In the RG(8-22) Mr Haris Tarin recounts the life of his father, tolerance and his fears of America. Another spin, confusing in it's ramblings but pointed in it's hatred.
Will the RG publish this one?
I bet not....
A Tolerant Hatred of Intolerance
From the first day, America was a land of immigrants. It’s no secret, the history of the United States and who the founders were. The first to make it to these shores did so under a singular banner: freedom of everything. Well, not quite that broad but in principal it was an exodus from tyranny into the light of a new, mankind-friendly world of brotherhood, equality and freedom of conscience. Over 200 years later, the great American experiment chugs along, the occasional hitch in the gitalong making things that much more interesting.
Haris Tarin (8-21) knows well the challenges and hardships new arrivals to the US face. It would seem then that he would also know well the importance of becoming American and exercising the right to free speech and honorable dissent. His recollections of his family and how important it was for his Father to make it to that shining city on the hill where he could be free to be a Muslim in America are as touching as any immigrant story told. His fathers flight from Islamic persecution in Afghanistan, and determination to make it in America as an American reinforces the principals we, as Americans believe, support, and die for.
Then the bashing commences. Cries of intolerance, malignment, fear-mongering and Muslim-baiting echo throughout the rest of the article, as though it is accepted fact that Islamophobia runs rampant across the land and mobs of pitch-fork wielding peasants are rounding up Muslims. It is assumed that his fathers America has become another Spanish Inquisition, with Muslims now strapped to the rack. This is nonsense.
The America Mr. Tarin laments as of the past is, in reality alive and well. Accepting as America is regarding the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free we still are leery of strangers with strange habits. A self-protection mechanism of sorts, the new guy must prove he is “one of us” before we allow the full implementation of the American identity.
The 19th century saw mass immigration, and with it many problems on the road to assimilation. The government, in its infinite wisdom decided to attack the Mormons, claiming they were dangerous enough to be removed from the US permanently. Yet we know today that reason prevailed and we accept what is now a thriving and vital part of the American tapestry. Certain aspects of Mormonism which created the original friction have been reformed, most notably the practice of polygamy. This was required for the integration of Mormons into the mainstream.
Catholicism in America also has a checkered past. The most notable example would be JFK. His spirituality and Catholic upbringing were seriously questioned as he rose through the political ranks, culminating in rancorous criticism during the presidential campaign in 1960. He made a powerful speech during the campaign where he addressed his beliefs, laying to rest any detractions based in him being Catholic. These are but two examples of many showing how the American psyche performs when religion is at stake.
The perception of a majority of Americans is that the motive behind the ground zero mosque is less than pure. There are serious questions asked, and no answers forthcoming. It is not wrong, or Islamophobic, or intolerant to ask questions but Mr. Tarin thinks it is. His children will be made to suffer and will be devastated if these questions continue. He conflates questions about the mosque with a hatred of Muslims in general. I doubt he is able to show one instance where someone, anyone publicly called for the suppression civil rights for Muslims, Islam or the mosque. Legitimate questions have been asked and Mr. Tarin, as a claimed American but more so as a Muslim should be asking those same questions, and demanding answers.
His statement where he agrees with Newt Gingrich, that there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia carries little weight as he goes on to say that that is precisely the reason his father left Afghanistan: religious freedoms, or lack of them. He does not ask why there are none of these houses of worship, or offer any explanation, from a Muslim perspective for reasons behind this. I would then ask Mr. Tarin, is it not true that any belief outside of Islam is forbidden in virtually all Islamic countries? American tolerance may be on display for all to see, but your faith prohibits anything which challenges the Islamic status-quo. Why?
The continual lament of being on the receiving end of so much hatred is beginning to wear thin. He asks: what do I tell my children about the fear-mongering against Muslims and mosques? How about this: 80% of mosques in the US (appx1800) are directly funded by Saudi money, the Wahhabi doctrine of jihad is the predominate narrative, mosques from Virginia, Oregon, California, Texas, Minnesota and other states have preached jihad and produced homicide bombers and that as an American Muslim it is required that they claim Islam back from those who define it as a religion of hatred. Rather than inculcating his children on how they are supposedly hated, how about trying to show them why this is occurring, and give them tools to fight, and change this dangerous viewpoint.
As Washington director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council I fear his narrative is already written for him.
MPAC is an ideological brother to the Muslim Brotherhood, a pure jihadist group started by Hassan al-Banna in 1928. The mission statement of the MB is this: “God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Quran our Constitution, jihad our way, and dying for God our Supreme Objective.” One of the senior advisors of MPAC , Dr. Maher Hathout founded the Islamic Center of Southern California which became MPAC. His upbringing at the feet of the Muslim Brotherhood helped create the doctrine which today drives the Muslim Public Affairs Council. His brother, Hassan was the real voice of Islam, not only was he responsible for the actual founding of MPAC and ICSC, his ties with the MB and jihadists is a record of fact(http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/355.pdf).
Does Mr. Tarin disavow any connection to the MB and the ICSC, and if so, how does he reconcile his position as director of the Washington office of MPAC with the ideological and historical ties with the MB?
On afternoon of September 11, 2001, Salam al-Maryati, head of MPAC made this outrageous claim on a Los Angeles radio show: “If we’re going to look at suspects we should look to the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents, and I think we should put the state of Israel on the suspect list…”. Again, Islamiists use Israel as the catch-all bad guy, making sure the MSM eagerly laps it up and spews it back to the masses.
Mr. Tarin, as well meaning as he says he is fronts for a group with a history of anti-semitism,, hatred of the west and advocates the same doctrine as the Muslim Britherhood.
Mr. Tarin finishes his article saying he will refuse to allow the voices of fear to lessen the experiences of his father and degrade the America his father so dearly loved. May I suggest that he begin with a look at Islam as seen today by the west, and how the ulema defines being a Muslim. As director of MPAC in Washington my hopes for some kind of flash of insight which will enable Mr. Tarin to see the light fades into the darkness.
This mosque at ground zero is not a religious issue. No one is advocating the taking away of anyone’s right to practice any or no religion. No one is saying that Muslims cannot practice their religion at all. No one has spoken out against Muslims having a mosque. However, Islam has made it into a religious debate where we Americans are being led by the nose to believe we are intolerant and hateful of Muslims.
Islam has an identity problem and neither the imam Rauf, his wife Daisy Kahn nor the owner of the property, Sharif el-Gamal cares. The louder they shout that the mosque will be built the greater the opposition. Haris Tarin should know this as director of MPAC/Washington yet he remains in his happy place, content to bash America and support a mosque which 70% of Americans want moved.
Tolerating the intolerant, the new American ethos.
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