Like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Boston's Mayor Tom Menino wants to deny building permits to the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain simply because the Christian owner, Dan Cathy, was open about the fact that he favors traditional marriage between one man and one woman.
They have another thing in common as well. Just like Rahm Emanuel, Mayor Menino is more than willing to favor and assist entities in 'his' city that endorse violently anti-gay sentiments that make anything Dan Cathy said look positively benign in comparison.
In Boston, there's a mosque I know by repute, run by the Islamic Society of Boston. The mosque is very much Muslim Brotherhood oriented, and claims the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader imam Yusef al-Qaradawi as it's major influence and spiritual guide. One of its eight founding members was Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was jailed for 23 years in 2004 for material support of Islamist terrorism and money laundering.
In fact, the Society used Qaradiwi's name in their fundraising, and are suspected of receiving Muslim Brotherhood funds to help build the mosque. In fact he was actually an honorary member of the board.
Qaradiwi, one of the most popular figures in the Muslim world has some interesting views.
He favors a world-wide Islamist caliphate under sharia law, including the beating of 'disobediant' women, female genital mutilation , and death for homosexuals and apostates, just as it says in the Qu'ran.
He's also called for a second Holocaust against Jews, saying, "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by [Adolf] Hitler. G-d willing, this time it will be the believers."
Yes, this is the Muslim Brotherhood's real face, despite the white wash going on in the Obama Administration these days. And while the Islamic Society of Boston found it convenient to distance themselves a bit from Qaradiwi personally a few years after the mosque was built and established, but they have never distanced themselves from his theology. Literature found in the mosque, speakers who've been invited guests , writings and speeches of people intimately associated with the mosque and transcripts of a number of sermons preached there confirms exactly how the Islamic Society of Boston views these matters.
And Mayor Menino's connection? He gifted the Islamic Society of Boston land worth $1.2 million at the time in order to establish the mosque.Not only that, he he gave a speech at its ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Just like Rahm Amanuel's endorsement of Louis Farrakhan in Chicago, Mayor Menino's assistance to the establishment of a Muslim Brotherhood oriented mosque makes you wonder exactly where he really stands on gay rights.
Of course, the big difference is obviously who's talking. Apparently a Christian voicing opposition to same sex marriage is to be publicly opposed, but Muslims whose theology is virulently opposed to homosexuals is a very different matter for the likes of Rahm Emanuel and Tom Menino.Or perhaps, it's just that Christians are a safer target.
If you were gay, which would you rather have in your town? A restaurant that provides jobs, serves homosexuals and doesn't discriminate against them but whose president exercises his First Amendment rights by merely stating he's against same sex marriage? Or a Muslim Brotherhood mosque that promotes the views on homosexuals I've outlined here?
A restaurant that provides jobs, serves homosexuals and doesn't discriminate against them but whose president exercises his First Amendment rights by merely stating he's against same sex marriage?
ReplyDeleteEither you don't know or you're being willfully dishonest here. Dan Cathy has more than just 'stated his opinion'. He's sunk millions of dollars of company profits into anti-gay advocates and discriminatory legislation. If I were gay, I'd be offended by both groups, but I'd be much more scared of the one that had the financial muscle to actually affect my well-being.
PS. I see that you nixed my comment on the honorable Peter King. So is that the standard practice when you want to shield your friends from inconvenient truths? Maybe if I called you a closet-sodomite devil like one of your distinguished commenters below I would have risen to the cultural level of your site. As it stands, it seems that you're more amenable to vitriol than reason. This does not surprise me.
Well Roland,
ReplyDeleteAs usual you unfortunately can't seem to see the forest for the trees, I'm afraid.
I think there's a decent debate to be had about whether same sex marriage is either 'discriminatory' or 'anti-gay', or beneficial to society at large for that matter, but any way you slice it, contributing to political campaigns against same sex marriage is a far cry from the Muslim Brotherhood and sharia's agenda towards homosexuals.
As to your statement 'I'd be much more scared of the one that had the financial muscle to actually affect my well-being', you apparently have no idea of how well financed and organized the Islamists are.If you did, and you were gay, I think you'd be far more afraid of the Islamists.
Again, merely advocating permitting civil unions as opposed to marriage is going to affect your well being a lot less than someone advocating physical violence against you...and carrying it out.
Do a little research on what's going on with gay bashing and the targeting and murder of homosexuals in Muslim societies where laws are based on sharia, including 'democratic' Iraq.
And research what's happening in Europe, where the Islamists are entrenched in a number of locales.
Your comment unfortunately reflects a certain blindness when it comes to these facts.
Do a little research on what's going on with gay bashing and the targeting and murder of homosexuals in Muslim societies where laws are based on sharia, including 'democratic' Iraq.
ReplyDeleteWe were talking about the United States, right? I'm totally with you on how Muslim societies treat gays under sharia law. But Muslims simply aren't a threat to gays on US soil. Or maybe I missed the news flash about the bombing at the last Boston gay pride parade? When they attack the local rainbow bar, I'll agree with you. Until then, your argument that Muslims might someday possibly maybe carry out violence against the gay community is simply more speculation from the conspiracy crew.
So I reiterate: if I were a gay man in Boston, I would be much more concerned about the restaurant that is funneling their profits to actively discriminate against me rather than the group that so far has no power to pass any laws and no evidence of any violence in my community. There is no other rational choice.
We were talking about the United States, right? I'm totally with you on how Muslim societies treat gays under sharia law. But Muslims simply aren't a threat to gays on US soil.
ReplyDeletelet me add one word to that fine, high sounding phrase - YET. And in some parts of America,gay bashing in areas with a heavy concentration of Muslims has already occurred. So have honor killings.
Speaking of rational, parking on the train tracks and ignoring what's coming strikes me as far from rational, and basically answers nothing I brought up.
And frankly, I'm being polite.
Like I said, forest, trees. But keep on believing.