The War Against Tolerance
By Chris Hedges -
Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem and Zachariah Anani are the three stooges of
the
Christian right. These self-described former Muslim terrorists are
regularly
trotted out at Christian colleges-a few days ago they were at the Air
Force
Academy-to spew racist filth about Islam on behalf of groups such filth as
Focus on the Family. It is a clever tactic.
Curly, Larry and Mo, who all say they are born-again Christians, engage in
hate speech and assure us it comes from personal experience. They tell
their
audiences that the only way to deal with one-fifth of the world's
population
is by converting or eradicating all Muslims. Their cant is broadcast
regularly on Fox News, including the Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto shows,
as
well as on numerous Christian radio and television programs. Shoebat, who
has written a book called "Why We Want to Kill You," promises in his
lectures to explain the numerous similarities between radical Muslims and
the Nazis, how "Muslim terrorists" invaded America 30 years ago and how
"perseverance, recruitment and hate" have fueled attacks by Muslims.
These men are frauds, but this is not the point. They are part of a dark
and
frightening war by the Christian right against tolerance that, in the
moment
of another catastrophic terrorist attack on American soil, would make it
acceptable to target and persecute all Muslims, including the some 6
million
Muslims who live in the United States. These men stoke these irrational
fears. They defend the perpetual war unleashed by the Bush administration
and championed by Sen. John McCain. McCain frequently reminds listeners
that
"the greatest danger facing the world is Islamic terrorism," as does Mike
Suckabutt, who says that "Islamofascism" is "the greatest threat this
country has ever faced."
http://www.truthdig.com/re****t/category/hedges/
These three con artists are not the problem. There is enough s*** out
there
to take their place. Rather, they offer a window into a worldview that is
destroying the United States. It has corrupted the Republican Party. It
has
colored the news media. It has entered into the everyday clichés we use to
explain ourselves to ourselves.
It is ignorant and racist, but it is also deadly. It grossly perverts the
Christian religion. It asks us to kill to purify the Earth. It's
genocide.
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