Protests against imam at Va. House of Delegates
Hundreds of Virginians were urging legislators to boycott the House of Delegates session on Thursday, when a Falls Church imam whom they accuse of condoning violence and defending terrorism was to deliver the opening prayer, The Washington Post reports.
Reporters Anita Kumar and William Wan – the latter a former Baltimore Sun colleague – write that Abdul-Malik and other leaders in the Muslim and interfaith communities say the accusations against him are false. Some background from The Post:
Two of the Sept. 11 hijackers briefly worshiped at his mosque, the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, and one of its former imams, Anwar al-Aulaqi, has been linked to accused terrorists and subsequently denounced by the mosque, one of the largest in the United States.But Abdul-Malik was not affiliated with the mosque in 2001, when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. In recent years, he has made statements following the arrest of Muslims on terrorism charges, arguing for due process, civil rights and fair sentencing.
"To try to cast me as someone who's a terrorist and closed-minded -- they picked the wrong guy,'' he said.
Soon after Sept. 11, Abdul-Malik was featured in paid ads produced by a group of national Muslim organizations, which denounced terrorism and the attacks. He has condemned terrorism and Osama bin Laden on "The O'Reilly Factor" and other television programs.
Still, letters and calls have poured into legislative offices since Friday, when a handful of concerned delegates let community activists know that Abdul-Malik was coming to Richmond.
"He's an apologist for people who commit criminal acts,'' said James Lafferty, chairman of the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force. The group, along with the Traditional Values Coalition and Act for America, will hold a rally outside the state Capitol on Thursday morning.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations put out a release on Thursday calling opponents to Abdul-Malik’s appearance “Islamophobes.” CAIR is asking supporters to contact Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell to thank him for “standing up to the Islam-bashers” and to contact delegates Adam Ebbin and Kaye Kory, the sponsors of the prayer, to thank them for “supporting religious diversity and inclusion in Virginia.”
“We cannot let a vocal minority of hate-mongers deny American Muslims their constitutionally-guaranteed right to take part in the political process,” CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor said.
Comments
Why are the Islamists kept on being appeased in the Western civilization?! Imagine demanding a Christian prayer in a Muslim-ruled Govt - there would be violent Muslim riots and Christians probably murdered and chrches burnt! I wonder whether these so called multiculturalists would be open enough to include all kinds of religious and non-religious prayers then - which should include Native American prayers, Jehovah Witness prayer, Mormon prayer, Hindu prayer, Buddhist prayer, Bahai prayer and so on!
Posted by: Katharina Sri (former: Noor Aza) | March 11, 2010 4:26 PM
Katharina Sri has it right. The US was and is a Christian nation. Yes, there are practicing Muslims here, and they should be glad we don't treat them like Iran treats practicing Christians (or Pakistan, Iraq Morocco or any other Muslim country). When I look to the law for protection it is a law based on the ten commandments, not on Sharia. The Koran has too many calls for "death" as a punishment for unbelief to allow it's followers to open our lawmakers sessions with their prayers.
Posted by: Rev. Tim Lehmann | March 11, 2010 7:16 PM
Katharina,
This multiculturalist says, bring it on! I llok forward to the day a Druid or Wiccan opens session...preferably in full regalia.
As to your scenario regarding a Christian appearing in a like role in a Muslim setting, you're undoubtedly right (at least in some/most Muslim settings). I'm just not sure we in this country should be modeling their intolerance. Rather, we can hold on to the fond, probably naive, hope that our demonstration of tolerance will be a beacon to others.
Posted by: BankStreet | March 11, 2010 7:17 PM
By the way...
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/hindu_prayer_in_congress.html#Interrupt
...maybe we aren't as "tolerant" as I had hoped.
Posted by: BankStreet | March 11, 2010 7:20 PM
Mr Lehmann,
The United States is not, in point of fact "a Christian Nation.' The fact was underscored in the first treaty the US signed with a foreign power (Tripoli, modern-day Libya), in 1797. That treaty contains this clause, signed by President John Adams:
"Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
We are not even a Nation of Christians. We are, though "out of many, one."
Posted by: Anonymous | March 11, 2010 8:20 PM
Mr Lehmann,
As one who would be put to death under the laws outlined in Levitticus, I question your benign take on Biblical justice.
Posted by: BankStreet | March 11, 2010 8:23 PM
Mr Lehmann,
I'm glad you think you live in a country governed by law based on the Ten Comandments. I'm just glad I don't live in that country with you. The last time I checked US Federal Law seemed only to relate to three out of the ten Comandments.
Another good reason to keep those stone tablets in your church and off my Courthouse lawn.
Posted by: BankStreet | March 12, 2010 8:17 AM