Given this aspect of man’s nature, what do you think will be the result of the liberal tendency to consistently show favoritism to Muslim groups and causes?
As an example of this tendency, consider Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s response to the Ground Zero mosque controversy. He has made no bones about where he stands, trumpeting freedom of religion and even calling critics of the mosque “un-American.” Well, Bloomie sure has his principles.
Only, it’s hard to say exactly what they are.
You see, the mayor has also said: “… If you are religious, you do not want the government picking religions, because what do you do the day they don't pick yours?” But we don’t have to wonder. We’ve already found out — courtesy of Bloomie himself.
What I mean is, while the billionaire mayor — who has business interests in the Muslim world — is preaching about freedom of religion in public, his city has been aggressively trampling the constitutional rights of small congregational churches behind the scenes. One case involves Bronx Household of Faith church, which, lacking a place to meet, has wanted to gather in vacant public school space on weekends. Yet the city — in violation of court rulings — has steadfastly refused.
Critics will say that the particulars of the mosque controversy and those of the churches are different, but this misses the point. The Daily News’ Tom Minnery explains:
Granted, the facts are different. The mosque is to be built with private funds on private property. The church wants to use public school property, and that triggers some difficult questions. But five times now, starting in 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot exclude religious groups from public facilities when government has opened them to other community organizations.
Let’s place this in further perspective. When localities ban religious expression or symbols in the public square, it’s usually for fear of litigation or the result of a court order. In NYC’s case, however, the courts have stated that the city not only can allow such use, it must. Despite this, Bloominy Hall has dug in its heels — and used taxpayer dollars — in an effort to trample religious rights. And, as Minnery states, “It is difficult to conclude that anything but anti-religious bigotry underlies the city's intransigence.”
It sure is — and Americans are taking note.
Unfortunately, there’s much to take note of, as patriotic sensibilities are continually assaulted with such double standards. For example, in the spirit of Bloomie’s brand of Americanism, many schools have renamed Christmas trees “Holiday trees” (and in one instance even a “holiday giving tree” [ugh] was deemed too religious) and Christmas break “Winter break; have banned Christian hymns, Nativity scenes and Santa Claus; and, in certain cases, have even prohibited teachers from using the word “Christmas” and students from reading the Bible in their free time, as our traditions get ACLU-ed into oblivion. Meanwhile, the liberal education establishment has no problem with Islamic immersion courses in California and Oregon public schools, in which students learn Muslim prayers, don Islamic wear and are taught the “five pillars” of Islam. And they say nothing about the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, a public charter school in Grove Heights, Minnesota, where students perform ritual Islamic washing and recite Islamic prayers every day, the cafeteria serves halal food, and the school buses leave only after Islamic studies — which are taught daily, mind you.
Speaking of Islamic schools, journalist Todd Fitchette pointed out the following about the leanings of an alumnus of one, Barack Obama, writing:
In the past year alone he made a big deal out of hosting a celebratory dinner to open the month of Ramadan — held in the state dining room; he refused to attend the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts (an avowed Christian organization) [correction: it is an avowedly religious organization that is majority Christian], and, refused to attend the National Day of Prayer because he claimed to do so would be offensive to non-Christians.
And for a glimpse of possible things to come, we only have to look at Europe, where liberal genuflection before Islamists has reached new lows. A locality in the Netherlands provides a subsidy to an organization that promotes Sharia, and the Dutch central government has given a million dollars to the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which is an organization behind the Ground Zero mosque. A council (local government) in Britain is spending £150,000 to create separate Muslim cemetery space with graves pointed toward Mecca; and, writes the Telegraph, “across the UK municipal pools are holding swimming sessions specifically aimed at Muslims, in some case [sic] imposing strict dress codes [on non-Muslims].” Then there is this shocking video about how the French authorities are allowing the Islamization of their nation. In it you learn that, despite a secularism law forbidding groups to pray in public, thousands of Muslims do just that, shutting down streets and denying people egress to and from their homes. And while Christians who thus acted would take it on the chin, the gendarmes just turn the other cheek.
Of course, my opening example of the unfairly treated child isn’t perfectly analogous to the issue at hand here. We’re not children and the government, although increasingly paternalistic, isn’t our daddy. But this only means that, since we aren’t looking for love and approval from the liberal pseudo-elites, Americans will direct much wrath at them as well. The fact remains, however, that while Obama, Bloomie and Company complain about anti-Muslim hatred, they are giving us a French kiss-off.
So while situational values may play to applause in the leftist mind, many Americans won’t dance to their tune. It’s bad enough that we have violent Islamists who behead innocents, burn our flag, cheer our suffering, and want to kill us. It’s troubling that there is a wider Muslim community whose silence is deafening with respect to the threat. Now, outrageously, Americans have to tolerate being called un-American while newcomers to their shores are shown favoritism. If a perfect storm for anti-Muslim hatred is brewing, it’s because liberals have blown a very, very ill wind.
Selwyn Duke is a columnist and public speaker whose work has been published widely online and in print, on both the local and national levels. He has been featured on the Rush Limbaugh Show, at WorldNetDaily.com, in American Conservative magazine, is a contributor to AmericanThinker.com and appears regularly as a guest on the award-winning, nationally-syndicated Michael Savage Show. Visit his Website.
