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 The ruins of a mosque in Joplin, Missouri, after a fire last month that Muslims leaders suspect was an arson.
September 5th, 2012
01:19 PM ET
Rising anti-Islamic sentiment in America troubles MuslimsBy Moni Basu, CNN On the program, called "The Threat in Our Backyard," is a lecture on Islam in public schools and a short film on Sharia finance. It's a program organized by people who feel the American way of life is threatened by Islam - in particular, Sharia, or Islamic law. Sharia would bring ruin to America, says Greg Johnson, vice president of the 9/12 Project Tennessee, a sponsor of the event that advocates for shifting government back to the intent of the Constitution's authors. He says he has nothing against Muslims, but he takes issue with the tenets of Islam. Sharia, he believes, would mean that practicing homosexuals would be put to death, women would not be educated and would be married off to men chosen by their fathers, and non-Muslims would become kafirs - nonbelievers - relegated to second-class citizenship. My Faith: After my mosque was torched "And I don't want that coming to America," Johnson says. He's not alone in his fears. A tide of anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling across America in recent months, strong enough to prompt one imam to wish for the days immediately after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when President George W. Bush declared that Muslims were not our enemies; that the war on terror was against a select few who acted upon their hate for America. "In the 11 years since, we have retreated," says Abdullah Antepli, the Muslim chaplain at Duke University who likes to call himself the Blue Devil Imam. Muslims make up less than 1% of the U.S. population. Yet, say Muslim advocates, they are a community besieged. Hate crimes against Muslims spiked 50% in 2010, the last year for which FBI statistics are available. That was in a year marked by Muslim-bashing speech over the Islamic center near ground zero in Manhattan and Florida Pastor Terry Jones' threats to burn Qurans. Why some American Muslims wear the hijab Antepli likens the current climate to McCarthyism. Left unchecked, he says, anti-Muslim fervor, like racism and anti-Semitism, has the potential to evolve into something dangerous. This year's holy month of Ramadan, which ended August 19, was marred by a spate of violence at U.S. Islamic centers that included a fire, a homemade bomb and pig parts. The incidents were unprecedented in scale and scope, says the Council on American-Islamic Relations. At least seven mosques and one cemetery were attacked in the United States during Ramadan, according to the council and other groups that track such incidents. Particularly visible on the anti-Muslim radar has been the state of Tennessee, where a mosque opened during Ramadan after two years of controversy. The new Islamic center in Murfreesboro opened a few weeks ago after delays caused by legal wrangling, community protests and vandalism. Also in Tennessee, incumbent congresswoman Diane Black found herself publicly opposing Sharia after her opponent Lou Ann Zelenik made it a campaign issue. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter State senatorial candidate Woody Degan's website also mentions Sharia: "VOTE CONSERVATIVE! VOTE Anti-Sharia, VOTE Against Internet Taxes, Vote FOR Gun Carry Rights! VOTE for your PERSONAL RIGHTS!" And Gov. Bill Haslam recently came under fire for hiring lawyer Samar Ali, a Muslim woman from Tennessee, to work in the international division of the state's economic development department. Ali's critics called her Sharia-compliant and a website called Bill H(Islam) attacked the governor for pursuing "a policy that promotes the interest of Islamist (sic) and their radical ideology." The website links to another that discusses, among other things, Islamic infiltration of public schools. "I cannot stress enough the seriousness of their push to spread their religion to all non-Muslims throughout our country," says website author Cathy Hinners, another speaker at next Tuesday's 9/11 event in Franklin. Why do Muslims pray five times daily? "Why? Why are Muslims so adamant that we accept their religion? The answer is simple. The answer is in black and white. The answer is in the Muslim brotherhoods "Strategic Goal for North America." It's called a global caliphate. One religion, one government, one law... called Sharia." In November 2010, more than 70% of voters in Oklahoma approved a ballot initiative to amend the state's constitution that banned courts from looking at "legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia law." The amendment died after a federal court ruled it discriminatory. "That was very explicitly anti-Islamic," says Glenn Hendrix, an Atlanta lawyer who specializes in international law. "It specifically referenced Sharia." This year, 33 anti-Sharia or international law bills were introduced in 20 states, making it a key issue. Six states - Louisiana, South Dakota, Kansas, Arizona, Louisiana and Tennessee - adopted such laws prior to 2012. Two Tennessee lawmakers attempted to pass a bill this year that would have made it a felony to practice Sharia, but it failed. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says the anti-Sharia bills are based on draft legislation promoted by David Yerushalmi, an anti-Islamic lawyer from New York. Yerushalmi founded the Society of Americans for National Existence, an organization devoted to promoting his theory that Islam is inherently seditious and Sharia is a "criminal conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. "Ideally," says the center, "he would outlaw Islam and deport its adherents altogether." Hendrix says anti-Sharia legislation is not necessary since U.S. courts ultimately are beholden to U.S. law. But it sends a strong message to the Muslim community. