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Now Christians Demand The Ban of Muslim Prayer
Christians Show Islamophobia and Intolerance for Religious Freedom in Opposition to Muslim Day of Prayer
As Kirk Cameron goes around spreading lies about how children aren´t allowed to pray or open Bibles in school, there´s an effort to shut down a day of peaceful, non-political prayer in our nation´s capital.
Where is the uproar? What has happened to this nation, founded upon the freedom to worship as one pleases?
Oh. Turns out it´s a bunch of Muslims trying to get together and pray. How dare they!
About 50,000 people were expected at an event in Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon called "Islam on Capitol Hill." Muslims will participate in Jummah Prayer (also known as Jumu´ah, Jum´ah or Friday Prayer), a traditional weekly gathering at a mosque during which Muslims ask for forgiveness for the previous week´s transgressions. A reading from the Koran is also planned, followed by a reception.
Warnings from the religious right about this event have been bouncing around the Internet since it was conceived early this year. Yesterday, the American Family Association (AFA) sent out an "action alert" questioning "whether this event is good for America."
The AFA´s main problem is supposedly that the organizer of the event is a lawyer who has represented people involved with terrorist activities. Now while that might turn a stomach or two, mass murderers and serial rapists are also represented by lawyers, who are charged with providing everyone representation regardless of what public opinion might be. A vocation certainly shouldn´t preclude a person from praying.
The AFA also objects to several political statements by the man who will be reading from the Koran, Sheik Ahmed Dewidar. The organizers note that Dewidar "stood shoulder to shoulder with U.S. President George W. Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Anan at Ground Zero as Imam of the Islamic Center in Mid-Manhattan to speak on behalf of the Muslim community to condemn the September 11 attacks" and that he will merely be reading Islamic religious text at the event.
This clearly Islamophobic post in response to the AFA´s statement clearly equates the religion with Satanic worship (emphasis mine):
On September 25, 2009 from 4am until 7pm, a National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion will be held on Capitol Hill, beside the White House. As a Christian, it makes me really wonder where the REAL direction of this country is headed. Well in fact I can clearly see where this nation is headed... into the service of Baal / Allah / Lucifer, what ever name you wish to put on him.
CNN quotes another Christian "leader" who has some funny ideas about the political significance of the event (emphasis mine):
"It is important for Christians to understand that Friday’s Muslim prayer initiative is part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the church bells with the Athan [the Muslim call to prayer]," said Rev. Canon Julian Dobbs, leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America’s Church and Islam Project, in a written statement.
Doing what they do best, the Annenberg Center´s FactCheck.org took one rambling psycho´s chain e-mail (the writer says the prayer event "should make blood shoot out of your eyes!") and analyzed the specious claims.
Among other falsities they debunk, Fact Check notes that the event is not secretive and that the mainstream media is not ignoring it. They write that the only connection the event has with Obama is that the organizer was inspired to initiate it by the openness of the president´s inauguration speech. He said "for the first time in my lifetime I heard someone of his stature speaking about Islam and Muslims not in an adversarial sense, but in the sense of being welcome and acknowledging we are integral citizens in the society."
Isn´t it too bad that these people have to prove him wrong?
Not only is the Christian right being disingenuous about this issue, they´re also being downright hypocritical. Everything I read from sources condemning the event compared Obama´s supposed support for the Islam on Capitol Hill event with his supposed betrayal of National Prayer Day. Obama has nothing to do with the Muslim event, nor did he do so much as issue a statement about it. The president won´t even be in Washington today. He´s not expected to return from Pittsburgh, where he´s attending the G20 summit, until well after the prayer events have concluded.
The religious right has been licking fake wounds from National Prayer Day since May. As I noted during the ridiculous uproar over President Obama only issuing a statement (as opposed to attending the Washington event where he wouldn´t be allowed to speak by organizers), National Prayer Day is far from inclusive:
Reading the task force´s mission statement, one would think Christians invented prayer. It is unabashedly Christian and clearly sets its sights on the seat of power in this country (emphasis mine):
The National Day of Prayer Task Force´s mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.
Edited (10/17/2009) by mhsn supertitiz
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