George Bush used the word Crusade several years ago, and it caused an international uprorar. Today, there can be no doubt that Peter King, John Cornyn, George Pataki, Sarah Palin, and all their sympathizers are on a crusade against Islam. The crusade aims at destroying Islam in America, and declaring war on Islam in general.
How can I say this?
I read the blogs, the comments on the websites from CNN to Politico and elsewhere, The leadership says that Muslims attacked us. The followers say that ISlam is evil. In florida they want to burn a Koran on ourmost religious of days, Eid al Fitr. In NY, they want to deny us the right to build a cultural center with a mosque inside. In Murfreesboro, they declared Islam a cult.
To declare war on Islam may gain some votes, but this is an incredibly politically stupid move. There are almost a billion muslims, So many islamic countries, and to demonize them through political posturing will have long lasting impact. Their can no longer be this idea of outreach to the muslim world. The curtain has been peeled back and it is evident to the muslim world, the putrid hatred underneath that is held by so many millions against an entire religion.
For so many years, I have noticed the inabaility of the press or regular americans to condemn hate speech against Islam. Whereas, if it was directed against another group it would be declared bigoted and racist, it seems acceptable to call muslims every name in the book.
The illogical fallacy of smearing Islam with Al Qaeda is a place not even George W Bush was willing to go.
Yet with the surfacing of Sarah Palin as the leader of the right wing machine, it is clear that the Republicans have staked their election hopes on bigotry and hatred.
John Cornyn desperately wants this to be an eletion issue.
But how many groups are they going to kick out of their tent? They've already kicked out gays, hispanics, now muslims. What will be left is the purist anglo American they so desperately seem to want to promote.
I have never seen American politics so dangerously divisive and full of hate as I do today. The last time must have been in the McCarthy era.
The question is, what can and what will we do to stop the hate machine and call it out for what it is?