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The American Bar Association, which opposes federal or state laws that impose blanket prohibitions on foreign laws, says such legislative initiatives stigmatize an entire religious community and "are inconsistent with some of the core principles and ideals of American jurisprudence." Valarie Kaur, a legal advocate and hate crimes specialist, says proponents of anti-Sharia bills are battling an imaginary threat. "There is no push to install Sharia law in the U.S.," she says. "Anti-Sharia bills target the religious principles of Muslim Americans and fuel anti-Muslim rhetoric and bias. As a Sikh American whose community has too often become the target of hate, I believe it's time to stand against all forms of racism and religious bigotry." An attack at a Wisconsin Sikh temple last month killed six people. Many believe the shooter mistook Sikhs for Muslims. A Sikh gas station attendant in Arizona was the first victim of reprisal after the 9/11 attacks. Kaur blames tough economic times and an amplification of hateful speech for incidents like the temple shooting and the momentum behind the anti-Sharia campaign. For Muslims, Sharia - which means "path to the watering hole" in Arabic - is the divine law revealed centuries ago in the Quran that governs all aspects of life. More often than not, it's the most sensational parts of Sharia - like cutting off a thief's hand - that garner the most publicity. U.S. courts bump up against it in cases of divorces, inheritance, child custody, enforcement of money judgments and commercial disputes or tort actions. A trial court in New Jersey, for instance, ruled that a husband, who was Muslim, lacked the criminal intent to commit sexual assault on his wife because Sharia permits a man to have sex with his wife whenever he wants. That's the kind of ruling that fuels anti-Sharia activists. Nashville health-care investor Andrew Miller says there's no room for democracy within Islamic ideology. All you have to do is look to any Islamic state, he says. "If you wanted to pray to a large rock and that was your God, I could care less," he says. "But the minute you want to put a gun to my head and say you will pray to this large rock and your family will or you will pay the price, that's when I see a bully. I see an overbearing ideology that wants to force and coerce people. Miller describes himself as a tolerant person but not when it comes to people dictating how others will live. "That's antithetical to the freedoms that we value, the liberty we value," he says. The message that Islam is evil has been repeated so many times - sometimes directly, sometimes in a more subtle fashion - that it has sunk in as reality in the hearts and minds of many Americans, says Antepli, the Duke chaplain. Part of it is fear of the unknown, he says. "I, too, would have a monstrous image of Islam if I did not know any better." But another part of it is orchestrated, he says, referring to "well-organized and polished" anti-Islam websites that have sprouted in recent years. Marry that with ignorance and the end result is lethal, Antepli says. The Center for American Progress, a liberal research and advocacy organization, published a report last year that attributed the rise of Islamophobia to a "small, tightly-networked group of misinformation experts." The report called "Fear, Inc." lists seven foundations that gave $42.6 million to think tanks to promote anti-Islamic thought. It describes "deeply intertwined individuals and organizations" that "manufacture and exaggerate threats of 'creeping Sharia,' Islamic domination of the West, and purported obligatory calls to violence against all non-Muslims by the Quran." The issue of Sharia, say some Muslims, has become a political hot potato in an election year. GOP candidates Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann mentioned Sharia in their campaign speeches. This year's Republican Party platform makes mention of foreign laws: "Subjecting American citizens to foreign laws is inimical to the spirit of the Constitution. It is one reason we oppose U.S. participation in the International Criminal Court. There must be no use of foreign law by U.S. courts in interpreting our Constitution and laws. Nor should foreign sources of law be used in State courts' adjudication of criminal or civil matters." That's the message Miller hopes people will take away from next week's 9/11 meeting; that the tenets of Islam go against the constitution of the United States. It's diametrically opposed to what people like Antepli and Kaur will be saying as America remembers the horror of terrorism. Hateful sentiment, they say, is not the answer. soundoff (2,383 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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if sharia law is adopted in america, then that is the end of america that we all knew all along.
What about killing Christian in Egypt, Kenya, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and more ….
What kind of peace you want to tell us
Believe who, the people saying in America it is religion of peace, or the Islamic nations killing minors and praise this massacre
It is already too late. Christians have done their own "sharia law" in violation of our Constltution.
Christian "Sharia" law caused them to violate our Constltution as soon as it was signed.
Religion has no place in governing our country. That is why we have the First Amendment!
