We need George Bush
Did American Muslims just get compared to Nazis on national TV?
The previous line was that moderate Muslims were not doing enough to stand up against the extremists. Now the category "moderate Muslim" has effectively ceased to exist for huge swaths of the country. In this alternative reality, Muslims, by definition, are extreme. All 1.5 billion of us, including your American Muslim neighbor.
Somebody call George Bush. His country needs him. Bad.
The Bush doctrine can be boiled down to a simple statement: WE, the forces of civilization and freedom, must defeat THEM the forces of darkness and extremism.
For Bush, mainstream moderate Muslims were part of the "we."
After 9/11, Bush went to a mosque and declared that Islam was a religion of peace. He said forcefully that anyone who attacked Arab or Muslim Americans in some kind of twisted attempt at revenge for 9/11 would be met with the full force of American law.
Note the all-important Us vs Them. Terrorists attacked America on 9/11 - not Muslims. Those terrorists twisted a religion of peace. Muslims are our neighbors and friends. Anyone who attacks neighbors and friends under the false premise that their faith or ethnicity links them to terrorists is our enemy.
Let's be clear: I am not writing a support of Bush policies. I am saying that, for President Bush, the entire religion of Islam was not synonymous with extremism and Muslims were not Nazis. Of all the changes in American politics since 2008, the single most disappointing to President Bush, I would imagine, is that people in his party are getting the Us vs Them wrong. Instead of Civilization vs Extremism, they are making it Americans vs Muslims, using the wrong definitions of both America and Muslims.
President Obama caused a stir with his speech at a White House iftar stating that Muslims had the same religious freedom as every other community in America. President Bush used to host White House iftars too. I believe, if he were President today, Bush would have given the same speech. I wish he would emerge from his ranch in Texas to give it now.
By
Eboo Patel
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August 18, 2010; 9:29 AM ET
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Interfaith Issues
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Religion & Leadership
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Posted by: woodstock-41 | August 23, 2010 9:21 AM
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i[WE] have/"had a Dream"
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................ ,' . K . a . a . b . a . '# | . . .Good Bye
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.......... | #ALLAH-aKBAR#| # # # |
.......... | # [ البيت المعمو ر] # |[ الكعبة].|
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Credits To "jj" http://onwapo.com
Posted by: woodstock-41 | August 23, 2010 8:38 AM
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Given Islam's official scriptural policy of TAQIYYA & KITMAN every knowledgeable American must believe that Islam is just another very toxic idea turned cult.
I am listening - If I can be proved wrong it would be a great relief.
If my understanding of Islam's TAQIYYA & KITMAN is proved wrong I would be relieved of a disagreeable 18USC4 duty to expose every Musilm's oath of naturalization and office as VOID from its fraudulent beginning.
That is one very un-fun un-neighborly statutory duty I would like to avoid if lawfully possible..
I am listening - Prove me wrong, Please.
Posted by: Russell_P_Davis | August 23, 2010 6:50 AM
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Eboo, old buddy, how soon you forget that he invaded a country that had less to do with 9/11 than his patrons in Saudi Arabia did.
Then he botched the occupation allowing looting of the treasury, infrastructure, and ammunition dumps. His failure to maintain civil order and help the Iraqi economy pushed many Sunnis into working for the Al Qaeda in Iraq, and many Shiites to work for the Iranians because they couldn't feed their families any other way. If you doubt this, please notice that when we helped the Sunnis form the Sons of Iraq it only took $350/month security jobs to bring them back from AQI and to defending their country against foreign terrorists.
So if you need George Bush you are welcome to him.
Posted by: themoderate | August 22, 2010 8:08 AM
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Terrorists attacked America on 9/11 - not Muslims. Those terrorists twisted a religion of peace.
No. Muslim terrorists attacked America, and not the first time, either. They did it, fully convinced that their religion approves and demands this kind of action. I am ready to accept that for many Muslims in America and in the world violence and murder are abhorrent things and they just want to get on with their lives, using their faith as a helpful spiritual anchor, a base for the calendar and so on. But the burden of proof is on Islam, not on us.
