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Huckabee strikes out with comments on Islam
Former Arkansas governor and 2012 presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee found himself in hot water this week after he called Islam the "antithesis of the gospel of Christ" and said that churches that share worship space with Muslims are caving to a religion "that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated."
In an analysis of how Islam may shape campaign politics, Politico's Bryon Tau wrote: "As Republican candidates define their national security stands in the 2012 elections, conservative discomfort with Islam in America will be a feature of the debate."
Should Islam be debated on the campaign trail? Are religious issues in danger of being exploited?
Former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, would be called 'out' on strikes if his recent comments about Islam were swings at a baseball game. Three verbal swings and three verbal misses add up to a strike out. Like all strike outs, there will always be a later opportunity to step up to the plate, but for now, Mr. Huckabee should be sitting in the dugout reflecting on just how wrong he got it.
Strike one: Mr. Huckabee's claim regarding "a Muslim group that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated." This could actually count as two strikes, but because we should be charitable in our assessment (it's the 'Christian thing to do', right?), I am only counting it as one.
Huckabee is wrong on Islam claiming that Christians are infidels. In fact, like Jews, they are 'people of the book' - a far cry from infidels. He is also wrong because even if he argued that despite the teachings of classical Islam, many Muslims call Christians infidels, does he know that the ones to whom he was referring have ever done that? Wrong on the facts and arguing with insufficient information = strike one.
Strike two: Mr. Huckabee's playing a dangerous game of reductio ad absurdum. Even if he really did not intend to compare the practice of Islam to viewing adult movies, as he certainly seemed to, there is no doubt that he used an argument meant to create fear of some non-existent outcome. "Where does this end? How far does it go?" he asked when referring to the rental of a church to a Muslim group.
Like all slippery slope arguments, the idea is to argue against something which does not exist because there is little or no problem with the issue at hand. Fear is the emotion which animates such arguments, and using his own fears to frighten others counts as strike two against Mr. Huckabee.
Strike three: Attacking Islam for a triumphalist version of faith which is little different than his own. When Mr. Huckabee asserts, "We're talking different when you have a faith that believes that all who don't adhere to that specific faith are infidels."
While Islam does not consider all others to be infidels, it does consider other faiths to be incomplete and deficient. So does Mr. Huckabee's understand of Christian faith! There is no salvation except through Christ, according to the tenets of his faith, and so for Mr. Huckabee's pot calling Islam's kettle black, we call strike three.
At least for now, Governor Huckabee, you are out.
By
Brad Hirschfield
|
February 22, 2011; 5:01 PM ET
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Posted by: LeeH1 | March 1, 2011 2:37 PM
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Yes, Huckabee is dead wrong on his assertion of how Muslims view Jesus. I grew up in a Muslim-majority country (Bangladesh). The Imams and clerics always showed respect when they uttered the name of Jesus (they call him). They always show respect by placing the title “Hazrat” before his name—the same title they use before the name of their prophet. The expression “peace be upon him” is always followed after the name of Jesus (and all the prophet including the prophet of Islam) is pronounced. I have not heard any Muslim desecrating Jesus or showing disrespect to him. In fact, I have not heard any derogatory remarks against Christianity. I have heard plenty of anti-Americanism. That’s a different issue. This is the reason it was quite a shock for me when I saw that Christian leaders and politicians like Huckabee routinely malign Islam, its prophet and Muslims.
Posted by: raihanshafiq | March 1, 2011 1:00 AM
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What Huckabee should have said:
"Islamic armies, imbued with what Mohammed claimed was divine authorization, imposed Islam by force over vast areas, all the while extorting wealth from subjugated Jews and Christians to fund their ongoing conquests. As I noted, major defeats at Tours, France, in A.D. 732, and again at Vienna, Austria, in A.D. 1683, halted Islam’s attempt to take all of Europe by force. Gradually Islamic forces were forced to retreat from Europe, except for part of the Balkans. But Islam has again set its sights on a conquest of Europe and of European civilization, wherever the latter has spread to North and South America and other regions. Muslim strategists ask their followers, Why do we find in these modern times that Allah has entrusted most of the world’s oil wealth primarily to Muslim nations?
Their answer: Allah foresaw Islam’s need for funds to finance a final politico-religious victory over what Islam perceives as its ultimate enemy: Christianized Euro-American civilization. So, Islam follows Nazism, fascism and communism as the world’s latest hostile takeover aspirant.......
A Muslim strategist in Beverly Hills, California, declared several years ago, as quoted by a friend of mine: “Now that the struggle between Western democracies and international communism is winding down, it is time for the real and final struggle to begin, and we are going to win!”- Don Richardson
Posted by: YEAL9 | February 28, 2011 8:28 AM
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I enjoy reading your posts, rabbi. on this post, you've made an excellent call - and even better explanations for making the call.
Posted by: Kingofkings1 | February 24, 2011 2:29 AM
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I enjoy reading your posts rabbi. On this one, you've made an excellent call - with even better explanations for your calls
Posted by: Kingofkings1 | February 24, 2011 2:27 AM
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The clever question is to ask Huckabee if he has actually read the Qu'ran. If not, then he must admit that he doesn't know what he is talking about.
On the other hand, if he has read the whole Qu'ran, then some of his Christian followers would be appalled that a Christian would read such things.
Like his statements, his answer would be indefensible in either way.