But in the very first Congress, priests were allowed to pontificate, proclaim, and pray in that Congress!
Many many laws have been passed that violate the First Amendment since then.
So many, in fact, that we now live under a sort of Christian-biased system of Sharia-type laws wedged into every available level of government, regulation, and ordinance.
If you want to make it impossible for Sharia law to gain a foothold, you must first remove the Christian laws from the books and close the holes where they can be shoved in.
Already in New York, Haredi Jews are forcing people around them to follow their religious laws. Jewish Sharia right there in NYC!
This is because many religious people do not want to follow our secular laws.
BUT THAT IS A REQUIREMENT FOR LIVING HERE!!!
I'm a rather tolerant person.
But Islam does not belong in the USA.
Islam is a very disruptive religion that seeks to meddle into politics.
Islam needs to undergo an entire reformation the same way all the other religions underwent reformations a thousand years ago.
Until then no Islam in the USA.
.
As an educated Muslim, I agree with you. Islam needs to go under a refromation and a re-enlightenment. Muslims today are too stupid to know any better.
ANYONE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN ALLAH AND ISLAM WILL BURN IN HELLFIRE!
Hard to burn in hell when it only exists in your imagination. There is no evidence for hell, or heaven, or any gods.
@ islam forever Anyone who kills women in "honor killings" will be in hell first, right behind you.
The problem with Islam and its followers, particularly in the case of sharia law, is the refusal to acclimate to life in the US. Second and third generation Muslims growing up in America will not have this problem, because they will grow up in American culture and be Americans. First generation Muslims can't seem to make the same change, hence wonderful customs like honor killings of little girls. Such a gift you bring to America...
FUUUUUUUUUUUCK ISLAM!!!
If Muslims acted in accordance with our laws in public AND IN PRIVATE, I would have no problem letting them live here.
But religions were made up to be the "ultimate laws" for their gullible followers.
WE HAVE A SUPREME LAW IN THIS COUNTRY AND IT IS THE CONSTlTUTION NOT YOUR RELIGION!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Osama Abdallah to some degree, 9/11 was a Mossed/CIA operation carried off to get us involved in the protection of Israel and to cover up the looting of the middle class in America. It worked quite well and now we are in dept and no jobs unless joining the military and fighting is your goal. Islam is a wacko religion like Scientology made up by a opium smoker for no other reason but jealousy of the Jews and Christan's. He actually was run out of the Middle East and spent six years in a French Jesuit Mission. On returning to the Middle East he was well funded and armed. Go figure!
9/11 was an inside job! WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode!
VISIT: www(dot)answering-christianity(dot)com.
Conspiracy theories count for nothing and that website you posted even less than nothing.
9/11 was the direct result of muslim terrorists, nothing more.
We are sorry, we can't believe this stupid story, our family members are killed there MR lair
, you want us to believe that JESUS is MUSLIM, and in your Quran book you say Jewish carry their books like donkey - I read this,
And I read about all Muslim to be ready for killing Jewish and Christian and all who not believe in Mohamed.
Wake-up we read we study, the net is full with all you truth, not the lie you used to state.
I saw video for new-york imam saying we will put all American under our shoes in ENGLISH SPEECH and the entire attendance saying ALLAH AKBAR, this is what you do in mosques, and this is thank you for the citizenship
If the Islam is peace and great, why you left your country and came here as Muslims?
Why also the minors coming here as aslyee?
All of you want to escape…. So why want to bring it here.
PLEASE, my last question: what is the name for any islamic country successes and improves and also has live in human right standard
NO-ONE.
If you wish to live by Sharia law, then you are in the wrong country.Thier are ships and jets waiting to take you to any other country. This is the United states of America. In this country , We live by our laws. We respect women, as our equal. We prefer to sleep with our women, not our men. If your Sharia law is so important . You have my permission to leave my country. I can promise you will not be missed. Also, you have my permission to take along any company of people you wish.
These muslims believe the lies of the Mohammad and follow in satan's afterglow. I smell pigs here. I"ve been married three times to the same muslim girl and have the same in-laws. Blame it on the Christians for having the guts to tell muslim idiots God's truth.
Amen.
9/11 was an inside job! WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode!
VISIT: www(dot)answering-christianity(dot)com..
As an educated Muslim, I agree with you. Islam needs to go under a refromation and a re-enlightenment. Muslims today are too stupid to know any better. They confuse the culture with religion.
To the prior emailers: You reveal your dishonesty with the multiple posts. You reveal your hatred that feeds you faith by your refusal to believe the obvious.
Tom Tom,
t does not surprise me that he would not have noticed it. If you ask people they will tell you they are not religious.
