ISIS parts that I have an issue with,” Bunde said, referring to the Islamic terror group that has inspired attacks in Europe and the U.S.
Dakdok is an Egyptian Coptic Christian who has traveled across Minnesota promoting what his critics say is a negative, distorted view of Islam. He is known for telling listeners that Muslims are in the U.S. to behead Christians and Jews.
Days after word of the speech began circulating, area Muslims began arranging a speaking event of their own at the Rochester Public Library as a counterpoint and rebuttal to Dakdok’s appearance. Organizers are calling it, “Say No to Fear: Understanding Islam and Your Muslim Neighbor.” The idea was to hold a competing event, rather than staging protests outside the club that would give more prominence to Dakdok’s speech.
Regina Mustafa, a Rochester Muslim who is organizing the event, said she supported the club’s decision, but didn’t discount the possibility that Dakdok might secure another venue around Rochester. In the meantime, she said she was inclined to go ahead with the counter-event at the library, which is set for Oct. 29 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., the same day Dadok was set to speak.
“I’d like to still have this event,” Mustafa said. “There’s a great amount of interest in it already.”…
Mustafa said that her biggest concern about Dakdok was that “he’s stoking fear.”
“He’s fear-mongering and essentially what he’s doing is making it difficult for Muslims to try and go about their daily life,” Mustafa said. “He tries to take advantage of the current climate against Muslims and Islam in this country.”
The fliers that began appearing in Stewartville neighborhoods on Friday were headlined, “Exposing Sharia and the deception of Islam,” promising a speech that would reveal the motives and teachings of an Islamic system that is a “threat to our way of life. “Crossroads Ministries” stickers were attached to the fliers….
Benedict says
“It’s just the ISIS parts that I have an issue with.” –
But “ the ISIS parts” is the mr. Hyde face of moderate Islam. They both have a legitimate claim to the body of Islamic teachings and can’t be separated.
What does it take for these sleepwalkers to wake up? And who can kick the ostrich in its behind?
Voytek Gagalka says
I am afraid that ostrich, unfortunately, became petrified and now is like a stone.
TL says
“Exposing Sharia” was just an excuse for the planned event. It’s evident from the flyer that the main purposes were to spread Jew worshipper pabulum and to assemble some sort of alliance for a restoration of Trinitarian theocracy. Neither of these goals requires a sportsman’s clubhouse; there are plenty of empty churches on any given Sunday night.
mortimer says
Bunde said: “It’s just the ISIS parts that I have an issue with.”
Well then…
– FGM, no issue with that.
– Jizzya tax, no issue with that.
– Honor-killing, no issue with that.
– Taqiyya, no issue with that.
– Religiious apartheid, no issue with that.
– Gender apartheid, no issue with that.
– Discrimination against Jews, Christians, Hindus, atheists, , no issue with that.
– Censorship, no issue with that.
– No more bacon, sausage or pork roast on the menu, no issue with that.
– No more music, no issue with that.
– No more visual art, no issue with that.
– Child marriages, no issue with that.
– Cousin marriages, no issue with that.
– Increase in rape crimes, no issue with that.
– Cruelty to animals, no issue with that.
LR says
mortimer,
That’s q pretty good list…Maybe you can send it to him, and ask him about that…
eduardo odraude says
TL,
What is “Trinitarian theocracy”? Unlike Muhammad and the Qur’an, the central figure of the New Testament appears to stand for secularism. He is reputed to have said, “my kingdom is not of this world,” and “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, to God the things that are God’s”. That is why in the Christian world from the very beginning two distinct social realms have always been at least vaguely recognized: the temporal and the spiritual. It did take many centuries for people to get clear on where the boundary between the two realms should be, and over those centuries the boundary alternated between excessive power in the Church and excessive power in the State, but there was always at least a latent sense in the Christian world that there needed to be two distinct realms. That biblical paradigm was one of the key factors that eventually gave birth to the First Amendment. By contrast, Muhammad in effect became Caesar, or at any rate the ruler of an aggressive, expansionist, theocratic state. That is why Pew polling shows large percentages of Muslims — different percentages in different nations — supporting rule by Islamic law. Whereas, because of the biblical account of Christ, very few Christians want theocracy. They do want to influence the state just like everyone else, but very few would want to scrap the First Amendment. In the core Islamic texts, the central message is to “submit” to “Allah”. The central message of Christ was not about submission to authority, rather the message was love. And love is inseparable from freedom. It is one of the few things, perhaps the only thing, that is impossible to compel from someone. In the words of the pop song, “I can’t make you love me if you don’t. I can’t make your heart do somethin it won’t…” By contrast, Islam places much more emphasis on outer obedience in every detail of life, including how one goes to the bathroom.
