The Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA) convened a panel discussion on Capitol Hill Tuesday to whine about the way that Americans view Islam. You see, they are upset that the overwhelming majority of Americans are opposed to the proposed Cordoba Initiative, err, Park51 Islamic center and mosque project to be located at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
All three panel participants agreed that those who oppose Muslim initiatives, such as the Ground Zero mosque, are Islamaphobic and ignorant.
I’m shocked, I tell you. Shocked.
A recent CBS poll revealed that 71% of Americans believe it is inappropriate to build a mosque so close to the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Since it’s a poll from CBS, I would advise you to adjust that total upward about 10 %.
Salam Al-Maryati, president of Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri, chairwoman of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), were members of a panel entitled,“Muslims in America: Myths and Realities — A discussion on faith in the wake of the Park 51 Controversy.”
The panel was moderated by Suhail Khan, senior fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE). He started the round of condemnation by complaining that the uproar about the Cordoba Initiative has brought a bunch of conspiracy theories, that had once been relegated to Internet message boards, out into the open:
There are all kinds of accusations that are swirling around. We thought here we’d assemble a panel of experts to really take on some of these myths.
At first, he tried to minimize the importance of the Ground Zero mosque, but then , Salam Al-Maryati reversed himself, criticizing the way in which the American public has come to view the project:
The nomenclature of this particular story — it started out as the Ground Zero mosque controversy and I think by now, everybody acknowledges that the place is not at Ground Zero and it is not a mosque. It is a few blocks away, where you can’t even see Ground Zero, and it is a community center that was actually intended to develop interfaith dialogue.
Al-Maryati claims that, because of all the demonstrations, anti-Islamic sentiment has increased. As an example, he brought up a planned 9/11 Koran burning ceremony in Gainesville, Florida. Al-Maryati said that the more anti-Islam America appears, the more anti-Americanism will increase abroad. However, Al-Maryati concluded that he still feels that “America is the best place for Muslims.”
Yessir. There are a lot less beheadings here.
Dr. Azizan Al- Hibri, the lone woman on the panel, , said that Islamaphobia is not a new phenomenon in America. They allowed her to speak? She claimed that in her research of the Founding Fathers, she read multiple instances in which there were explicit examples of anti-Muslim views and activities by America’s founders.
You mean, like the Barbary Wars? Yeah, I know. Those pirates were just trying to make a living. I wonder if she actually cited any of those “anti-Muslim views and activities”?
Al-Hibri added that Muslims are hardly the only minority group that have been demonized in America. She went on to catalogue various groups throughout American history that had been marginalized.
She said:
So in some ways I want Muslims to know we are not being singled out one way or the other.
Al-Hibri whined about “the false information” that she claims is fueling American ignorance about Islam. According to Al-Hibri, the Koran is a freeing document that even incorporates the principles of the First Amendment.
Historically Islamic communities have practiced religious tolerance. This is nothing new. It did not start with the United States.
Time out. I just spewed my Cinnamon Toast Crunch all over my monitor.
Religious Tolerance? You mean like the Americans working in Saudi Arabia that have to worship God in their homes? And that’s just the non-violent intolerance.
Dr. James Zogby was exasperated that he was having to have another “conversation” about Islam, as he said that it feels as though he is always having to explain the faith after a crisis due to American overreaction and misunderstanding.
It’s all because of that pesky “Jihad” thingy, Doctor.
Zogby said that the Cordoba Initiative controversy was a misunderstanding perpetuated by various pundits and experts who appear on radio and television, and who write misleading books about Islam. However, when pressed, Zogby shied away from naming names:
What troubles me is that what is at stake with this Park51 story is that it is not about a building and it’s not about a place. It is about the narrative of who we are as a people, and if these guys win, whatever the outcome, but if these guys win then America will not be America anymore.
When asked why there is so much backlash against the Cordoba project, Zogby said it is one of the many symptoms of the current social and economic unrest in the country, which, according to him, is all because some people do not like having an African-American president:
I think it is part and parcel of the broader social unravelling. I think that is taking place. We saw it begin last summer. I think some of it has to do with the fact that we have elected an African-American president and some folks just can’t accept it. There is no question that the economic distress and social dislocation which has occurred is part of it and I think at the same time that eight to nine years of misinformation has taken its toll.
The topic of sharia was discussed in length by the panel. According to them, sharia is the “the way to God,” and “moderate” sharia differs greatly from the harsh brand of sharia implemented in some Muslim countries.
Al-Hibri said:
The word sharia law has been batted around as a threat. I don’t know where this came from. Why is it being discussed in the United States as a threat?
Gosh. Maybe because little caveats in Sharia Law, like HONOR KILLINGS , just don’t sit well with Americans?
She also fantasized that the Founding Fathers, specifically Thomas Jefferson, took into account some of the principles in the Koran when they were building the legal framework for the United States.
There is a verse in the Koran that says there is no compulsion in religion — that is the freedom of action.
Don’t you just love Revisionist History? Jefferson read the Koran in order to better combat the Barbary pirates.
In order to combat Americans’ perceived negative view of Islam, the panelists want members of the Muslim community to spend September 11 participating in service projects. Gosh, hasn’t President Barack Hussein Obama (peace be unto him) suggested this for Americans as well? Hmmm.
Al Maryati complained that the media only focuses on the bad followers of the faith:
The moderate Muslim story still has yet to be told.
You’re right, Al Maryati. Their silence is deafening.
By the way, you Muslim Congressional Staffers need to quit complaining about Americans with your mouth full.
Kingsjester's Blog 
Hogwash.
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Funny how the more they call us intolerant, the more people oppose The 9/11 Victory Mosque.
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They doth protest too much.
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The US was being blackmailed and US sailors held hostage by the Barbary pirates until Jefferson studied up on the Koran and stood up to this enemy. He also finally embraced Adams’ dream of a professional navy.
hogwash – ladyingray. LMAO
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Well said.
Dont they get the hint? There not welcome near ground zero, even if its 2 blocks away, so if they really want this “community center” built as a “peace initiative” why dont they take a hint and build their center somewhere else, and use their own money, not amercian tax-free dollars from the sale of bonds!
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