[caption id="attachment_11896" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Islam - Wikipedia commons"]
[/caption]WASHINGTON –Carol Forsloff - A Muslim group points out a growing trend towards animosity towards Islam and wanting to
restrict its freedom of religion First Amendment rights. What’s the story behind this?
The Council on American Islamic Relations questions Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s recent statement,
“We’ve got a threat that’s invading our country from Muslims. What’s your stand?”
According to the Muslim group, rather than
backing down from his statement, Ramsey instead underlined his defense of religious freedom but in
response to the expansion of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee claimed, “You
cross the line when they start trying to bring shariah (Islamic law) into the
state of Tennessee, into the United States.”
"You could even argue whether being a
Muslim is actually a religion or is it a nationality, way of life or cult,
whatever you want to call it. . .this is something that we are going to have to
face," continued Ramsey, in a statement issued in his official position as
the arm of justice in the state of Tennessee.
"We see a disturbing trend in
our nation in which it is suggested that American Muslims should have fewer or
more restricted constitutional rights than citizens of other faiths," said
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We urge Lt. Gov.
Ramsey to meet with representatives of the Tennessee Muslim community who can
offer him balanced and accurate information about Islam."
The issue about Muslim rights to
protection under the First Amendment has been raised a number of times, with
growing threats to religious freedoms, Hooper says. He observes retired General William Boykin
evidenced Ramsey's views during a recent interview given by the general when he
said: "What we are not seeing first and foremost is the fact that Islam is
not religion. It is a totalitarian way of life. There is a religious component.
But we still treat it as a First Amendment issue when in fact it is a
totalitarian way of life."
While this is happening, people are
protesting the building of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City using
many of the same arguments, according to Muslim groups and that there is a
nationwide movement to restrict the practice of Islam in the United States as
demonstrated by the examples raised in this article as well as a demonstration
in Florida where an anti-Islamic group demonstrated against the Muslims.
The following links provide
additional evidence of the movement of some groups to restrict First Amendment
rights to Muslims according to CAIR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNolsXjPpIc
Okla. Legislator's Proposal Would Ban Use of Sharia Law
http://tinyurl.com/32koova
CAIR Video: Fla. Anti-Islam Group Seeks to Disrupt Muslim Event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhK_yFAXVus
CAIR Video: Okla. Neighbor Posts Yard Signs Opposing New Residents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9lW7OsO5no
A church in Florida is also encouraging
Americans to desecrate the Quran, Islam's revealed text, on September 11.
SEE: Florida Church Hosting "International Burn a Koran Day" on 9/11
http://tinyurl.com/29jusn3
The First Amendment specifically
underlines freedom of religion as basic to human freedom.
Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the basic principles and was the chief architect of the Bill of Rights, studied Islam and
had a Koran in his book collection.