Cynthia in California says
Christ also said, “Then shall ye know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).
There is no freedom–and no truth–in Islam. It is all deception/taqiyya.
Benedict says
?
CoastalSue says
I heard Usama Dakdok’s program on Sharia in Mississippi a few months ago. There was no fear mongering or even criticism of Islam by Usama. He just presented verses of the Koran, other Muslim writings, and the exact words of Sharia. No need to make negative or inflammatory comments. Islam condemns itself when it is presented truthfully.
mortimer says
CS, exactly. Islam’s incompatible backwardness turns people off.
MFritz says
“Kind of” like in “kind of hippocrite”.
mortimer says
BUNDE IS GIVING IN TO THE HECKLER’S VETO.
Bunde’s arugment boils down to “Free speech for ME, but not for THEE…because a bunch of my friends are bringing a mob to wreck the place!”
If political Islam is above criticism, it follows that Islam is the ESTABLISHED RELGION of the United States and that POLITICAL ISLAM is the OFFICIAL POLITICAL RULING PARTY of the United States.
The American constitution, however, specifically forbids the ESTABLISHMENT of one religion, so Islam cannot be exempted from discussion or criticism.
Bunde is on the side of free speech for people who share his views. Bunde is against free speech for those who have something controversial or contentious to say.
Bunde wants to keep the peace and simply doesn’t want the added cost of security when MUSLIM TERRORISTS MAY COME TO CALL.
le mouron rouge says
Amen, Mortimer,
A technique of propaganda called “Turnspeak”
The Arab League makes use of a cognitive technique of propaganda called “turnspeak”, where you attack someone and then turn it around 180 degrees and claim they attacked you. Because the truth is the exact opposite of the information being disseminated it is psychologically difficult to counter and leads to confusion.
Turnspeak leads to psychological confusion and a feeling of being “burned-out” or “overwhelmed” with too much information, effectively creating a blanket of “white noise” which makes clarity difficult to achieve.
Joan Peters, former White House consultant on the Middle East writes:
The term was first used by journalists to describe German propaganda after it invaded Czechoslovakia in March of 1939. To win sympathy for their invasion, the Germans practiced what has become known as “turnspeak”. They turned the blame back on the Czechs for trying to precipitate an all-out war in the region. In other words, the Czechs in their attempt to hang onto their land were ready to plunge all of Europe into war.
http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~jkatz/turnspeak.html
Emilie Green says
AS SOON AS ya hear the “but,” ya know ya got a dhimmi in your midst.
“I fully support free speech, but . . .”
Dave Bunde won’t be among the starting ten,
Give me some men who are stout-hearted men,
Who will fight, for the right they adore,
Start me with ten who are stout-hearted men,
And I’ll soon give you ten thousand more.
Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder,
They grow as they go to the fore.
Then there’s nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan,
When stout-hearted men can stick together man to man.
PRCS says
The article exposes two very common and heavily promoted idiocies:
1. Islam is a written ideology. Its follower’s ethnicity is irrelevant. Indeed, many Muslims–throughout the world–are white.
2. Islam is defined by its texts (amputations, Jew hatred, and all), not the selective compliance “moderate” Muslims are engaged in.
le mouron rouge says
I’m familiar with Usama Dakdoc. http://www.thestraightway.org/
Like Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Dr. Bill Warner – https://www.politicalislam.com/, Brigitte Gabriel, – http://www.actforamerica.org/aboutbrigitte, Phil Haney, John Guandolo and others, he is trying to inform the American people of the danger of Islam and Sharia.
History has shown that all empires have a “shelf life” and it appears that America is approaching the end of its cycle.
A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.”
– Samuel Adams (1722-1803)
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
– John Adams (1735-1826)
“Sir, no nation has ever yet existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man, and I as chief magistrate of this nation am bound to give it the sanction of my example.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments.”
– James Madison (1751-1836)
dhans says
Here’s their website and contact info if you want to express your opinion.
http://stewartvillesportsmansclub.com/
Cameron Tremblay says
Unfortunately, there have been enough muslims allowed into the US and Canada that it is now dangerous to hold any events they may disagree with…in Canada, thanks jihadi justine trudeau! We had a the play Othello cancelled because of threats from the muslim community, and a local imam (or mullah or whatever…how can anyone have respect for these scums) supported the death threats. Sorry, am a liberal, but am moving far right when it comes to islam as I don’t want my kids endangered by a death cult whose sole purpose is to subjugate or kill all who do not recognize allah and mohamed. Am at the point where it almost seems islam needs to be annihilated for the safety of future generations. Current political elite and due to a lack of coverage by the manstream media our public have no spine for this and it will take alot of deaths before we reach the same realization that Myanmar has come to…remove the threat!
