cartoon1

cartoon1

Monday, March 7, 2011

"I don't want them to be able to stand up and claim, you know, 'See, we told you, America is at war with Islam.

The them is us, you know, us.  Those who call into question Islamic doctrine and how it is defined today, who defines Islam and why so many Muslims misunderstand their "religion of peace" and who stand for the principles of real democracy, free speech, human rights, justice and Judeo-Christian freedoms.  As for America being at war with Islam it should be corrected to read that Islam is at war with America.  Even though Obama has said, as did BushII that America did not believe it was at war with followers of Muhammad, it is clear from the mouths of bin-Laden, Zawahiri, Ali Goma'a, Ahmadinejad and others that indeed, Islamic doctrine demands either conversion, subjugation or warfare for the unbelievers(9-29).

We can continue to delude ourselves that Islam has nothing to do with those Muslims who use the texts and tenets of Islam to justify their actions or we can accept that Islam is the problem, start talking truthfully and honestly about Islam and begin the reform needed to bring Islam and Muslims into the 21st century.

The words from the White House to American Muslims only soothes those who believe Islamic doctrine is not a problem.  If Obama really was serious about getting to the heart of "terrorism" he should examine what drives jihadists and Islamists rather than placating Muslims on what America is not.


From the L.A. Times March 7 by Peter Nicholas

White House seeks to reassure Muslims

The White House took a preemptive step to defuse an emerging controversy Sunday, sending out a top aide to reassure American Muslims that the U.S. government doesn't see them as a collective threat.

No one has ever said Muslims are a collective threat.  Islam and how some Muslims practice it, that is the problem, collective or not.

Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor to President Obama, addressed a largely Muslim audience days before congressional hearings into homegrown Islamic terrorism. The hearings, which sparked protests in New York on Sunday, will be led by Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
In his speech to members of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, McDonough said, "The bottom line is this: When it comes to preventing violent extremism and terrorism in the United States, Muslim Americans are not part of the problem; you're part of the solution."

Earlier Sunday, King told CNN's "State of the Union" that Al Qaeda terrorists were "attempting to recruit within the United States. People in this country are being self-radicalized."

The Obama administration is clearly worried that the hearings, which begin Thursday, could open a rift with Muslim leaders, whose cooperation is needed to foil terrorist recruitment. A message from McDonough's speech was that the Muslim community is vital to a larger strategy of preventing the radicalization of American youths.

"Our challenge, and the goal that President Obama has insisted that we also focus on, is on the front end: preventing Al Qaeda from recruiting and radicalizing people in America in the first place," McDonough said. "And we know this isn't the job of government alone. It has to be a partnership with you — the communities being targeted most directly by Al Qaeda."

Read it all

No comments: