Tancredo Continues To Call For “Mecca” Option
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in The War On TerrorismAnd Hugh Hewitt rips him a new one.
Congressman Tom Tancredo takes to the pages of the Denver Post today in an effort to resurrect his reputation. He fails because he doubles down on his absurd insistence that “bombing Mecca” ought to be “on the table.” No serious politician in the country has come to Tancredo’s defense, and indeed I have not seen any credible authority on war or religion endorse this foolishness. No serious Christian theologian can endorse what is obviously an immoral threat against another faith. Tancredo is drawing encouragment from the small percentage of Americans who have fallen into the erroneous belief that all of Islam is arrayed against the West.
And has Hugh goes on to point out…
Tancredo’s foolishness will no doubt be used, as was Dick Durbin’s outrageous comparison of the American military to Nazis and Khmer Rouge, by propagandists for Islamist extremists.
Basically, if Tancredo doesn’t understand that we’re not fighting a religion, but we’re fighting Islamic extremists who pervert their religion to strike at Democracy, then I don’t know how he can be convinced.
Let’s hope he comes to his senses.
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July 24th, 2005 at 11:18 pm
I used to think Tancredo was a fairly reasonable conservative. Years back, he was the house conservative on one of the PBS stations here in Denver. Maybe that reasonableness was just an illusion derived from the radical leftists he was usually paired with.
Lately he seems to have gotten a bee in his bonnet when it comes to “furriners”. And he makes the mistake of believing that if he pisses off liberals (as with his “bomb Mecca” statements”) that he can’t be too far wrong.
I really can’t improve on what Hugh Hewitt has already said. Tancredo’s remarks are worse than wrong - they are STUPID.
July 25th, 2005 at 12:43 am
I understand his logic, if you go full out on the “Islam Is Bad” slant. But it’s not, and his comments don’t consider that.
Thanks for the comment Hunter. I think Tancredo’s comment are based on fear and fear alone. Obviously he thinks the entire religion is after the U.S. and it is decidedly not.
July 25th, 2005 at 8:13 am
You’re kidding yourself if you think mecca isn’t targeted, right now, by US missiles.
And if we’re “not fighting a religion” someone had better tell the muslim leaders preaching “kill the infidels” during Friday prayers each week across the globe.
The problem with many Westerners, is they view islam as just another religion. It is not, islam is a political system with a religious component. Islam is Saudi Arabia. Islam is the Taliban.
The stats to date:
* 1,413 days since Sept 11th
* 1 billion muslims
* 0 “not in my name” rallies
Silence equals consent.
July 25th, 2005 at 9:27 am
Objective, I’m afraid you’re anything but.
We’re fighting the extremists of Islam, not Islam itself. And if you truly think we’re fighting “Islam” than you’re only contributing to their meme about us wanting to exterminate the entire Islamic world. In addition, we are starting to see more and more Muslims speak out against the more extreme sects of their religion. Look for the stories. They’re there.
So please, recognize what the War On Terrorism for what it is, instead of misplacing the focus on Islam itself.
July 25th, 2005 at 10:07 am
Justin Gardner writes:
“We’re fighting the extremists of Islam, not Islam itself.
You haven’t addressed any of the points raised in my post, such as muslim leaders preaching “kill the infidelsâ€Â? during Friday prayers each week across the globe. This comes from the very “holiest” of islamic mosques, such as in mecca, and medina, and all across the globe. Do you suggest Americans bury their heads in the sand, and ignore this incitement to hate and murder from muslim leadership worldwide?
Also, is Saudi Arabia not a muslim state? Are they not “true” muslims? Says who, you? Please.
And I’ll repeat myself:
* 1,413 days since Sept 11th
* 1 billion muslims
* 0 “not in my name� rallies
Silence equals consent.
July 25th, 2005 at 11:14 am
1) Your view that Islam is a political system with religion wrapped around it is just that, your view. I completely disagree. Ask any normal Muslim what their religion is about and I’m certain you’ll have a talk about God and not about politics.
2) True, there are Muslim leaders preaching “kill the infidels”, but they do not speak for everybody. Just like the extremists over here don’t speak for everybody. This should be evident.
3) You call for “not in my name” rallies. How about the scores of Muslims who supported us after 9/11 and have denounced terrorism is any form? But since you wouldn’t do your research, I’ll do it for you. Here and here. Please note the part in the second story where somebody is carrying a sign that says “Not in our name.” They are not silent and their numbers are growing every single day.
4) I make no excuses for Saudi Arabia. State sponsored terrorism is wretched and I think we can all agree about that.
Thanks for your comments. And again, objective?
July 25th, 2005 at 12:49 pm
If we really did consider ourselves at war against Islam in general, why wouldn’t the U.S. have taken out Mecca long ago? At the height of the hajj (the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca), for good measure? This is the gaping hole in the Islamists’ logic - or at least it was. That’s the worst thing about Rep. Tancredo’s proposal - it acts as a great big patch to this logical hole in the Islamists’ rhetoric.
July 29th, 2005 at 1:18 pm
[...] Apparently the Tancredo effect is being felt around the right-wing mediasphere. [...]
September 9th, 2005 at 1:32 pm
[...] Tom Tancredo, the man who called for the bombing of Mecca, says he doesn’t think the federal government should get involved give the state or local governments the money. U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., asked House Speaker Dennis Hastert not to send federal disaster aid to officials in Louisiana, calling state and local government there incompetent and corrupt. [...]