Muslims hosting events to coincide with Charlotte DNC face blowback

Muslims hosting events to coincide with Charlotte DNC face blowback

Organizers said they hoped to use the prayers, a town hall meeting planned for Saturday and cultural festival to open events to non-Muslims and bring attention to problems that they believe disproportionately affect Muslims but are ignored by both political parties. They cite what they consider invasive practices under the Patriot Act, discrimination against mosque construction through the use of zoning laws, "anti-shariah" bills being passed by state and local governments and more generally a climate of Islamophobia. "One of the reasons for pulling folks together is to stay focused," said Jibril Hough, one of the organizers from the nonprofit Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs, or BIMA. "A lot of our issues that we are going to be bringing up will not be discussed by RNC or DNC. Both parties have supported deals that are eroding our civil liberties."

I will have to agree that the rights of Muslims are being infringed upon and needs to stop. Muslims have every right to practice their religion just as the Christians and Jews and every other religion is able to do in this country. If a city or county passes laws blocking a mosque being built then the same laws should be passed against churches where they actively protect priest that molest children.

While about 300 Muslims prayed in Marshall Park in downtown Charlotte, the Christian group Operation Save America showed up to protest. Islam is one of the three main targets of its protests, along with abortion clinics and gay rights events. A news release from the organization on Thursday explained its reasoning. "Hatred toward the God of the Bible (Jesus) is the great unifier of abortion, homosexuality, and Islam," said the release. "Hatred toward God and the nation He made great – America, is the platform of the DNC."

These ignorant people are just as bad as the Westboro Baptist Church. There is no hatred towards Jesus. Homosexuals should have the same rights as everyone else. And people should be free to practice whatever religion they want. Also God didn't have a thing to do with making America great and if he did I would love to see this small minded idiot who knows nothing of the Constitution prove it. This guy is the kind of person that gives religion a bad name.

[removed]

NM... different post.

~Namaste

The Westboro Church is at it again. Those guys must love Charlotte for some reason, because I swear they always come down here. For the Bon Jovi concert they were outside making a$$s of themselves. Same s#*t different day with them.

As far as the Muslims go, there have been some radical elements in Charlotte. We had one guy who was housebound all the time making up literature that was pro-Taliban and pro-AL Qaeda. There were also an incident where they found some stores owned by Muslims in Charlotte were giving funds to the Taliban. Heck, my college Professor was a born again Muslim (a new convert to Islam who takes on radical beliefs) and he was actually rooting for the terrorists on 9/11.

I don't feel sorry how the Muslims are treated in this city. If elements in your own community are doing things as stated above, and you as a member of that community do nothing, don't play the pity card when other people in that same community don't like you. Never once did they come out and condemn those actions. Instead they kept up the wall of silence and pretended those instances never happened.

I may not like what the WestBoro Church says, and being of the Christian faith I think it is right to ridicule what they say and do. For what they stand for is wrong. I just wish some of the Muslim community would do the same thing with their own radical members.

reply to post by buster2010


You said people should be free to practice whatever religion that they want. I wonder if you truly believe that?

What if the religion that I want to practice believes that the night sky is evil and that stars are monsters. Would I be free to teach it to my children and raise them with it?

To teach my children that the night sky will kill us and torture us in a pit of fire for all eternity and to NEVER go outside at night and to NEVER look up to the night sky or the points of light will try and eat them?

Would I be free to believe this and to teach it to my children?

Would you stand up for my right to believe and practice this religion and to teach it to my children?

Originally posted by DirectDemocracy
reply to post by buster2010

 

You said people should be free to practice whatever religion that they want. I wonder if you truly believe that?

What if the religion that I want to practice believes that the night sky is evil and that stars are monsters. Would I be free to teach it to my children and raise them with it?

To teach my children that the night sky will kill us and torture us in a pit of fire for all eternity and to NEVER go outside at night and to NEVER look up to the night sky or the points of light will try and eat them?

Would I be free to believe this and to teach it to my children?

Would you stand up for my right to believe and practice this religion and to teach it to my children?

If you were wanting to teach your child that then why would I try to stop you? So you think this country shouldn't follow the Constitution? That people shouldn't be able to practice their religion? Personally I think everyone that follows organized religion is a little nuts. But it is not my or anyone elses place to tell anyone what religion they can or cannot follow. It is a right for citizens of this country.

reply to post by DirectDemocracy


Much like myself, I'm sure they couldn't care less about you or your children

reply to post by buster2010

And people should be free to practice whatever religion they want.