Posted by: arik67 | August 22, 2010 4:09 AM
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I love it--liberals who made fun of Pres. Bush's faith now want him to rescue Pres. Obama from this mess.
Liberals spew that conservatives promote hate and intolerance--look at some of these comments and see who the hate-mongers are!!
Posted by: Sherri04 | August 21, 2010 10:35 PM
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After all the criticism that Mr. Bush took from apologists for Islam for his "evil" policies, I find it laughable that groups like the Muslim Brotherhood-sponsored CAIR, and individuals like Mr. Patel would now be looking for him to support them in any way, shape or form.
American Muslims like Mr. Patel like to remind us not to treat all of Islam as a monolithic entity; that we shouldn't draw conclusions about "patriotic" and "freedom-loving" American Muslims based on the statements and actions of Islamic leaders in backward societies.
I'd submit that "moderate" American Muslim leaders like Imam Rauf, if they were truly interested in reforming the view of Islam in non-Muslim American's eyes, would spend more time vocally denouncing these backward leaders and less time globe-trotting to garner their support, and do more to try and define American Islam as a different and completely separate belief system.
This, of course, would require Imam Rauf to reject the 7th-century tenets of sharia law as having any place in American society, denounce by name groups that engage in terrorist actions in the name of Islam like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Taliban, and institute a national educational program in mosques and Islamic centers to prevent American Muslims from embracing the teachings of radical foreign clerics.
In order for Americans to see the distinction between foreign radicals and their American co-religionists, American Muslims themselves must make that difference clear and irrefutable, perhaps even to the point of rejecting some of the core texts of Islam.
This would amount to a reformation of Islam, something that may be dangerous but is sorely needed. The time is ripe for a courageous American Muslim leader to take on this task.
Posted by: EddietheInfidel | August 21, 2010 10:52 AM
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Eboo Patel & CO:
ALL, EVERY & ANY {American Based} "iShlamite"s and or "Esuaite"s {aka PELEG-ians, aka, Stanic VerUS lovers of the "ELDERS OF AL-TAQIYAH" et al] islami's should Become "METHODISTS" or Mormon's..
PS: "Nation Of Islam" don't like "white-Crackers" let alone Kafirs. Please go clean-up Chicago ill-inois. Move Cardoba CULTture/SECTion House there.
Note: G.W. & CO; TOld Ye/Yo's a Big-Lie! He & they know the "Art of DO-n-Then-Deny".
Heck; Even (another Methodist) Bill Clinton, from Ala-mater George Town University, Know this tool (Wordmerchantizing; "Persuasion-Packaging" i[WE] call it). Note again:
I'm Go'n Fish'n! {WE use sand-Worms n Spearings for Baith). Interesting. Did Ye Know that it is now proven that fish Listen n talk? But WW[i] Apocalyptic-ON's; Not Pre-Apocalyptic-offs, art not Fish!
"QUOTE" The old adage used to be; There is a Sucker Born'th every minute" [similar]; but, but now it's more like ; "There a sucker Born every 15-Seconds" or So.
Posted by: woodstock-41 | August 21, 2010 9:29 AM
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Eboo Patel & CO:
ALL, EVERY & ANY {American Based} "iShlamite"s and or "Esuaite"s {aka PELEG-ians, aka, Stanic VerUS lovers of the "ELDERS OF AL-TAQIYAH" et al] islami's should Become "METHODISTS" or Mormon's..
PS: "Nation Of Islam" don't like "white-Crackers" let alone Kafirs. Please go clean-up Chicago ill-inois. Move Cardoba CULTture/SECTion House there.
Note: G.W. & CO; TOld Ye/Yo's a Big-Lie! He & they know the "Art of DO-n-Then-Deny".
Heck; Even (another Methodist) Bill Clinton, from Ala-mater George Town University, Know this tool (Wordmerchantizing; "Persuasion-Packaging" i[WE] call it). Note again:
I'm Go'n Fish'n! {WE use sand-Worms n Spearings for Baith). Interesting. Did Ye Know that it is now proven that fish Listen n talk? But WW[i] Apocalyptic-ON's; Not Pre-Apocalyptic-offs, art not Fish!
"QUOTE" The old adage used to be; There is a Sucker Born'th every minute" [similar]; but, but now it's more like ; "There a sucker Born every 15-Seconds" or So.
Posted by: woodstock-41 | August 21, 2010 9:25 AM
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ALL, EVERY & ANY {American Based} "iShlamite"s and or "Esuaite"s {aka PELEG-ians, aka, Stanic VerUS lovers of the "ELDERS OF AL-TAQIYAH" et al] islami's should Become "METHODISTS" or Mormon's..
PS: "Nation Of Islam" don't like "white-Crackers" let alone Kafirs. Please go clean-up Chicago ill-inois. Move Cardoba CULTture/SECTion House there.
Note: G.W. & CO; TOld Ye/Yo's a Big-Lie! He & they know the "Art of DO-n-Then-Deny".
Heck; Even (another Methodist) Bill Clinton, from Ala-mater George Town University, Know this tool (Wordmerchantizing; "Persuasion-Packaging" i[WE] call it). Note again:
I'm Go'n Fish'n! {WE use sand-Worms n Spearings for Baith). Interesting. Did Ye Know that it is now proven that fish Listen n talk? But WW[i] Apocalyptic-ON's; Not Pre-Apocalyptic-offs, art not Fish!
"QUOTE" The old adage used to be; There is a Sucker Born'th every minute" [similar]; but, but now it's more like ; "There a sucker Born every 15-Seconds" or So.
Posted by: woodstock-41 | August 21, 2010 9:23 AM
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Eboo states, "Terrorists attacked America on 9/11 - not Muslims. Those terrorists twisted a religion of peace." A religion totally of peace? From Sam Harris the below comments in the following article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-13/ground-zero-mosque/
"The first thing that all honest students of Islam must admit is that it is not absolutely clear where members of al Qaeda, the Taliban, al-Shabab, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hamas, and other Muslim terrorist groups have misconstrued their religious obligations. If they are “extremists” who have deformed an ancient faith into a death cult, they haven’t deformed it by much.
When one reads the Koran and the hadith, and consults the opinions of Muslim jurists over the centuries, one discovers that killing apostates, treating women like livestock, and waging jihad—not merely as an inner, spiritual struggle but as holy war against infidels—are practices that are central to the faith.
Granted, one path out of this madness might be for mainstream Muslims to simply pretend that this isn’t so—and by this pretense persuade the next generation that the “true” Islam is peaceful, tolerant of difference, egalitarian, and fully compatible with a global civil society. But the holy books remain forever to be consulted, and no one will dare to edit them. Consequently, the most barbarous and divisive passages in these texts will remain forever open to being given their most plausible interpretations."
Posted by: harveyh5 | August 21, 2010 9:21 AM
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The former president Bush41 hosted all the members of the family Bin Laden for lunch on 9/11/2001. Those lucky guys could fly home while all the private and commercial planes were hold on the ground. The word was spread that Osama bin Laden was banned from the family, but a few months later the family Bin Laden gathered in Afghanistan for the wedding of Osama's son with a daughter of Mulah Omar. So, it's unclear what kind of relations the families Bush and Bin Laden have, but the Bush-family doesn't restrict their relations to the Saudi-Arabian royals. I don't think that issues of faith or politics are leading, instead, it's the money that speaks and the highest principles are for sale.
Posted by: DutchPointer | August 20, 2010 2:00 PM
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The Bush family has had a long and close relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A strong statement from the Bushes disavowing any notion that the entire Muslim community is extremist and an enemy of the West would certainly be in order.
Posted by: csintala79 | August 19, 2010 9:26 AM
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George the Dumber is not going to say anything to detract from Rove's intolerant religious wedge issue.
Posted by: areyousaying | August 19, 2010 8:50 AM
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President Bush will likely not speak out at this time for the same reason he maintained silence on other occasions. He believes it is the honorable thing to do.
Posted by: FlyDiesel | August 18, 2010 10:58 PM
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The writer just made a blanket statement that he finds it insulting that Muslims are being compared to Nazis. But he did not say why or compare the two groups' actions.
Nazis killed a lot of Jews- whom Muslims also want to kill, like whole of Israel.
