Spring Break
Speaker's anti-Muslim propaganda only spreads hate
Saleh Ibrahim
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Commentary
When a student organization invites a speaker, you would expect that the speaker represents and promotes the ideas, beliefs and core values of the organization. With this in mind, the UConn College Republicans' choice of Jesse Peterson to speak for them last night was appalling, to say the least.
The speaker didn't spare any efforts to incite hatred against everyone who doesn't share his values. Of course, he has the right to free speech, but others also have the right to expose his ignorance and bigotry.
I'm not going to comment in detail on his political views, but rather I will expose the lies that he, as well as many other right-wing ideologues, propagated against Islam and Muslims in order to push forward a political agenda and rally support of the misinformed public.
In his speech, Peterson mocked President Obama for extending a hand of peace, understanding and respect to the world's Muslims. Peterson claimed that this is an act of appeasing "the enemy," which makes America look weak and compromising. He also said that "our enemies" hate us because we are a Judeo-Christian nation. He claimed that the Qur'an teaches that Jews and Christians are infidels and therefore sanctions their murder. Peterson couldn't be more wrong.
Millions of American Muslims love America and appreciate the goodness enshrined in the Constitution. These include dozens of Muslim faculty members and hundreds of students at UConn. Around the Muslim world, Muslims have coexisted peacefully with their Jewish and Christian neighbors for centuries. Islam's holy book, the Qur'an, teaches that Jews and Christians are people of the Book, i.e. the Bible, and that their lives, property and freedom of worship are to be protected under Islamic law. The only reason over a billion Muslims worldwide love Jesus the son of Virgin Mary and believe he was a perfect man and a prophet of God is because the Qur'an teaches so.
American Muslims have made clear their condemnation of acts of terrorism and their support for the nation's struggle against terrorism. For example, on Sept. 11, 2001, the Council for American-Islamic Relations issued a statement saying "We condemn in the strongest terms possible what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts."
The speaker didn't spare any efforts to incite hatred against everyone who doesn't share his values. Of course, he has the right to free speech, but others also have the right to expose his ignorance and bigotry.
I'm not going to comment in detail on his political views, but rather I will expose the lies that he, as well as many other right-wing ideologues, propagated against Islam and Muslims in order to push forward a political agenda and rally support of the misinformed public.
In his speech, Peterson mocked President Obama for extending a hand of peace, understanding and respect to the world's Muslims. Peterson claimed that this is an act of appeasing "the enemy," which makes America look weak and compromising. He also said that "our enemies" hate us because we are a Judeo-Christian nation. He claimed that the Qur'an teaches that Jews and Christians are infidels and therefore sanctions their murder. Peterson couldn't be more wrong.
Millions of American Muslims love America and appreciate the goodness enshrined in the Constitution. These include dozens of Muslim faculty members and hundreds of students at UConn. Around the Muslim world, Muslims have coexisted peacefully with their Jewish and Christian neighbors for centuries. Islam's holy book, the Qur'an, teaches that Jews and Christians are people of the Book, i.e. the Bible, and that their lives, property and freedom of worship are to be protected under Islamic law. The only reason over a billion Muslims worldwide love Jesus the son of Virgin Mary and believe he was a perfect man and a prophet of God is because the Qur'an teaches so.
American Muslims have made clear their condemnation of acts of terrorism and their support for the nation's struggle against terrorism. For example, on Sept. 11, 2001, the Council for American-Islamic Relations issued a statement saying "We condemn in the strongest terms possible what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 10
Stephanie Andersaon
posted 4/29/09 @ 1:50 PM EST
This author says Jews and Christians are 'protected' under Islamic law. Yeah, protected from Muslims as long as the Christians and Jew know their place and do as Muslims say! The reason the Middle East is almost exclusively populated with Muslims is NOT because the people wanted to become Muslims out of their belief in their hearts, it is because being a 'protected' second-class citizen does have it's drawbacks, to say the least. (Continued…)
Thelia Mussharaf
posted 4/29/09 @ 4:16 PM EST
Stephanie, I believe you're forgetting the Inquisition, the Crusades and other acts of cultural and religious insensitivity committed by Christians. Every religion has both radical and honest followers; it is less than childish to take a fact out of its historical context and utilize it to tirade against an entire religion. (Continued…)
dale
posted 4/29/09 @ 4:29 PM EST
Thelia,
Your comment is the usual false argument when faced with the truth about how Muslim countries treat non-muslims. We are speaking of TODAY, not the past. (Continued…)
Faisal
posted 4/29/09 @ 5:04 PM EST
Oh please, the speaker intentionally distorts the truth to in order to advance his hate based political agenda, and the ignorance of those statements are easily refuted with the truth. (Continued…)
OMG_Jihads!
posted 4/29/09 @ 11:47 PM EST
I don't understand where the argument about the treament of non-Muslims in Muslim countries comes into play. Are you (Stephanie, Dale) saying Muslims should be treated differently HERE because Christians and Jews are treated differently THERE? If so, you might be a little more than just mildly racist. (Continued…)
Stephen T. Squires
posted 4/30/09 @ 5:33 AM EST
Actually, the Crusades were preceded by the violent Muslim invasion of the entire breadth of North Africa and into the European Iberian peninsula around the 7th to 8th centuries, whereby Islam was very aggressively spreading itself at the point of a sword. (Continued…)
Mar
posted 4/30/09 @ 10:14 AM EST
The article is simply saying that Peterson is criminally ignorant when he says that the Quran teaches Muslims to kill Jews and Christians. All the nonsense posted here about the Christian citizens of the Muslim world proves that they are actually PROTECTED, contrary to Peterson's hate propaganda. (Continued…)
Stephen T.Squires
posted 4/30/09 @ 1:33 PM EST
Apparently, it is convenient for the sake of ignorant "pc' to MAR history by completely ignoring the more violent aspects of early Islam's own "imperialist" history, specifically regarding Islam's original incursion into Europe via the Iberian peninsula as far back as the 8th century. (Continued…)
Jinny
posted 4/30/09 @ 6:50 PM EST
Very well said, Saleh Ibrahim.
Stephanie, you're only casting stones from a glasshouse - "Yeah, protected from Muslims as long as the Christians and Jew know their place and do as Muslims say!" Isn't it precisely the same in the West. (Continued…)
John Bradbury
posted 9/17/09 @ 1:52 AM EST
To help defend against Islam, the world's most bigoted, prejudiced, intolerant, and oppressive religious and political ideology; and, for fair and just people who value freedom of speech, women's rights, and the separation of religion and state, here is a great site:
www. (Continued…)
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