Muslims and Intolerance

Happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry
no sanction . . . requires only that they who live under its protection
should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions
their effectual support.
-- George Washington, Letter to the Jewish Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island

It's the Muslims' fault. They're spoiling everything for the rest
of us. That's because they are bringing out the worst in us and it
turns out there is a lot of worst for them to bring out.

It all came to mind when Juan Williams was fired by National Public
Radio for saying on the Bill O'Reilly show on Fox News that if he gets
on an airplane and sees people dressed in Muslim garb "I get worried. I
get nervous." I know lots of people who get nervous when they get on
airplanes but it has nothing to do with what other people are wearing.
It has to do with their own fear of flying. (Mr. Williams did go on to
point out that he was not disparaging all Muslims and to disparage all
Muslims for the actions of a few was like eschewing all Christians
because of Timothy McVeigh.) Mr. Williams' sartorial comments prompted
an even dumber response. A more-than-ten year employee of National
Public Radio, he got a phone call from his supervisor, Ellen Weiss, who
said that his comments had been inappropriate and that he was being
fired. She is a busy person and told him there was no reason to sit
down face to face with him since nothing he could say would change the
corporate mind. She did not know (although going to see the movie Up in
the Air would have informed her) that when firing people, common
courtesy suggests meeting with them in person even though nothing they
will say will change the corporate mind. Those are not the only examples
of how the Muslim presence in the country has brought out the worst in
many of its denizens. There are more.

Consider the proposed construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee. In that town the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is
attempting to build new facilities to accommodate its expanding
congregation. According to the Los Angeles Times
it wants to build a 10,000 square foot center that would include a
school, gym, pool and a house of worship. There would also be a pavilion
and cemetery. The good citizens of Murfreesboro, putting their worst
instincts on display for all to see, oppose the construction for, among
other reasons, that "Islam is not a valid religion but instead a
political cause to force the U.S. to adopt Muslim laws." In order to
add an exclamation point to the opponents' arguments, in August some of
the construction equipment at the site was set on fire and signs were
posted in the area saying, "not welcome." The approach of opponents to
the Center may well resonate with African Americans who can remember
only too well how their presence brought out the very worst in white
citizens in many parts of the country. And then, as now, the worst was
not only brought out in the ordinary citizen. It was brought out in
religious leaders, defenders of minorities, public servants and those
aspiring to be public servants as well. For examples we need only
examine the reaction to the proposed Islamic Community Center near
Ground Zero in New York City.

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics
and Religious Liberty Commission came out against the project. The
Anti-Defamation League that in theory is opposed to the worst in people
said building the Center "in the shadow of the World Trade Center will
cause some victims more pain-unnecessarily-and that is not right." In a
Twitter, Sarah Palin who might or might not like to be the next
president, said that the proposed Center which she erroneously calls a
mosque, stabs hearts (thus apparently releasing the malignancy in those
hearts although she didn't say that) and the Center's proponents should
not proceed with their plans.

Newt Gingrich, who, too, might like to be president some day soon,
takes advantage of lots of opportunities, like divorcing his wives, to
put his worst side on display. He compared those proposing the Islamic
Center, whom he referred to as "radical Islamists," to "Nazis." He also
said "There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as
there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia." Rudy Giuliani,
one-time New York City Mayor, confirming my thesis, pointed out that it
is the Muslims' fault that many Americans are behaving badly. He said
the people [Muslims] wanting to build the center are "creating more
division, more anger, more hatred" correctly putting the blame on them
for bringing out the worst in us.

Muslims are, of course, not alone in bringing out the worst in us.
Elections do so as well. That is a subject for another day.