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Conservative media, being led by those diligent “newshounds” at Fox, now feel they have the goods on the proposed Islamic center’s Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf for this remark he made in 2005.
“We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims,” said Imam Fiesal Abdul Rauf, speaking at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Center during a question and answer session dedicated to what sponsors say was a dialogue to improve relations between America and the Muslim world.
“You may remember that the U.S.-led sanctions against Iraq led to the death of over half a million Iraqi children. This has been documented by the United Nations,” said Rauf, who called himself a spokesman for Islam.
C&L’s David Niewart responds.
Now, one may or may not quibble with Rauf’s example — namely, the prewar sanctions against Iraq that Saddam indeed used as an excuse for letting his people starve.
But there’s no doubt that we have innocent Iraqi blood on our hands. At last count, the toll stood between 97,000-106,000 civilians killed in Iraq because we visited war on their country. In 2009 alone — a year in which the toll decreased — there were 4,644 civilian deaths recorded. So much for comparisons to the 3,000 killed on 9/11.
The American Prospect’s Adam Serwer further notes:
It’s very clear what Rauf is saying–that U.S. policies have contributed to misery in the Middle East and South Central Asia and that misery is a key ingredient in a very complicated stew from which radicalism spews forth. That conclusion is entirely uncontroversial in military and intelligence circles.
Niewart and Serwer are right but the damage has been done. Led by Beck, Pamela Geller, Limbaugh and Fox, the right has set aim on destroying Rauf’s image as a moderate, bridge building Muslim. It’s no longer a question of how close the Islamic center is to Ground Zero. It’s now all about the integrity of the Imam himself. They have cast Rauf as a jihadist villian, intent on destroying their beloved country. Former Republican senator Rick Santorum…
My thinking was all along if he made the statements that he made, he probably had a lot more that are going to be found out. This man is not a moderate Muslim. This is someone who believes the United States has blood on their hands, that the United States is responsible for this. He is a jihadist, he’s just not a violent jihadist. That does not make him a moderate.
Rauf is a jihadist. Obama is a Muslim. Death panels are real. ACORN stole the 2008 election. Climate change is a hoax. Islam is evil. Up is down. Down is up and pigs fly.
Anything and everything is possible in Wingnuttia. It just needs to be repeated enough times. And when the sheep start bleating loud enough, the deed is done.
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