During Ramadan, Muslims have gone on a killing spree- killing civilians en masse like the one today in Iraq where 60 young men were killed because they wanted to get a job with the army.
For the above reasons and the fact that most Muslim nations have horrible human rights and minority rights records, I would say that Islam is worse than Nazism.
Posted by: jonathan879 | August 18, 2010 8:29 PM
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We might understand the nostalgia that conservatives feel for George Bush, as they watch the GOP trying to outdo itself with ever more outrageous feats of cynical fear-mongering. But from the liberal perspective, this current ugliness is part of a steady progression of hypocrisy that began with Reagan.
Posted by: gibsonpolk | August 18, 2010 7:30 PM
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Conservatives are BIGOTS, and all they have to offer is HATE.
THEY are the ones who hate America for its freedoms!
Posted by: thomasmc1957 | August 18, 2010 7:22 PM
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I think you should share your views with your brothern in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq....I wonder what their reaction would be
Posted by: reddy531 | August 18, 2010 6:15 PM
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President Bush believes that it is a matter of honor for a former President to not interfere with the next administration by making statements about current issues. I think it is a wonderful, dignified position to take. Also, it prevents Democrats from erecting their Bush straw dog to blame their own incompetence on during future elections.
Posted by: Georgetowner1 | August 18, 2010 4:43 PM
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There are two kind of critics of Islam: one is from believers of other deities and the second kind is from freethinkers. You can easely K.O. the first kind, but you will never explain to a freethinker the existence a just loving supreme being if you would take time and consider that on earth there are species of obligate predators. Human beings created deities, not the other way around. Mostly have come and gone, it is a pattern.
Posted by: ThishowIseeit | August 18, 2010 4:00 PM
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Both President Bush Jr and President Obama said a number of times that "Islam is a religion of peace". The evidence as demonstrated by Muslim scriptural texts and actions of some Muslims negate this premise.
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | August 18, 2010 3:46 PM
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So muslims need Bush. This is absolutely laughable. Americans push back on a bad decision to build a mosque at ground zero, with passion, and Mr Patel and his good friend Imam Rauf are in a tail spin. By the way, those terrorists that flew planes into the WTC and Pentagon, they were muslims, period. Bush, like Obama, is historically challenged, a religion of peace does not wage a 1400 year war against non-believers, but islam has and continues to do so. Spin it any way you want to, building a mosque at ground zero by a group of muslims, well intended or not, is tasteless, classless and just downright mean spirited. It shows a disregard for the "sensibilities" of "Americans". It shows that islam does not want dialogue, it wants its way.
Posted by: svengerald | August 18, 2010 3:35 PM
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Let's see.
Inherent in your words is the idea that Americans are too stupid to understand their own laws or the various nuances of the situation. Fine.
At the one extreme we have the recent news of a young couple, no doubt very much in love, being stoned to death in Afghanistan. Adulterers!
At the other end of the scale we have the Glasgow Airport bombers, all Muslim, all physicians, all British citizens, all very educated... trying to blow up a major airport in one of the most civilized spots in the world.
Perhaps W should speak up. He could give us a variant of his "axis of evil" speech.
Americans do understand the right to build virtually anywhere. I imagine that they'd simply hoped for a different level of reciprocity and respect. What they've received instead is Islam's version of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. Fine.
Changing course slightly, I see that the world is slow to respond to the cataclysmic flooding in Islamic Pakistan.
True, U.S. military helicopters are doing what they can to rescue the stranded but it isn't enough, is it?
One does wonder why the money dedicated to this gleaming new building in New York isn't being redirected to your suffering brothers in the faith in Pakistan. Is it a matter of priorities? Is your new mosque more important than the drowning, already starving, dehydrated Muslims in Pakistan?
Not to worry. Rich, dumb, Christian Americans will no doubt rise to the occasion of trying to save them.
