“We are deeply concerned, because this is like a metastasized antisemitism,” said Daisy Khan, who is spearheading the project with her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. “It’s beyond Islamophobia. It’s hate of Muslims.” – Mosque Planner Says Opposition Goes ‘Beyond Islamophobia’
Even if Pres. Obama publicly takes a stand, speaking out for the people who are against where the Islamic cultural center is to be built, so much time has passed that it may simply be too little, too late. Leadership is about standing up before consensus pushes you into it, taking heat in the face of adversity and leading people who will follow by convincing them you know the way.
With Rabbi Joy Levitt, executive director of the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, by her side, Daisy Khan, wife of Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, had a candid conversation with Christiane Amanpour on “This Week” yesterday that was illuminating for anyone interested in what’s actually intended with Cordoba House. One thing is certain, moving the Cordoba House is not a first or second choice.
Amanpour played the controversial comments that have been seized upon with the right-wing, where Faisal Addub Rauf’s talks about U.S. policies being an “an accessory to the crime” committed on 9/11. His wife, Daisy Khan, stated the obvious, that the U.S. trained Osama bin Laden. But frankly, it’s absurd to me that because during the Reagan years the U.S. took the road of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, which isn’t exactly a stunning military road to take, this act makes the U.S. “an accessory to the crime” of 9/11. It’s an original political sin argument that I just don’t buy, which also reduces the issue beyond its complexity.
But none of this is Pres. Obama’s problem, one that will linger on in people’s minds.
A lot of people on the Sunday political shows pronounced that this issue wasn’t going to drive votes in November, because everyone is thinking about the economy. I have no doubt that jobs and financial instability is on everyone’s minds, but I think people are wrong about the short-term impact of the mosque issue that has potential for long-term residual blowback. I’ve written this before, with the New York Times “Opinionator” picking up what I wrote last week.
It’s an emotionally sticky subject that obviously resonates with people across this country, which feeds into the already built-in feeling that Pres. Obama and his administration just don’t get it. That they are out of touch with how Americans feel, but worse, that he’s not listening, just like many feel Pres. Obama and the Democrats didn’t listen on health care either. It leaves the impression of leadership through force instead of representation. Fair or not, that’s what has developed.
Howard Dean is wrong on the mosque issue, but he’s right that the Obama White House just doesn’t get it. Unfortunately, Pres. Obama thinks he’s above explaining it, going into detail on the Cordoba House, thinking that at this late date turning to jobs and the economy will save the Democrats in November, even as things show no sign of turning upward. A hail Mary pass if ever there was one.
Obama is failing I think because he is much to conciliatory for these partisan times. Moreover, he allowed his enemies to define him rather than he taking the fight to them. As such he is perceived as weak and ambivalent. This will persist until and unless he finds a way to project the qualities of a leader. At the very least — Decisiveness.
I think you mean ‘seized’ not ‘ceased’ in paragraph three, sentence one.
I don’t think the Sunday pundits are wrong, the economy and the relative instability are driving this issues as people tend to be even more xenophobic than their normal toxic levels when confidence is so low. Frankly the polling on this suggests to me that the majority of people are just having a knee-jerk reaction to an issue they haven’t spent any time trying to understand, much less getting the facts. This is pretty standard for the American people as most of them are low-information everything.
As far as the long term impact? American’s have already traded most of their privacy rights for “security” and apparently, happily so. It’s not such a stretch for me to see them willing, through their own will-ful ignorance,to chip away at their most fundamental right as they seem to think that the only religion in this country under attack is white peoples Christianity.
And there, of course, is the heart of the matter.
I can’t imagine why the White house would want to say anything else on this matter. What good does it do them to take a side? The President essentially stated that they had a constitutional right to build a mosque anywhere they wanted too; frankly, I’m unconcerned whether he thinks its a good idea or not.
I never thought conseratives and some liberals would join forces to go against freedom of religion. This is not only a race issue, not only whites but I am sure many hispanics and african americans that are worried about muslim influence. Sadly, discrimination is in every culture and religion. I have heard people saying that muslims want to take over and bring Sharia law to America and other things. But you just can’t say its a American issue, this has been playing out for awhile in Europe. We are seeing racial and religious conflict play right now. How sad !!
Well.. where are the AA’s and Hispanics at the rallies? a Hispanic guy on his way to work gets attacked by the anti-mosque mob because they think he’s a Muslim. Europe by the way is populated by white people. I do not presume to know what goes on in those countries and can only speak for my own. Bigotry is Bigotry. People who worry about “muslim influence” telegraph their bigotry. period.
GaBuck says:
23 August 2010 at 11:14 am
Amen.
The way I understand it Europe is having problems with their muslim populations because it is much harder for them to assimilate into the dominent culture than it is for them to do it here.
Before 9/11 I don’t think we had any problems with assimilation and there seemed to be an effort made to assure muslims right after 9/11 that we understood the difference between terriorists and other followers of the faith. Maybe that was because President Bush was very careful to make that clear whenever he spoke.
There are several ironies with the current reaction which just feeds into the already toxic and zenophopic environment being created by Rethug Democrat hunters who were behind the beginning of the Tea Party.
One is the intent of the Islamic Community Center (let’s stop calling it a mosque as it is not a mosque). It has been modeled after a JCA (Jewish Community association)which are great places all over the country. JCAs were originaly modeled on YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Association). What could possibly be more of an effort at assimilation?
Another is that the Imon (sp)or leader of this group is a MODERATE muslim who actually worked with the Bush Administration and is currently on an over seas assignment for the Obama Administration trying to build relationships with other moderate muslims and the US.
Another as Frank Rich pointed out in his weekend op ed is that all this ugliness flys in the face of what Patraous is trying to accomplish in Afganistan, an effort supported by the very people who are adding fuel to the fire.
Our country is getting sicker and dumber by the day.
Hail Mary passes have a chance of being successful. The only thing the Democrats have to go on right now is fear of Republicans, and that will only get them so far.
Hey Cujo359. Well, if you think betting on an economic turn around has a “chance of being successful,” I want whatever elixir you’re drinking.