Questionable words
What disturbs me the most about the mosque near Ground Zero are the words of imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the main Islamic cleric behind the mosque. He presents himself as a moderate, but he is an apologist for Hamas, which he refuses even to identify as a terrorist organization. He can’t quite blame the terrorists for their actions and said, “I wouldn’t say that the United States deserved what happened, but the United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.” Also, “The United States and the West must acknowledge the harm they have done to Muslims before terrorism can end.”
Most disturbing were his words, spoken on July 25, 2005, to an audience at the University of South Australia which would make anyone question their support for the man heading the center. His recorded words were, “We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al Qaida has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims. You may remember that the United States-led sanctions against Iraq led to the death of over half a million Iraqi children. This has been documented by the United Nations. And when Madeleine Albright, who has become a friend of mine over the last couple of years when she was Secretary of State and was asked whether this was worth it, said it was worth it.”
Selma Prager
Springfield
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