http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/moonbatcentral/2005/05/john-conyers-****lls-for-cair.html
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
John Conyers ****lls for C.A.I.R.
Now, for the eye-popper of the week: U.S. Representative John Conyers
(D-Michigan) has submitted a House resolution to protect religion,
most specifically Islam, from "disrespect." The resolution, H. Res.
288, states:
"Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning
bigotry and religious intolerance, and recognizing that holy books of
every religion should be treated with dignity and respect.
Whereas believers of all religions, including the Abrahamic faiths of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam, should be treated with respect and
dignity;
Whereas the word Islam comes from the Arabic root word meaning
"peace"and "submission";
Whereas there are an estimated 7,000,000 Muslims in America, from a
wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, forming an integral part of the
social fabric of America;
Whereas the Quran is the holy book for Muslims who recite passages
from it in prayer and learn valuable lessons about peace, humanity and
spirituality;
Whereas it should never be official policy of the United States
Government to disparage the Quran, Islam, or any religion in any way,
shape, or form;
Whereas mistreatment of prisoners and disrespect toward the holy book
of any religion is unacceptable and against civilized humanity;
Whereas the infringement of an individual's right to freedom of
religion violates the Constitution and laws of the United States: Now,
therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives;
(1) condemns bigotry, acts of violence, and intolerance against any
religious group, including our friends, neighbors, and citizens of the
Islamic faith;
(2) declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all
individuals, including those of the Islamic faith, should be
protected;
(3) recognizes that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as any other
holy book of any religion, should be treated with dignity and respect;
and
(4) calls upon local, State, and Federal authorities to work to
prevent bias-motivated crimes and acts against all individuals,
including those of the Islamic faith."
It seems strange that Conyers, whose party goes absolutely ballistic
when Republicans intimate that Judeo-Christian beliefs under-pin the
U.S., suggest that Freedom of Speech be toyed with in order to
accommodate religion. Perhaps not so strange, once one realizes that
Conyers has been a close ally of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) since 9/11.
How much of this relation****p is due to Conyer's representing
Michigan, a state with a large Muslim-Arab population, and how much of
it has to do with CAIR's contributions to Conyer's political efforts,
is anyone's guess.
A quick refresher on CAIR: Ghassan Ela****, founder of CAIR's Texas
Chapter, was indicted for financial dealings with Musa abu Marzook, a
Hamas leader. In 1995, US attorney Mary Jo White named CAIR advisory
board member Siraj Wahhaj as a possible co-conspirator in plans to
destroy the World Trade Center and other NY City landmarks. In May of
2005 another CAIR leader, Ismail Randall Royer, was found guilty of
funding terrorism and was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for
training in Virginia for holy war against the United States. CAIR's
associations with Islamic terror groups and individual terrorists go
on and on and on.
U.S. Representative Conyers was a prime sponsor of a Ramadan
celebration on Capitol Hill last year in which CAIR figured
prominently. He also works closely with Dennis Kucinich, who organized
a major CAIR fundraiser in November 2003, which addressed issues
concerning American Muslims.
Conyers signed on to appear at a "Muslim Solidarity Day for Justice
and Peace" rally in D.C. in May, 2003 but sent an aide in his place
instead. The rally, which was essentially an hours-long rant against
the Patriot Act, featured radical leftist and Muslim groups.
Last month, Conyers, at CAIR's urging, sponsored a resolution
condemning Narendra Modi, which resulted in Modi being denied a visa
to visit the U.S. Modi, minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, was
accused by CAIR of not taking proper action to quell anti-Muslim riots
that broke out in Gujarat after Muslims attacked a train carrying
Indian activists. An im****tant point concerning the riots, and one
apparently missed by Rep. Conyers, is that while Modi may have failed
to stop the violence, Muslims started it.
In lofty language, Conyer's resolution H. 288 implies the need for a
deep sense of respect for Islam in the U.S. and legal protection of it
from its critics. Does Representative Conyers realize that there is an
indiscernible line between criticism and disrespect and therefore this
line, if it in fact exists at all, should be given wide berth, lest
Freedom of Speech be threatened?
A natural question arises in response to Conyer's resolution: Does
America's Muslim leader****p actively foster a sense of respect towards
religions other than Islam?
The words of CAIR chairman Omar Ahmad provide a possible answer. Said
Ahmad, in a 1998 Muslim rally in California:
"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become
dominant. The Quran should be the highest authority in America, and
Islam the only accepted religion on earth."
U.S. Representative Conyers, are you listening?
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