The Biggest Threat On the Planet

The 24-hour news cycle has elapsed for this topic,
but it is a topic which Americans will revisit too frequently.

I have been asked to respond to the notion that the United States is facing a ‘Christian Dilemma‘. It has been suggested to me that the cold truth is that in the world today militant Christianity, aided and abetted by Christian nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.

I concur with this proposition.

I mean, look, folks, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of blogs and editorials I’ve written about civil rights in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who have Christian garb such as crucifixes and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Christians, I get worried. I get nervous.

Remember those people who put up really big crosses and burn them? Any number of them have been convicted of the most vile, terroristic crimes. The Christian Identity movement regards violence as a means to their ends. Many Christians regard blasphemy, homosexuality, and abortion as crimes punishable by death. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts. Radicalism continues to pose a threat to the United States and much of the world.

You didn’t see the Muslim terrorists on 9-11 dressed in sterotypical Muslim garb. They didn’t wear kufis or robes or Mohammedan Crescents. But Christian terrorists want everyone to know that they are serving their God.

I must warn everyone against blaming all Christians for extremists. Muslims shouldn’t be blamed for 9-11 ringleader Mohamed Atta.

F O O T N O T E

To provide unwary readers every opportunity to avoid confirming Poe’s Law:

Juan Williams, Fox News and former NPR commentator speaking on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’, 18Oct2010. Transcript courtesy of ‘Big Journalism‘:

The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.

He continued: “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.

Williams also warned O’Reilly against blaming all Muslims for “extremists,” saying Christians shouldn’t be blamed for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Our Moslem Neighbors

It is a boast to describe America as a ‘Melting Pot‘. We have been a strong country for many reasons. Some are accidents of geology or history. A major reason, derived from the complexities of the flow of history, is that we are many. The fact that America is a composite of many cultures gives us unique qualities in the same way that glass fibers and epoxy, individually deficient for structures, form a composite – fiberglass – that is both strong and resilient.

Tomorrow marks a day of anguish for us. It will remain in our national consciousness in the same way that Pearl Harbor Day has. It will always be 9-11.

The events of that day, and subsequent events, have tested our American ideals. Many folks have not been confident enough, loving enough, and insistent enough to stand for American ideals and keep them as realities. Some folks have gone out of their way to fight enemies who are imagined, only existing in their anxieties.

Some of those imagined enemies are fellow Americans and neighbors who are not yet Americans. Some of them are otherwise accorded the deepest trust in their work for others as doctors, engineers, attorneys, and in a host of semi-professional and non-professional jobs. They are good and productive people who are worthy of our friendship. They are Muslims.

A while back, my friend Kasim (Craig) invited me to visit The Islamic Center of Joplin for a worship service. The Moslems in attendance that day were enthusiastic in their warmth and interest in Kasim’s friend. It has been too long since that day, so tomorrow is a good day to visit again. {Note ‘Prayer Times’ at the link.}

I invite you, fellow American, to embrace a neighbor in friendship on 9-11. I hope that some of you seek a Moslem neighbor to affirm that we are still the great Melting Pot.

PS I have a kufi – a cap worn by Africans of all faiths – which is good headgear to wear to a Muslim service. To be extra neighborly, learn the Islamic greeting, “Assalaamu ‘alaykum“!

Note that men & women worship separately at the mosque. That’s why I was reared as a Southern Baptist instead of a Methodist. Dad insisted upon being with Mother for Sunday School!