Posted by: MichaelATX | August 18, 2010 3:20 PM
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President Bush could demonstrate that he is a man of honor. He has some very close Muslim friends, and one of the Princes of Saudi Arabia is considered like a member of the family. Why would he defend the Mosque in no uncertain terms, because it is the right thing to do, and its far more important to establish that America welcomes are well behaved members of all religion and treats them equally. President Bush greatest moment was when he went before the nation after 9/11 and said that it was wrong and American to blame American Muslims or all Muslims for the acts of few nuts on 9/11. I have always hated Bush for many reasons, but if he is brave and honorable enough to step forward on this issue, I will have to admit I was wrong about his motives, if not his policies.
Note By percentage of Populations, more than twice as many American Muslims died during 9/11 than Americas in general when 358 American Muslims were killed.
Posted by: Muddy_Buddy_2000 | August 18, 2010 3:15 PM
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Muslims need George Bush?! Good grief. There must either be some seriously bad weed going around DC or else the brown acid has made a resurgence. Bush is personally responsible for hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslim civilians and the consequences of his direct actions continue to kill more Muslims than the Crusdaes, yet you think they need him based on one single statement. A bit like making a pact with the devil to save your own lousy hide, don't you think...
Posted by: Byrd3 | August 18, 2010 3:12 PM
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All American Muslims need to vote in US elections. Muslims; Please go out and become registered voters. Make a difference in this upcoming elections.
Muslims need to learn that;this is a NUMBERS' GAME!
Posted by: keepsgoing | August 18, 2010 3:08 PM
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Mr. Bush got hung out to dry by Pelosi, Reid and others who were as complicit in the the Iraq War as he was. Why on earth would he sacrifice his privacy and retirement to bail them out of this mess now - all because Obama didn't know a third rail when he saw one? Don't expect Mr. Bush to say one peep of a word.
Posted by: mwcob | August 18, 2010 3:02 PM
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Hear Ye/Yo Hear Yo/YE; O' Ishlami's & CO.:
Secret (opposite REVEALation): See:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iran-if-attacked-our-response-will-be-wide-ranging-and-unpredictable-1.309716
W A R N i N G America & Co:: So; according to me dreams: The Ayatollah Regime, via "Ayatollah-Revenge" and via their new DRONE (a copy cat/Patent from Kafirs), aka "KARAR" or similar will be targeting the K A A B A, at Mecca, in 18 Months; only to blame it on the KAFIRS (U.S. & Coalition , aka KAFIRS). And in me dreams;
The WAHHABI & AYATOLLAH's will (before orchestrated Attack on the Kaaba) will Secretly 1st Remove their Idols & replace them with Fakes. Then they will drop an Atomic (small bomb) on Israel, because the Arabou's Ummah will blame the Kaaba Destruction on Israel & U.S. & Coalition; as Blame Blame Blame.! Note: Like Saying that KAFIRS blew-up WTC; not any Ishlami's??? Pleazza!
RECOMMENDATION:
The Kaaba, at MECCA, Saudi: should have a Special Anti-Missile Dome Built Over its ex-Idols-House {Kaba} or Closet. And Spend 50% of their Income Protecting the Kaaba; IF they care. ELSE; GoodBye KAABA!
So Now, the Plan to Destroy the Kaaba by Ishlami's for Starting a Nuke War, is been REVEALED (opposite Secret) YE/YO All, aye!? Soo BE - C A R E F U L Kafir's. Watch-out for The Elders Of Al-Taqiyah's Great Conspiracy Wars & Pre-Planning's against US! ISRAEL & CO., is DOOMED! Thanks to Pakistan's Atomic Bombs and NEO-Ishlami Turkish Jealousy's! Thank, China too?
Note: The Neo-Ishlami-Turkish 1,200 [un-armed] so-called, NATO folks at Afghanistan are only Spies for the Wahhabi, Ayatollah's and Ottomon's Turk future war plans. Question: How Many Turkish Soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq got Killed since the Apocalypse?
Note Again: i[WE] have Tape-Recording, from Afghanistan; from a ishlami Turkish NATO Outfit; smoking Hashish with ishlami Tribal Leaders, and Praising & laughing, as if Allah, their "MAGNIFICANT-19" {WTC Martyr's, Bombers/Conspirators}. How Naive & Dumb the Kafirs [Americans et al]! It will be made public in 72 Hours, worldwide!
PS: FACT: Osama Bin Laden is DEAD! Since Summer of 2007!