I'm sure when the First Amendment was written, what they had in mind was free practice of Christian religion, and not just any religion. They would probably not have called Islam a religion, but rather "some heathen practice".

Their desire was for the United States to be a nation with it's values and laws based on Christian principles, but did not want the government choosing one Christian religion (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.) over another and establish it as it's "official" religion. Separation of Church and State

Back then, to be called "a Turk" was considered the worse insult imaginable.
Any religion that dictates killing people who are members who decide to convert to another religion should be banned and all participants immediately deported to some other country who wants to accept them.
It does not really work to say you can freely practice your religion if one of those included is a religion who says to kill anyone who feels free to practice whatever religion they want.

The First Amendment guarantee for the "free exercise" of religion, for example, protects the right of an individual to voluntarily convert from one religion to another. According to the U.S. State Department, however, this right is not recognized in some Muslim-majority nations. “Converting from Islam to another religion is considered an egregious crime under Islamic law,” says State’s recently released report on religious freedom in Afghanistan. Similarly, State’s report on Egypt says: “The government interprets Sharia as forbidding Muslims from converting to another religion.” CNS NEWS

Not to seem biased, here is some news on a certain group of Hindus:

A leader of a local extremist Hindu group, Babu Bajrangi, who was filmed by an Indian news magazine in 2007 describing setting families on fire, was also awarded an enhanced life sentence until death.Indian Politicians Jailed for Life

I am currently reading a book on Tsarist Russia's Treatment of the Jews under Nicholas II so I have no illusions of Christian superiority but I have to say that they were not acting in a truly Christian manner, but were Christians in name only. There is nowhere in the New Testament that demands going out and killing people as a religious duty. (something that can not be also said of the Hindu and Muslim faith's sacred books)

reply to post by DirectDemocracy


I would absolutely stand up for your right to BELIEVE and teach your children the beliefs of your religion. FREEDOM of RELIGION means just that. It's not Freedom of Christianity. As long as your religion does not conflict with the laws of the nation, you're good.

reply to post by jmdewey60

Originally posted by jmdewey60
I'm sure when the First Amendment was written, what they had in mind was free practice of Christian religion, and not just any religion.

Well, it's a good thing we have people like you to tell us what the forefathers meant.

Not to seem biased...

Too late!

There's a HUGE difference between BELIEF and ACTION. Killing someone is against the law of the land. Burning something down is against the law of the land. BELIEVING in something, I don't care WHAT it is, is covered and protected by our religious freedom.

S&F for the OP. Yes, this is religious persecution and it needs to stop.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

Well, it's a good thing we have people like you to tell us what the forefathers meant.

You are welcome.
Happy to be of assistance.
And I am sure you weren't being sarcastic or anything.

Too late!

Trying to be equally offensive to both heathen religions.

There's a HUGE difference between BELIEF and ACTION. Killing someone is against the law of the land. Burning something down is against the law of the land. BELIEVING in something, I don't care WHAT it is, is covered and protected by our religious freedom.

So the preacher telling the gathering of the faithful to go out and kill the Jews and Christians is immune from laws of inciting violence as long as he adds, "In the name of God, of course"?

reply to post by buster2010

This guy is the kind of person that gives religion a bad name.

And in one fell swoop - he gives America a bad name as well

With all the activity focused on the upcoming elections - it's easy to forget there are so many people out there that really don't understand what's most beautiful about this country

Haters don't understand or trust freedom

S&F - for reminding us

reply to post by DirectDemocracy

To teach my children that the night sky will kill us and torture us in a pit of fire for all eternity and to NEVER go outside at night and to NEVER look up to the night sky or the points of light will try and eat them?

Would I be free to believe this and to teach it to my children?

People teach their kids about hell - all the time

Still legal - as of yesterday

oops - just noticed - still legal today too

:-)

btw DirectDemocracy, I don't like the way Alpha Centauri has been eying us lately

reply to post by jmdewey60

Originally posted by jmdewey60
So the preacher telling the gathering of the faithful to go out and kill the Jews and Christians is immune from laws of inciting violence as long as he adds, "In the name of God, of course"?

Not at all. Where did I say that religion can break the law? Inciting violence is against the law, whether God's name is there or not. I made that clear when I said: "As long as your religion does not conflict with the laws of the nation, you're good." Inciting violence is against the law of the land.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

I made that clear when I said: "As long as your religion does not conflict with the laws of the nation, you're good."