Which for an atheist was very refreshing. The J@panese are ones to be culturally very private about their personal opinions and beliefs. They go with what is expected to be said for the most part.
You have to examine the behavior such as those that have been killed for speaking anything negative about the emperor. Also if you bring up the topic of the emperor, you can see an awkward unwillingness to discuss it, like trying to discuss the flaws of Christianity with a regular church goer who finds the topic offensive. the belief in the emperor as a god is not as strong or overt as it once was. But it is there, most clearly seen in the belief of a pure and holy blood line. Extreme Right wing elements of course carry it more firmly. In Kyoto you can see them drive past in black vans everyday speaking about how foreigners should all leave. I lived in Kyoto for some of my stay.
I would enjoy talking about my experiences any time. I was lucky to see some very deep glimpses into J@panese society. My friend in Kyoto was a doctoral candidate in linguistics and was the first and only foreigner to be a teacher in the public school system. We had great talks about J@panese Politics, Society, and of course just psycho-linguistics and religion in general. My own education is in Psychology, hence my appreciation for Steven Pinker's contributions that is all too apparent.
@ScottCA
Any background in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) ?
Peace...
No. I took more of an interest in evolutionary Psychology and Neurology, hence I made the leap to atheism and freed myself as a natural outcome of my studies and what I learned. I used to say I did not follow any organized religion. Then I learned my views were better called Atheism.
And did you happen to notice their xenophobia and the racism while you were there, Scott?
Please stop putting links to "iReport" stories on the front page or the site. I keep clicking them thinking they're real news then I see the iReport logo.
9/11 was an inside job! WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode! Visit answering-christianity(dot)com.
WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode! Visit answering-christianity(dot)com..
It just goes to show – hatred and ignorance is alive and well in the United States of America
FCUK BUSH! DICK "WHATS HIS NAME" AND MITT ROMNEY THE FCUKING CLOWN AND THE LITTLE LEPRECHAUN RYAN
All men of good conscience and Christians must take some time and learn what islam really teaches about The Bible and even Jesus. They will tell you that the Bible is corrupt and that only the koran is perfect. They will tell you that Jesus was a moslem like all the old jewish prophets. They will tell you that it was Ishmael not Isaac that God Chose for the Covenant. They will tell you that Jesus was just a man, just a prophet. They will tell you the I and the Father are one is a lie. They will say that Jesus did not die on the cross or rose from the tomb. They will deny his divinity. They will tell you that they aim to take over the world and forcibly turn us all moslem and made to live under shariah law. THese moslems are a disease and it is about time we rise up as a nation and take care of them.
iits called "DIFFERENCE" in the TWO religions..YOU ARE A FCUKING IDIOT!
Right, because that is what Jesus would do. Quit hiding your hatred behind hypocritical religous zelotry.I don't like the religion or more specifically the old testament fervor with which it is practiced but I don't hide behind Jesus.
WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode! Visit answering-christianity(dot)com.
We are sorry, we can't believe this stupid story, our family members are killed there MR lair
, you want us to believe that JESUS is MUSLIM, and in your Quran book you say Jewish carry their books like donkey -- I read this,
And I read about all Muslim to be ready for killing Jewish and Christian and all who not believe in Mohamed.
Wake-up we read we study, the net is full with all you truth, not the lie you used to state.
I saw video for new-york imam saying we will put all American under our shoes in ENGLISH SPEECH and the entire attendance saying ALLAH AKBAR, this is what you do in mosques, and this is thank you for the citizenship
If the Islam is peace and great, why you left your country and came here as Muslims?
Why also the minors coming here as aslyee?
All of you want to escape…. So why want to bring it here.
PLEASE, my last question: what is the name for any country successes and improves and also has live in human right standard
NO-ONE.
I mean what is the name for any Islamic country successes and improves and also has live in human right standard
NO-ONE.
WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode!
9/11 was a zionist inside job. The twin towers both fell at free fall speed **********SIX SECONDS EACH!************ This was a controlled demonlision fall with no resistance. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode!
WTC BUILDINGS FELL AT SIX SECONDS EACH! This is a controlled demonlision FREE FALL WITH NO RESISTANCE. 9/11 was a zionist inside job. Melted metal that was consistent with explosion melting were found in all of the buildings' metal foundations after the collapses. The buildings were also hit by REMOTE-CONTROLLED airplanes from WTC 7. This is also why this building was brought down by controlled demolision. The pentagon was also hit by a drone or missile, and no airplane was found in the PA field. Muslims HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11. PERIOD. It was the sub-humans who rule this country that did it. The zionists are worse than satan himself!! Hell is their final abode!