No Muslims - No Terrorism
A powerful support group of the Republican administration, the Conservative Political Action Committee, held a well-attended conference in Washington during the first weekend in February. At it bumper stickers bearing the message “No Muslims-No Terrorism” were openly sold to an enthusiastic crowd. Vice-President Dick Cheney was the featured opening luncheon speaker who dwelt on the theme of fighting terrorism and waging war on Iraq for the defense of the American way of life.
The Conservative Political Action Committee is the political arm of the Conservative Political Union, a well-organized body that serves as core of the Republican Party. It is closely allied with another far right group, the Christian Coalition, lead by such fundamentalist preachers as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. These two bodies represent the main base of support for President George Bush.
The anti-Islam paraphernalia sold at the right-wing conference included another sticker that replaced the letter “s” in “Islam” with a Nazi swastika. Though Washington is home to a large number of Muslims no one apparently took notice and no one objected to the highly insulting message.
Only the ever-vigilant Muslim organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), learned of the meeting and took up the issue with Republican leaders.
The demeaning and highly offensive stickers continued to be sold as Vice-President Cheney delivered his speech. During his presence on the premises the sale was from under-the-table so as not to catch the eyes of the reporters accompanying the second highest elected official in the land.
The bumper sticker messages implied that if there were no Muslims there would not be any terrorism. One wonders whether it means that America should get rid of all its Muslims? Or that Muslims don’t belong in America? Or that Muslims should be killed? Is the conservative group preparing groundwork for a genocidal action against the Muslims?
The implications of the slogans on the stickers are alarming and chilling for the Muslim community in America. The conservative congressman Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) whose keynote address drew repeated rounds of applause was no comfort for the Muslims. After listening to his speech one is left wondering whether there is any room for Muslims in the Republican Party.
Put up for sale at a political gathering the sticker that attempted to draw parallels between Islam and Nazism is beyond belief and shows what some groups would do to denigrate Islam. Due to their naivety and ignorance most Muslims, unfamiliar with modern world history, are not even offended when Islam is equated with Nazism. Any correlation of the two should draw the strongest possible condemnation by all people of conscience.
Those familiar with American political culture know that Republican Party has long been seen as the refuge of racism and religious intolerance. Despite its record of exclusivity vast numbers, perhaps as many as 85 percent, of the Muslim voters cast their ballot for the Republican candidate, George Bush, in the last presidential election.
Many Muslims had also come to admire the Republican Party, the bastion of white privilege that has a history of anti-immigrant sentiments, for its seemingly conservative stance on many political issues. They were particularly attracted to the Republican platform that advocated family values without really understanding what the idea stood for and without realizing that it was mostly an empty slogan.
Tragically, Muslims once again seem to be failing where it counts the most. It is in the arena of politics that issues of life and death are determined.
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