The only religion which fits that description (not conflicting) is Christianity since that was the religion the framers of the laws had in mind.

reply to post by jmdewey60

The only religion which fits that description (not conflicting) is Christianity since that was the religion the framers of the laws had in mind.

And yet it's some Christians (not all - of course) that keep insisting that certain people can't have certain rights - even though they're Americans

you really don't get it - do you?

:-)

The Christians don't own The Constitution - they can't

it's not own-able

reply to post by Spiramirabilis

And yet it's some Christians (not all - of course) that keep insisting that certain people can't have certain rights - even though they're Americans

I don't know.
Do they have many gay rights parades in Muslim countries?

reply to post by jmdewey60


You have failed to show how practicing Muslims are are not following the laws of the land.

I won't argue this with you any longer as it's clear you think our freedom of religion only applies to Christians.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

You have failed to show how practicing Muslims are are not following the laws of the land.

That's not demonstrable.

I won't argue this with you any longer as it's clear you think our freedom of religion only applies to Christians.

I meant that was the original intent. Obviously it can be modified through things like Supreme Court decisions. The US officially tolerated Muslims as long as they were in a foreign country. I don't think they ever expected a big influx of them into this country. I would imagine some of those would be like the Christians who immigrated here, seeking to get out from religious oppression in their home countries.
It could be after a couple generations that those who do not know the horrors of those systems their parents fled from will try to out of religious reasons to bring that horror here, and negate the hard work their close antecedents did to give them a good life.

reply to post by jmdewey60

There is nowhere in the New Testament that demands going out and killing people as a religious duty. (something that can not be also said of the Hindu and Muslim faith's sacred books)

I dont know why Christians like to think that Christianity is somehow free of bloodshed and violence.

Also, I can see why you said the New Testament and not the entire Bible, because you are well aware that the OT commands its followers to stone to death anybody who even suggests the idea of following a different god....as a religious duty

6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
-Deuteronomy 13:6-11



You may not follow this, but Christianity, (or the New Testament religion) is heavily dependent on the Old Testament...which as you know, is chock full of bloodshed, violence, killings and genocide.

Sure, Jesus softened the OT laws, but Christianity inherits from the violent OT its beliefs about God, messiah, creation, the teachings of the prophets and the various prophecies. Without the OT, which Jesus himself quotes from... Christianity is nothing but a cult centered around Jesus (and Paul). In other words, Christianity and Christian theology is deeply rooted in Old Testament theology.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n

Sure, Jesus softened the OT laws, but Christianity inherits from the violent OT its beliefs about God, messiah, creation, the teachings of the prophets and the various prophecies. Without the OT, which Jesus himself quotes from... Christianity is nothing but a cult centered around Jesus (and Paul). In other words, Christianity and Christian theology is deeply rooted in Old Testament theology.

Good thing this thread is already in the Religion sub-forum.
Paul quoted heavily from the OT too.
Some people, especially the Medieval Christian writers, thought of the Muslim religion as a heretical off-shoot of Christianity. So the "cult" label applies both ways.
And I have a funny feeling that this thread may be closed down soon, so I will keep the rhetoric to a minimum.
But right, I did make a conscious decision to say New Testament, and I think Jesus did more than just "soften" the O.T. law.
Now I could have included Judaism in my general denunciation but it should be noted that the "stoning of the woman caught in adultery" story in the Gospel of John is just that, a story, and they had quit doing that sort of thing before this event allegedly took place.

Originally posted by jmdewey60
reply to post by Spiramirabilis

 

And yet it's some Christians (not all - of course) that keep insisting that certain people can't have certain rights - even though they're Americans

I don't know.
Do they have many gay rights parades in Muslim countries?

what's that got to do with the price of rice in China?

:-)

The only religion which fits that description (not conflicting) is Christianity since that was the religion the framers of the laws had in mind.

stand by your words and try not to run away

We're talking about Americans - in the good ole USofA :-)

Our people

Our laws

Our Constitution

Our bigotry

put up or shut up jmdewey60

Christians don't own The Constitution - it was created with one idea in mind - though we weren't really ready to pull it off then - and apparently we're not ready to make it real now

But some of us are still hopeful - and still trying

Muslims citizens have the same rights in this country as any other citizen - you know why?

'it's 'cause they're citizens jmdewey60 :-)

and no amount of whining is going to change that