Yesterday, a Fox News reporter asked Obama about “the wisdom of building a mosque a couple of blocks from Ground Zero“.
I think I’ve been pretty clear on my position here. And that is, is that this country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights; one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely. And what that means is that if you could build a church on a site, you could build a synagogue on a site, if you could build a Hindu temple on a site, then you should be able to build a mosque on the site.
We are not at war against Islam. We are at war against terrorist organizations that have distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their destructive acts. And we’ve got to be clear about that. We’ve got to be clear about that because … if we’re going to successfully reduce the terrorist threat, then we need all the allies we can get. The folks who are most interested in a war between the United States or the West and Islam are al Qaeda. That’s what they’ve been banking on.
And fortunately, the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world are peace-loving, are interested in the same things that you and I are interested in: how do I make sure I can get a good job, how can I make sure that my kids get a decent education, how can I make sure I’m safe, how can I improve my lot in life. And so they have rejected this violent ideology for the most part, overwhelmingly.
And so from a national security interest, we want to be clear about who the enemy is here. It’s a handful, a tiny minority of people who are engaging in horrific acts — and have killed Muslims more than anybody else.
The other reason it’s important for us to remember that is because we’ve got millions of Muslim-Americans, our fellow citizens, in this country. They’re going to school with our kids. They’re our neighbors. They’re our friends. They’re our coworkers. And, you know, when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive, what are we saying to them?
I’ve got Muslims who are fighting in Afghanistan, in the uniform of the United States armed services. They’re out there putting their lives on the line for us, and we’ve got to make sure that we are crystal clear for our sakes and their sakes: They are Americans. And we honor their service. And part of honoring their service is making sure that they understand that we don’t differentiate between ‘them’ and ‘us’. It’s just ‘us’.
13 Comments
About time.
He is so eloquent.
… just like Bush ;-).
Sorry, that is sarcasm, not irony. I’ll post to politicalsarcasm.com next time.
We’ll take sarcasm here. Just be careful — there are still many people out there who think The Onion is a serious news source.
This was probably one of the happiest moments of my life. Sad? I don’t think so.
I got to give the man his due. He is an incredible orator, but what I like best is it shows leadership and is uniting in its content. It does not attempt to divide or call out a particular group. It pulls us all together, americans as one. We need that now more than ever.
Can our other politicians, Govenors do the same?
Wow. You people are really delusional. This guy is the worst president since Jimmy Carter. Every move he makes is a disaster for the economy and his foreign policy decisions are weak and limp-wristed. How any of you voted for this empty suit is beyond comprehension. And don’t tell me he inherited anything. He was a part of the problem. The democRats screwed the pooch, not Bush.
…and another thing. This whole issue isn’t about freedom of religion. It’s about doing what’s right and honorable. If you think it’s honorable and right for a radical cleric to build a shining monument to Islam and call it The Cordoba Center, then you are woefully ignorant about the significance of Cordoba to the Muslim world.
@ Jarhead68 – We’ve been having many conversations on this blog concerning whether it’s right to build just because you can. I for one must defend the constitutional right to buy, build where ever they want. However, I have stated on other threads that I would prefer they not. The law is in their favor, not public opinion. As for voting for Obama, if you read some of the older posts on this blog you’ll find that I spend alot of time (along with a few others) challenging facts, opinions and ideas. I’d welcome your support and contributions, but I got to warn you, you’ll have to be a little more factual if you want to be taken seriously.
Me, i’m a veteran, fiscal conservative who also believes in pro choice and gay rights. I’m decidedly conservative on many issues, so that would make me a moderate or conservative democrat. My take on Obama’s performance to date? read these comments on an older post – https://www.politicalirony.com/2010/09/06/wtf/
You?
JARHEAD68-There was a man in Germany named Hitler. His ranting and ravings appealed to the uneducated. Europe was destroyed. Now in this country there is a “News” station that rants and raves and has been taken to court because it lies. Court ruled that this news station has the right to lie. If you have read both of Obama’s books and Jane Mayer “The Dark side” and the books coming out about Obama (did he steal the election? is my question) and you have looked at the improvement in the economy, if you understand that the economy collapsed in September of 2008, two months before the election, and if you have studied the great depression about the banks being allowed to deregulate in the 1930s then you can state YOUR opinion, not just something you are parroting. (well you have to right to parrot anything you want)
The Educated in Germany did not support Hitler.
One must always consider the INTENT of our leaders (or potential leaders).
Intentions are very difficult to determine, but I believe the most accurate factor to look for is past action… what did this person do before they were elected? In what way did they affect society?
“The law is in their favor, not public opinion.”
This is a rather interesting point, especially because the public’s opinion, in this case and in many cases, is highly circumspect. Think critically:
Is the data concerning “public opinion” manipulated in some way?
Is the controversy in the news because the public is against it, or is the public against it because it’s in the news?
If the public is against it because it’s in the news, is it because of how it’s been portrayed in the news?
How has it been portrayed in the news, and what exactly does the public think that they are against?
No matter how you slice it, public opinion, I believe, is probably at the mercy of the puppeteers.