2008 Presidential Campaign Vignette

I followed the primary and general election campaigns of 2008 in the longest and most visited post I ever published. While looking this morning for something unrelated, I came across this exchange in a long comments section of my old blog, Hootsbuddy's Place.  This exchange is dated January 9, 2008.  

Now, five years later, Islamophobia remains just as widespread, perhaps more so, than it was in 2008 so this snapshot gets a repost for this year's Ramadan. 

Barry said...

Scrolling through your comments over the last year it is safe to say anyone with a view other than your own is sure to be crucified. However it is worth the risk to at least quickly address the muslim issue. Today it is not logical to trust any politician that would state Islam is a religion of peace. No one thinking sanely can argue the fact that although not all muslims are terrorists, today, in our time, almost all terrorists are muslim. Radical Islam is a threat to Western Civilization, and until we admit that we are no different than the Ostich (sic) and the sand, and when I hear more peaceful muslims condemn terrorism, my opinion will change. Recently a man was threatened and insulted in Tulsa, OK for doing just that in his local Mosque.

Hoots said...

I'm sorry you have concluded that anyone who does not agree with me will be "crucified." I make every effort to be both clear and tolerant without being ugly. So far I have not deleted a single comment from this thread...and I have intentionally left a few without any response from me because they speak for themselve. I do admit to having little patience with avoidable ignorance, race-baiting, rumor-passing and getting way off topic (the post title is "What is Barack Obama's Religion").

Getting to your comment, you stated "it is not logical to trust any politician that would state Islam is a religion of peace." It took only a second to find that George Bush made that remark as headlined on a White House website entry.

My point is not that Bush is trustworthy but that in the realm of politics there are many reasons for anyone to use language that may well be intended to be conciliatory rather than inflammatory.

Incidentally, that line about "not all muslims are terrorists [but]almost all terrorists are muslim" was written by a Muslim. The writer was being very self-critical of his own faith.

I hope you don't take these points to be a crucifixion. I simply have a hard time letting ignorance pass unmentioned.