Edgar Allan says
The public library receives government money. If it allows one point of view to be presented, it has to allow the counter point of view as well. View-point discrimination is a definite no-no in any jurisprudence. This Coptic Christian should ask to speak at the public library, not the club, and if they refuse, he should sue them. A club, being a private entity, may have more legal room to discriminate, but a public institution should not.
chris p bacon says
Minnesota men had their “you know what’s” cut off and handed to them in a jar years ago…hence thousands and thousands of muslims in their state doing whatever they damn well please and no one to oppose or speak out against their anti-American views
religionofpeace says
Mr. Bunde was on the side of free speech but he rejected Dakdok free speech rights.
Jak says
If you think you can peacefully coexist with Islam, then you know nothing about Islam. You will be seen as . weak and without courage. read the koran you’ll see
Carolyne says
Doesn’t Mr. Bunde understand that the Second Amendment gives him and his ilk the right to even have a “Sportsman’s ” Club? (Assuming the club consists of those who love to kill defenseless animals.) Well, I’m kinda against that, but I recognize the Constitution gives them that right to own guns. I own one myself. However, I don’t go shoot mammals in their homes as so-called “Sportsmen” do. Enjoying killing anything is a sick concept to me.
Maybe Mr. Bunde should give equal value to the First Amendment, which gives him the right to say what he said and gives me the right to tell him he is wrong to hunt.
What an ignorant jerk.
LR says
” I am kind of on the side of free speech”…
That statement is a big part of the problem…
Where the hell is the commitment to our Constitution, and Bill of Rights, in a statement like that?
The founding fathers didn’t exactly win the colonies independence because they “kinda'” believed in it.
It would have been so cool, if he would have taken a strong stand for free speech, while admitting since they are a private organization dealing with the public, they just didn’t want to get caught up in a very controversial political/social dialogue.
Sesom says
I heard Usama Dakdok speak in person in Southwest Florida about two years ago. He simply tells the truth and presents all the “kill” verses that are in the koran and haddith.
Everyone should go to Usama’s web page, buy the koran he translated personally, from arabic to english, read it, as I did, and you will be sickened by its instructions to kill people who do not believe in alla*.
M says
They cancelled because to upset Muslims is to invite terror and violence. Isn’t the fear that if they allow a speech about how bad sharia is, Islamic supremcists will decide to fire bomb them or murder them? THAT is why people do not criticise radical Islam….they don’t want to spark monstrous acts and killing.
Benedict says
Exactly! It is not those who criticize and expose Islam that suffer from islamophobia, it is those who don’t.
Lydia says
It just depends if the person is telling the truth or not, if they are, then he is not for freedom of speech.
Plain and simple.
gravenimage says
Minnesota: Club president says he is “kind of” pro-free speech, but cancels event critical of Islam
…………………….
Spinelessness like this is a big part of the problem we face.
Claudia says
I’ve been following Usama’s ministry for years. I found out he was to speak in my area from my local paper, Rochester Post Bulletin, in which it talked about his judgementel flyers that were being put on doors of homes in Stewartville,MN which is 13 miles to the south of Rochester. I had been planning on attending. However, I again found out about the cancellation and it’s reason by the paper. Then, there was yet another article in yesterday’s paper (10-30) that a Stewartville man had rented a township hall on Sun (10-29) under a “family event.” Dakdok invited a reporter from the Rochester Post Bulletin. It was invitation only and the front door was locked. A man with a key stood outside quizzing people who arrived. Dakdok told the reporter,” There are some decent Muslims, but they are deceived by the Quran.” During his presentation he claimed,
“Muslims are not the problem, Islam is the problem,” then he called Americans stupid for “defending Muslims without knowing anything about Islam.” We have a very active Muslim woman in Rochester named Regina Mustafa who organized a counter event at our library, named,”Say No to Fear:Understanding Islam and Your Muslim Neighbor.” Rashed Ferdous, a board member of the Rochester Mosque and president of the Islam Resource, an educating group, told the Rochester Post Bulletin earlier this month that Dakdok’s message is one of distortion and falsehood, designed to promote intolerance and fear of the Islamic religion. “He sees a market. He sees an audience that are hungry for this and he can go to that audience as a credible insider to tell them what they want to hear.” So, everyone that’s what’s happening in my home town. Islam is very deceitful. I’ve read Dakdok’s true translation of the Koran to English. I’ve been following his ministry for years, and often pray for his safety! And, don’t get me going on the newest trend of interfaith dialog. Which we know is a cover up for pushing their Islamphobia agenda. Let us be warriors of God’s truth!