No, you guessed wrong if you said polygamy. What they have in common is that in the United States both are vilified in the court of public opinion.
Since the events of 9/11 it has been open season on everything Arab or Muslim in the American media and among American politicians. What was considered unacceptable public discourse about any other religion, became perfectly acceptable when it came to Islam. This discourse served certain political and religious agendas intent on spreading fear and paranoia. One of the issues often remarked upon, usually with great indignation, is Islam's intolerance of dissent and of other religious traditions. This was always carefully contrasted with the West's superior and "exemplary" religious tolerance -history be damned.
So it is with great amusement that I now watch evangelical Christians, George W's constituency and the backbone of the Republican party, go after Mitt Romney, a Mormon, with the same zeal that they attacked Muslims. They accuse Romney of being the follower of a cult and insist that Mormons are not Christians. It makes them sound like a Wahhabi denouncing anyone who is not. It turns out, ultra-conservative evangelicals are as quick at pushing theTakfir button as Wahhabis are.
But the public preoccupation with Mormons does not mean that Muslims are off the hook. It turns out that one of Hillary Clinton's volunteer campaign workers was spreading email rumors that Barack Obama was (Gasp!!!) a crypto-Muslim. As if that is not bad enough, rumors have it that he sympathizes with Al Qaida types (double Gasp!!). Such garbage is not new as the not-so-Freudian slip of a conservative commentator a couple of years ago who called him Barack Osama clearly shows.
Doesn't look so good for the much vaunted religious tolerance of the Western, Judeo-Christian civilization.
10 comments:
Abu Kareem, to clarify, Mormons are indeed non christians!!! they don't believe in anything Christians believe in and they have different sets of books and prophets...they claim to be Christians some times to attract new followers...BTW they have a very aggressive preaching way and they are the worst in respecting other religions. Also it is an invented religion (there was no real purpose for it) and that is why it did not spread fast (it is mostly in Utah).
So your reference to Wahabbis denying other muslims does not apply here...a good example would be Bahaiis being not muslims and having their own religion.
Also for the record Mitt Romney was the governor of Mass, and he was so useless it was not funny. He has no chance...the list of candidates is not very promising (even Obama has to sell out for any chance of him being elected -but I doubt he is that popular). I would think Clinton would win a tough battle against Guliani or the other way but don't count on a major shift in American middle east policies....just like you won't see any change in Assad policies in Lebanon or the region...there is no light at the dark tunnel, unless the syrian regime is toppled but it has a big purpose and it is so useful to forment instability so it destined to stay as much as it is annoying.
Happy Holidays
Fares
Fares,
Good to hear from you. That they are not Christians is you point of view. You can dispute that theologically but why should it matter what they call themselves? As to the statement that "it is an invented religion", every religion has it prophets and its revelations; the Mormons are no different. The fact that its history goes back only to the 1800s as opposed thousands of years in the case of the established major religions shouldn't really matter. It is a matter of faith, they believe what they believe and it should not be an issue when someone is running for political office.
By the way, since some commentators have also said that Islam is a made up religion.
My point is that his political views and his political competence aside, everyone should lay off the issue of his religion.
This parsing out of individuals' religion smacks of the type of sectarianism that plagues our part of the world. Some people who oppose the Assad regime make an big issue of Assad being Alawi. This is a very dangerous and destructive way of thinking.
Howdy - ran across your blog, have enjoyed reading some of the back entries. I was particularly interested in your comparison of Mormons and Muslims (No, I'm not a bot, I'm a professor at American University in DC.)
I have a piece coming out in the Weekly Standard this week titled, well, Mormons, Muslims, and Multiculturalism. The link is here at the Weekly Standard - it is quite long, and gets to multiculturalism and Mormons toward the end:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/484tthrj.asp
I have a post up on my own (on again, off again) blog, here:
http://kennethandersonlawofwar.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-weekly-standard-article-mormons.html
I'm curious as to your take on this - I thought your blog post was very interesting and thoughtful. All best in the holidays, Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth,
Thank you for your comments. I read your article with interest. It is a much more detailed and nuanced assessment of the issue than my brief post. In general I agree with your point of view.
You are correct that Western Liberal multicultural political correctness treats Muslims as a monolithic whole paradoxically undermining their ethnic, cultural, and ideological diversity. On the other hand, secular conservatives or Christian fundamentalists also look at Muslims as monolithic vilifying all Muslims as Wahhabi fundamentalists.
Neither approach fosters a reasoned, frank discussion with the Muslim community living in the West.
I do think that you underestimate Muslims-Americans'sense of being marginalized and under suspicion despite the public demonstrationg of political correctness towards. This is a corrosive issue to the Muslim community that complicates its integration into the greater society. It is the type thing that makes the ridiculous rumor of Obama=Muslim=violent jihadist sympathizer so believable to so man people.
Would you mind if I posted your comment up to my blog post on this topic? I also am very struck with your final comment re the sense of being marginalized - I think it is not inconsistent with political correctness as well. I'd like to take that up in a separate blog post; it's a big topic. Also, you have a really interesting blog, and I'd like to link to it if I may. Best Ken Anderson
Kenneth,
You certainly can copy my comment (minus the typos) and link to my blog. Thanks for the kind words regarding my blog.
Happy Holidays.
The best way to make your most-loathed candidate fail: emphasise the fact that they attended a madrasa when a child. This will of course be true in every case, as madrasa just means school in Arabic.
For what it's worth, the only candidate that I think is worth voting for, who might try to serve the people and sanity rather than the lobbies and corporations, is Kuchinich. But he did go to a madrasa ..
I think it was Imam Musa al Sadr who said that Lebanon's multi-religous and tolerant society (prior to the war) was an example for all nations. In all honesty, the rest of the world does not have the kind of religious tolerance and plurality we find in the Arab world. I know you disagreed with me on my other post, but I still think that these tensions were exacerbated by external pressures rather than from within.
Those who deny Mormons as none Christian know "of Christ" but they do not know Him for themselves.
With a name like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints one can reasonably assume that this religion contains doctrine of a Christ like nature.
As opposed to the vast number of religions of the world with differing names,this Church not only bares the direct title name of the Savior of Mankind but is attended by multitudes of members many of whom have spoken with Him face to face "As a man speaketh with his friend" It is also worthy of mention that The Muslim faith in general expects that Jesus Christ will be the one who defeats the Dejal (Anti Christ) at the last day.
Is it possible that the words of Mahatma Gandhi the great Indian Leader are regrettably true beyond measure .
He was asked "Mr Gandhi ,What is the greatest threat to Christianity" He replied" Perhaps The Christians themselves"
It is my experience that the Mormons are often more Christian than those who claim to be Christian many of whom are often self deceived.
Indeed in instances those who claim to be Christian and accuse the Mormons of being none Christian do so to justify their own flawed perceptions of what a Christian should be.
Such persons give "comfort and expression " to the very evil spirit within their own nature having being seduced suppose it to be their opinion and own true self.
Self justification for error and accusation of others is usually a consequence of having an additional spirits (lodgers) within themselves who were "liars from the beginning"
A biblical example is the man called Legion who's 2000 devils within him when confronted with The Christ cried our "What have we to do with thee thou Son of the Living God"......"cast us not out into the deep but into yonder herd of swine"
It is interesting to note that in early Judeo/Christian writings those who take the position of being "an accuser" ally themselves with "the accuser of the brethren" who is better known as Lucifer or The Devil.
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